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Looking for religious books to read...

A

Argamemnon

tormented soul
Hi,

I'm a Qur'an only Muslim. Not a traditional Muslim because sadly traditional Islam has very little to do with the Islam sent by God. I don't want to offend anyone, but Muslims have distorted Islam just like Jews and Christians have distorted the real message of Moses and Jesus. Anyway, I have very little understanding of Christianity and Judaism. I haven't read the other posts yet, but I want to buy a quality torah/bible (preferably printed with big letters on quality paper that will last long). However, what I don't understand is; does a "bible" contain the Psalms, the old (torah) and new testament? Basically, I want to read all the books that were sent by God that we know of. So my question is, are they all in one book, or do I have to buy them separately? And are there any particular books or versions that you recommend?

Thanks in advance..
 
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G

Galen.Iksnudnard

Active Member
Just in case you want to get the other side of the story, I recommend you read the following:

God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell
Why I Am Not a Muslim by Ibn Warraq
Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism by David Mills
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam by Robert Spencer
 
A

Argamemnon

tormented soul
Galen.Iksnudnard said:
Just in case you want to get the other side of the story, I recommend you read the following:

God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell
Why I Am Not a Muslim by Ibn Warraq
Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism by David Mills
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam by Robert Spencer
Click to expand...

I'll be honest. I was not at all impressed by the God Delusion, it had the opposite effect on me. Basically, my faith in God has become stronger after reading and listening to those people and their extremely weak and illogical arguments. To be perfectly honest, it baffles me how so many people take those people seriously. Robert Spencer is the funniest of the bunch.
 
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A

Argamemnon

tormented soul
I've read the book God Delusion and Robert Spencer's articles online. Basically, I'm not impressed with anything Dawkins or Spencer has ever said or written. They are extremely ignorant or extremely dishonest. Robert Spencer is basically just a liar and warmonger. To me, people like Robert Spencer are just as bad (or maybe worse) than the likes of bin Ladin and the Taliban....
 
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Galen.Iksnudnard

Active Member
Argamemnon said:
I've read the book God Delusion and Robert Spencer's articles online. Basically, I'm not impressed with anything Dawkins or Spencer has ever said or written. They are extremely ignorant or extremely dishonest. Robert Spencer is basically just a liar and warmonger. To me, people like Robert Spencer are just as bad (or maybe worse) than the likes of bin Ladin and the Taliban....
Click to expand...

Those aren't specific criticisms. They sound more like wild and closed-minded accusations because you didn't like what they had to say.

You do know what the word "specific" means, do you?

How is Robert Spencer like the Taliban or Bin Laden? What terrorist attack was Dr. Spencer responsible for? Does he advocate the stoning of women? Please do elaborate.
 
Shrew

Shrew

Active Member
On_a_Quest said:
Hey! I'm trying to figure out what religious books I should read. I'd like to read them all eventually. Please list any suggestions because I know I haven't thought of all of them!

Here's what I've been working on:

Bible
Dhammapada (I wasn't sure what other Buddhist sacred texts there are?)
The Upanishads (I'm confused about the diff b/t these and the Vedas and where I can find the Vedas in print)
The Sayings of Confucius (Not sure if Confucianism is a religion exactly. Is there any particular book that represents Confucianism?)

On my to-do list:

Qur'an
Guru Granth Sahib
Book of Mormon
Tao Te Ching


What am I missing? My goal is to read all religious scripture so I can learn as much as I can and find ideas and some kind of direction.
Click to expand...
Bhagavad Gita (from Hinduism) is not on your list.
 
Sonofason

Sonofason

Well-Known Member
On_a_Quest said:
Hey! I'm trying to figure out what religious books I should read. I'd like to read them all eventually. Please list any suggestions because I know I haven't thought of all of them!

