Which of the following Religious Books do you read the most?

That's it? No Rig Veda? No Book of Mormon?

(Don't read any of 'em. Have read parts of the Bible and the Koran out of curiosity or as assigned.)

None of the above, Bib - if I read religious books they are Buddhist.

I keep telling myself to read the Koran in order to understand Islam better, but somehow I never do...

As a weelowan I went to a Christian school and, occasionally, to church, so I have been exposed to large parts of the Bible, but I do not read it now.

I have never read the Talmud.

Patiodog:

I've added the other books to the selection list, especially for you. :wink:

I've read the Bible cover to cover over 5 times and read passages from it every day in addition to extensive memorization until I decided it was predominantly drivel.

I have read portions of the other books listed but the hogwash is tiresome.

CDK: You've read the Bible over five times?

That's better than most preachers I know have ever done!

Why did you read it so many times?

(thanks, b-phile. haven't read those either -- though i did lift the book of mormon out of a utah motel room and might glance through it some day.)

I have read the Old Teatament, during my distant past. I think that it is one of the greatest achievements of early man, a grand attempt to make some sense of his world, an early form of philosophy, as well as a history of a people. I really have no compelling reason to read it again.

Until I was 5 I was only allowed to read the Bible and other educational material (heaven forbid Steven King!) I was also required to memorize a different verse from the Bible every day until age 13 or so, and there was only so many " Jesus wept", " Remember Lot's Wife", " Eber, Peleg, Reu" (last one might be wrong) verses so I learned the Bible quite well.

It's a fascinating book with many great stories but in the interest of truth I have shunned it.

I still recall most of the passages and can quote about 50% of it but I haven't opened it (except to show a friend the passage "God does not dwell in temples made with hands" ) in about 9 years.

Even the "Lord's Prayer?"

Admittedly, I don't read any religious books, because I find them to be all drivel. All authorized by man, for man (and many parts discriminatory against women).

c.i.

I've read the Bible cover-to-cover just once, but have read long passages from it frequently. (usually King James, but sometimes a more modern version) It is interesting to find out what stuff is in the Bible that you never hear about. Much better than the movie.

Although I am an agnostic now, I was brought up as a Christian Scientist, so "Science and Health" not on your list, would have to be the second most-read. It's got some good thoughts, but IMHO it is mostly circular reasoning and sesquipedalian gobbledygook.

I've tried reading the Quran, but found it difficult going. The book of Mormon is harder to read than the King James Bible. Anyone who has read it through is either truly dedicated or has nothing else to do.

I would love to be more educated in the other great religious tomes, but some are very difficult reading

I don't much like the Lord's Prayer. I preferred the stories about murder, cannibalism, city wide circumcision etc.

I've read the Bhagvad Gita and the Ramayana, The Book of J, miscellaneous parts of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, and attempted the Koran (got maybe 1/8 through the translation I have.) I took a class on Islam that provided lots of other texts, and the parts of the Koran I read were assigned -- had a hard time getting into the rest. The class was good, though, taught by an exceedingly gentle, humble, softspoken man who was appalled at the bad name his religion was getting. (This was 1993 or so.) It was one of those situations where I actually had the advantage, deaf-wise -- the whole class would be sitting on the edge of their seats, brows beetled in concentration, and I'd just let the poor terp, leaning like the tower of Pisa, do all the work.

I've been reading a fair amount of Rumi lately...

SealPoet, What is "Rumi?" c.i.

SP: is this the book you are reading?



...and by the following Poet?

I've read the majority of the KJV Bible and some of the Qur'an (the Qur'an I read mostly in training on converting Muslims to Christianity). One other thing I was interested in at that time (I was still 16) was the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, as he'd managed to mix the 2 into his own religion. (Geographically, the Bahá'í Faith comes 2nd after Christianity as the most widespread religion.)

-- I've taken the same view & stance as Craven on this.

Monger, I thought the 2d after christianity was Islam! c.i.

Islam has the 2nd most followers. The Bahá'í faith only has close to 5 million followers, but they are established & active in more countries than Islam.

Actually, to get a little more precise here than I was in what I was saying before, the Bahá'ís claim their prophet Bahá'u'lláh fulfills prophecies from all the worlds major religions, not only Christianity & Islam; Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism too. It's one of the world's fastest growing religions according to a Christian almanac of religions I was reading a while ago.

Monger, That is interesting stats, but I still gotta question that info. What countries have Baha'i, but not Islam/Muslims? c.i.