I'm admittedly atheist but I do have an interest in religion. How could you not? With such a large population in our world in some sort of religion it's impossible to ignore the impact it has on our lives in some way or another.
I haven't read the bible, entirely. In fact I'd posted on my main account (suggestivetongue) a while back asking what kind of bible I should be reading because it seems there are so many different kinds. Sometimes entire shelves. It's a bit confusing for someone who just refers to the bible as "the bible" and presumes there is only one edition, just one copy.
But I digress,
I pride myself in being open minded and that is why I am interested in reading the bible. But I also think that people should read books from other religions. I don't think it matters how religious you are, if you want people to respect your views you should respect theirs as well. That doesn't mean you have to agree with them, and it doesn't always mean you have to particularly even be quiet that you disagree, but you should respect them enough to understand where they are coming from before you disagree.
How many of you who are religious have studied a religion outside of your own?
Comments (33)
I was an atheist till late in high school. Since becoming a Christian, I have read the Tao teh Ching, the Analects of Confucius, the Koran (technically, the Qur'an can only be read in Arabic, so what I read was an English 'commentary'), the Bhagavad-Gita, the book of Mormon, and heavily in Buddhist writings (Buddhism doesn't have an agreed-upon set of scriptures).
If my faith in Christ fell through for some reason, Buddhism would be my natural fallback position, but everything I've read had something to commend it. I haven't found a religion yet that was just nonsense.
At first I thought you had somehow rec'd your own blog post. I was confused, haha.
I am agnostic, decidedly so, and I've read the Bible, the Torah, the Bhagavhad-Ghita, various Wiccan and Occult texts, bits of the Koran (I haven't gotten through the whole thing yet), and the Heart Sutra. Not to mention that I'm well-versed in the mythology of various dead religions and cultures. Other religions are fascinating.
It is incredibly important for someone to know the position of those around them. I've studied several religions (and cults) through high school and college. I was atheist and then agnostic during high school. I have copies of the Book of Mormon and The Qur'an. I've read the scriptures/literature of several other religions as well. In studying other religions (Buddhism, Islam, Mormonism, Baha'i, Jehovah Witness, Sikhism, Hinduism, and more) I've attended their worship services and spoken with those practicing the religion over meals.
It's amazing how much we all have in common. I think that says something important. All my studying and journeying has led me to Jesus Christ.
As I've grown older, I've found this to become more and more true. Finding fault in people is easy. I try to find something good in people and work from there. It's a lot more fun.
I'm Jewish and a became a Christian. I've studied other religions, but not as extensively as I have studied the bible.
I haven't studied them as thoroughly as I'd like, but I have studied a smattering of several other religions. I've read parts of the Koran, the Baghavad-Gita, and the Talmud (and have all three on my shelf), took several Comp Religion classes, and try to visit other faiths' houses of worship when possible (not necessarily to worship with them, but to learn).
I think you're totally right about the respect issue. If I want people to listen to me and my views, I have to be willing to listen to them and their views.
Aristotle said "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without having to accept it." And I think every educated Christian--and every educated member of every other faith--should look into the other faiths of the world, though they don't have to accept them as truth.
if you really wanted to just read it through, I would get a Message bible or contemporary english version. a lot easier read.
i have studied 5 different religions besides christianity.
As a female, I am not allowed to read the Koran, so all I know is what I've read or been told by women who 'escaped'. I read the whole Bible in English and significant portions of it in both Greek and Hebrew. I've been exposed to a great number of groups based both firmly and loosely on what people know as Christian. What I've read about Buddhism sounds a lot like the writings of Solomon. I'm not sure which came first, but they seem to use universal concepts of wisdom. I know a couple of Buddhists. I know only a little about Hinduism. The Hindus I've met were not too forthcoming on their religion, so I had to rely on a textbook. I know a tad about wicca. I know a little bit about a variety of pagan religions, and studied Asatru out a deep fascination for that set of deities.
If I were not totally convinced that God meant what He said in His Word, I would follow Asatru, because the followers I know are full of laughter. God's Word, however, says that I am a son of God with all power. That appeals more than just fun. Men lie, and may become corrupt. They may twist the Word, misquote the Word, and tell lies about it, but God is always true, and He takes care of me whenever I have a need.
My study of other religions has not been terribly in-depth but I take every opportunity I can to ask people I end up next to on a plane or in a waiting room what they believe and how they understand their religion.
I'm a Christian. I've studied the other two monotheistic religions decently well (enough to be dangerous, as they say) and Mormonism a bit. And I'm a student of science (specifically Psychology), which one can make an argument that it's a religion in the same way Buddhism is a religion (Lacking a set "scripture" but drawing from many different writings of different kinds and having a relatively uniform worldview).
That said, I've always been fascinated by the Eastern Religions, but I have yet to really get the chance to study them further than just the basic tenants of their faiths. If I had more time/fewer classes I would love to read more, but such is not the case, so the next best thing is reading commentary of each on Xanga, which is usually pretty bad, but still.
To answer your "Which Bible?" question, go to www.biblegateway.com
they have pretty much every English (and many non-English) translation out there, so you can find which one reads the best for what you're going for. I'd recommend starting in the Book of Mark or Luke.