Here's what I've been working on:

Bible
Dhammapada (I wasn't sure what other Buddhist sacred texts there are?)
The Upanishads (I'm confused about the diff b/t these and the Vedas and where I can find the Vedas in print)
The Sayings of Confucius (Not sure if Confucianism is a religion exactly. Is there any particular book that represents Confucianism?)

On my to-do list:

Qur'an
Guru Granth Sahib
Book of Mormon
Tao Te Ching


What am I missing? My goal is to read all religious scripture so I can learn as much as I can and find ideas and some kind of direction.
Click to expand...
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Ascent to Mount Carmel by St. John of the Cross
A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life by William Law
 
sayak83

sayak83

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
On_a_Quest said:
Hey! I'm trying to figure out what religious books I should read. I'd like to read them all eventually. Please list any suggestions because I know I haven't thought of all of them!

Here's what I've been working on:

Bible
Dhammapada (I wasn't sure what other Buddhist sacred texts there are?)
The Upanishads (I'm confused about the diff b/t these and the Vedas and where I can find the Vedas in print)
The Sayings of Confucius (Not sure if Confucianism is a religion exactly. Is there any particular book that represents Confucianism?)

On my to-do list:

Qur'an
Guru Granth Sahib
Book of Mormon
Tao Te Ching


What am I missing? My goal is to read all religious scripture so I can learn as much as I can and find ideas and some kind of direction.
Click to expand...
scripture books :- Cheap and easy.

Bhagavat Gita (Hindu) LINK (one of the best translations as it also shows how the translation was done)
The Upanisads (Hindu) LINK (Easy to read, reliable and starts with the more reader friendly Katha Upanisad)
In Buddhism, I would recommend starting with the Middle Length Discourses (LINK)
Any other thing about Indian religion whatsoever (A Handful of Leaves - Library)

Chinese Philosophy
Analects and Mengzi (LINK LINK). Done by a professor, better than the usual online fare.\

For the Bible, the NET Bible is the best resource (it has the Hebrew and the Greek versions that you can check)
NET Bible Online

Enough for today. :)
 
RabbiO

RabbiO

הרב יונה בן זכריה
Argamemnon said:
Hi,

I'm a Qur'an only Muslim. Not a traditional Muslim because sadly traditional Islam has very little to do with the Islam sent by God. I don't want to offend anyone, but Muslims have distorted Islam just like Jews and Christians have distorted the real message of Moses and Jesus. Anyway, I have very little understanding of Christianity and Judaism.
Click to expand...

It seems to me that if you have really very little understanding of Christianity and Judaism, you're in no position to make any kind of valid judgement as to whether they have distorted the real message of Moses and/or Jesus.

As for not wanting to offend anyone, you have not succeeded.
 
ShivaFan

ShivaFan

Satyameva Jayate
Premium Member
Looks like a great list.

I would add the Ramayana to your list.

And would suggest - even though some would argue it is not per say a "religious" book, but it is for me - The Epic of Gilgamesh.
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
If you (or other readers) are interested in Buddhism -

"The Lost Art of Compassion" by Lorne Ladner

"Happiness" by Matthieu Ricard

"When Things Fall Apart" by Pema Chodron

"Awakening the Buddha Within" by Lama Surya Das

"The Dalai Lama's Little Book of Wisdom"

All the best!
 
ShivaFan

ShivaFan

Satyameva Jayate
Premium Member
As for introduction to Islam, YOU CANNOT GO DIRECTLY TO THE QURAN initially, instead I would recommend Islami Usul Ki Philosophy or "The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam" by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, probably the greatest savant of Islam since Mohammed, and was suppose to be an Address for the Conference of Religions which was held at Lahore in the late 1800s and organized by a Hindu but all faiths were represented.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0ahUKEwj6gp6KsevQAhUM72MKHREzBdYQFggpMAI&url=http://www.alislam.org/library/books/Philosophy-of-Teachings-of-Islam.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHK032YV0jFsrwSnSgsJZc_Akfwgg
 
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