Looking for religious books to read...

[pwfaith]

I would suggest the NIV Quest Study Bible - it has commentary notes along the side that explain some of the cultural events happening at the time and how certain passages connect to other passages, etc.

I also suggest anything by Lee Strobel

 

[On_a_Quest]

I suggest the New American Standard Bible.

That is the Bible that I have already chosen to read. Thanks!

 

[doppelganger]

"Meister Eckhart: The Essential Writings": Meister Eckhart, himself, deserves a good wikipedia-ing, itself. This book was inspiring to me and a great collection of this Mystics experiences, words and advice.

I have a copy sitting on my desk right now.

Perhaps "The Principia Discordia" which is not only online free right here: www.principiadiscordia.com but it has pictures!

Also Alan Watts, "The Wisdom of Uncertainty" and Bishop John Shelby Spong's "A New Christianity for A New World" are both likely to be enlightening and mercifully short and accessible reading.

 

[Nicholas]

On a Quest,

If the idea that all traditional spiritual paths had a common source interests you, then study some Theosophy of Blavatsky, Judge, Purucker or Wadia.

Here is a little compilation by David Pratt:

God and religion

 

[IsmailaGodHasHeard]

I would suggest the NIV Quest Study Bible - it has commentary notes along the side that explain some of the cultural events happening at the time and how certain passages connect to other passages, etc.

I also suggest anything by Lee Strobel

Amen to that.

 

[IsmailaGodHasHeard]

That is the Bible that I have already chosen to read. Thanks!

You are welcome.

 

[Secret Chief]

A reading list to last several life times I think!

Regarding Buddhism...

The Dhammapada is a small but rather popular section of the Tipitaka.

I would agree that the Four Noble Truths teaching is probably the best place to start. As many teachings and study guides can be found at the Access To Insight website this teaching can be read about for free.

 

[IsmailaGodHasHeard]

How about "Christianity For Dummies"?

 

[doppelganger]

How about "Christianity For Dummies"?

Good suggestion. Many people enjoy Joel Osteen's books.

 

[JacobEzra.]

The Lambs Supper by Scott Hahn. The Admirable Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis Marie de Montfort. Works of Montfort

 

[Jethro]

Dear questioning Catholic. I suggest you only read the Bible, as it alone will teach you the truth about God, Jesus and the true church. I wouldn't waste your time on those other books you mentioned--not inspired--they will only lead you down the garden path.

 

[andriakalvi]

The site is very interesting and very appreciable. Now a days, the work burden and the stress for people who are working is increasing day to day. I would like to thank the members of the forum for promoting such an important topic. Could you please provide some more links to view about religious books and prayers.



catholic rosary
rosaria

 

[Rami]

A Sikh in Greece is wonderful Book about Sikhism.
This we believe, is an inspiring
story. Every time we read it, we get new
emotions. I have read it once, twice,
thrice, perhaps, even more times. This
true story motivates the reader to be a
true Sikh. It seems as fresh today as it
was thirty years ago.
Dr. Brij Pal Singh is one of the five
Asians who was awarded a doctoral
study scholarship by Government of
Greece in 1976-77. He was in Athens
from 1977 to 1980.
Dr. Brij Pal Singh work

 

[chinu]

Try these two also..

1 The Refuge of the Devoted Soul
2 The True Religion

 

[Rami]

Work is more Fun then Fun is a wonderful Book
As a student of economics, I could not help being amazed at the
gargantuan contributions of Dr. Inderjit Singh to India's economy. At a
time when the country was grappling with food crises, dependent on foreign aid, living ship to mouth, Dr. Inderjit Singh initiated a financial revolution with its roots in rural Punjab.

 

[JacobEzra.]

Currently I am reading a book called Stories of the Prophets(Qasas Al-Anbiyaa) by Ibn Katheer.

 

[paarsurrey]

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.

If you are interested in comparative religions; I would suggest you reading the following book:

Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

Okay, sooo I've compiled a massive reading list...