Since I don't think I commented on your post about which bible to read, I'll comment on that here.
My thoughts on the different versions thing is that there is only one version. That is there is the original Hebrew and Greek text. Everything else is a translation from that. So, it doesn't really matter much which one you choose. With that being said, which translation you choose depends on how deep you want to study, and your reading level.
If you're wanting a really deep study, then you want a very literal translation. Although, being a non-Christian I doubt that's what you want. And if you had a third grade reading level then you would want a very simplified version, but, these often are too simple and important stuff is lost due to the simple language.
A more balanced version is the English Standard Version. It is more literal than most, but, keeps the poetry pretty and poetic and doesn't lose meaning due to simplification. Second to that I would recommend the NIV, it is a little more simplified but maintains poetry well.
I have done some reading on most of the popular religions and cults. Not enough to know their full beliefs, but, enough to have an idea of what they believe. I do have a Q'uran, but have not yet read much of it.
I don't know if this was said on your other post or not. But, to aid in understanding I would recommend starting in the New Testament before attempting the Old Testament. While the Old Testament is crucial, it is rather difficult to understand without a good understanding of the New Testament.
As others have said, I'd recommend starting with the Gospels. Starting with Matthew or John and going from there.
I studied the Koran and some originally Greek texts that I think could be considered religious. I think it can only do good to study other religious texts.
In general, it is far more important to form genuine relationships with practicioners of other religions than it is to perform some kind of academic study of their religion. If you want to learn how a certain faith is practiced, then get to know that faith's practicioners.
There is so much literature out there, for example, about my own particular faith that is one-sided, exaggerated, or flat-out wrong, that it's often the people who consider themselves "experts" on Orthodox Christianity who are the most difficult to deal with. They've read some books, so they think they know my faith. But faith is not a book.
Sitting in an armchair and reading the Bhagavad-Gita and the Tao te Ching may enrich my own personal experience of world literature, but outside of living Hindu and Taoist communities these books tell me nothing about what it means to be a Hindu or a Taoist. And illiterate but faithful Hindus or Taoists may teach me a great deal more about what it means to practice these faiths, although these specific practicioners may have never read the texts.
To that end, reading the Bible outside of its liturgical and social place in an active Christian congregation will not teach you much about what it means to be a Christian. You can read it as literature, absolutely, and get many pearls of wisdom and profound insights and what have you. But if you want to know what Holy Scripture means as a Christian text, then watch how the Christians use Holy Scripture in their worship and relationships.
I've studied philosophies but not other religions. As I understand it Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism aren't religions.
My major encounters with other religions have been with Southern Evangelicalism, Korean Buddhism, and Senegalese Sufi Islam.
Which 'version' of the Bible you read depends on a lot of factors, but the King James Version never goes out of style. It is a foundational work of English literature and has had a profound effect on our language as it is written and spoken today. While the language of the KJV is archaic, it's not unintelligible and is by far the highest quality literature of any English translation.
If you're starting on your own, then start with the Book of Psalms. These are the historic prayers and hymns of the Christian (and Jewish) people.
Two reasons to start with the Psalms:
1. They are not dogmatic or historical texts, and so you don't have to immediately plunge into all the "issues" that people love to argue about. Whether this-or-that really happened, whether that-or-this is fair or unfair. With the Psalms, you can put off those issues for the time being and just plunge right into the liturgical encounter of God with his peolpe.
2. The Psalms are expressions of the encounter of God with his people, and it is precisely that encounter-- not the "issues" surrounding it-- that is central to the Christian life.
I've only studied one from its own perspective (Hinduism) and have read excerpts and historical accounts of Islam & Buddhism, but not much. I believe I was very enriched by studying the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads in college. It gave me a lot more insight into humanity as a whole, another perspective, and even my own faith.
I agree with you that we should be more tolerant and try to understand and accomodate everyone irrespective of our differences.
Personally I have a keen interest in Islam which I find particulary insightful
its hard to believe in something that has been the main cause of death, wars, lies, and corruption, for hundreds of years.
I really never aside from Christianity when I was younger, but I am atheist now.
@BradenFontaine@xanga - That's a pretty bold statement, sir. What exactly are you claiming has been the main cause of death, wars, lies and corruption for hundreds of years? How many centuries specifically? And what was the main cause of death, wars, lies and corruption before this curent nemesis came on the scene?
the fight over the fact, or belief. the debate itself has been the cause for most violence, just in my option. some form of religion or belief has been on the scene since the begining, if you believe in the religious begining. but if youre thinking big bang then man has always put their faith in a greater being, starting when we began keeping some form of records.
I love that you are so open to kindness and tolerance of people different than us. I'm a Christian, but somewhat against religion. I go to church. I read the Bible. But more importantly, I fully realize what a great sacrifice it was for Jesus to come and die painfully to save His creation. And I find such joy in living for him and being able to experience the love and sweetness of my Christian friends - it's refreshing in a world so full of hate and anger and selfishness and intolerance. Some people claim to be religious, but they are so well-read on the Bible and so focused on the littel details that they lose sight of the Bible's greatest message: to love. To love the Lord and to love your neighbor. Not to judge others. To share God's joy and practice peace and contentment.
Great post, by the way. (REC)