- Christianity
o The Bible
o How to Read the Bible
o Lost Christianities
o The Bible: A Biography
o Christianity: The First 3000 Years
o Lost Scriptures
o On the True Doctrine: A Discourse Against the Christians
o Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free
o Book of Mormon
o Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
o The Rite by Matt Biglio
o Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Judaism
o The Talmud
- Islam
o Qur’an
o Understanding the Qur’an: Themes and Style
o In Search of the Original Koran: The True History of the Revealed Text
- Sikhism
o Shri Guru Granth Sahib
- Hinduism
o The Vedas
§ Rig Veda
§ Yajur Veda
§ Sama Veda
§ Atharvaveda
§ The Upanishads
o The Mahabharat
§ The Bhagavad Gita
o The Puranas
- Buddhism
o The Dhammapada
o Four Noble Truths, Eight-fold path
- Taoism
o Tao Te Ching
- Baha’i Faith
o Kitab-i-Aqdas
o Kitab-i-Iqan
- Confucianism
o The Sayings of Confucius
- Zoroastrianism
o The Avesta
- Ancient Mythology
o Greek
o Norse
o Egyptian
- Miscellaneous
o The World’s Religions
o Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief
o Tales of Wonder: Adventures of Chasing the Divine
o Idolatry
o How to Be Idle: A Loafer’s Manifesto
o How to Know God: The Soul’s Journey into the Mystery of Mysteries
o Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief
o Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

The reason that the list for Christianity is so much bigger than the others is because I figure I need to learn more about my own religion (as of right now) before I go indepth into others. Mostly because I need a solid starting point to launch from and because, while I'm fairly knowledgeable when it comes to Catholicism, I need to learn a lot more about other Christian faiths as well.

I'm posting this update because I need advice on how to tackle an ambitious project like this while still juggling other commitments with college and a part-time job. Also, suggestions on how to prioritize books (especially within Hinduism and Christianity) would be awesome. Any friendly advice at all is welcome!

Can i suggest as additional text on Hinduism, you can also read the light of truth (satyarth Prakash) by Swami Dayananda Saraswati, and the complete works of Swami Vivekananda.
Also try and get the 4 Vedas translated into English by Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

An English translation of the Satyarth Prakash; literally, Expose of right sense (of Vedic religion) of Maharshi Swami Dayanand Saraswati, 'The Luther of India,' being a guide to Vedic hermeneutics : Dayananda Sarasvati, Swami, 1824-1883 : Free Downl

SATYARTH PRAKASH THE LIGHT OF TRUTH OR SATYARTHA PRAKASHA

The Best would be to read the Intro to Swamis translation of the 4 Vedas first.

The Vedas - an introduction

and

Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda 8 Vol. set: Swami Vivekananda: 9788185301464: Amazon.com: Books

 

[rusra02]

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.

You are to be commended for your search for spiritual direction. I think it reveals your consciousness of your spiritual need. (Matthew 5:3) I am reminded of something the Bible says: "my son, take a warning: To the making of many books there is no end, and much devotion to them is wearisome to the flesh. The conclusion of the matter, everything having been heard, is: Fear the true God and keep his commandments." (Ecclesiastes 12:12,13) To find true knowledge, it makes sense to go to the Source of true knowledge. Reading "sacred" texts randomly is rather like seeking directions to a distant destination by inquiring of persons we meet by chance as to the direction we should take. It is not likely we will find our way. A more direct and reliable route is to find a trusted source, a spiritual GPS, that we can have confidence in. A good place to "test" the spiritual claims of religious texts, I think, is the book "Mankinds Search for God".

 

[Secret Chief]

You've set yourself a mammoth if not impossible task.

Regarding Buddhism -

The Dhammapada is a minor part of the Canon, certainly not foundational. It is simply popular, probably because it is epithets in verse form. It would be ridiculous to suggest you read the whole Canon, nevermind the myriad Mahayana sutras. A basic understanding of the teaching can be derived from In the Buddha's Words, edited by Bhikku Bodhi. If that is too large I suggest Turning the Wheel of Truth - Commentary on the Buddha's First Teaching by Ajahn Sucitto.

(Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path are not books).