Short list of recommended scriptural readings

[Oscillator]

I can think of better fictional works than those.

You MUST admit, though, that it is an IMPRESSIVE LIST OF BOOKS he bought.

Really impressive.

That's the name of the game.

[IBDaMann]

A List of Recommend Scriptural Readings

For what purpose? Who wants random reading recommendations?

Christianity Recommended readings for Christianity include one of the gospels, perhaps Luke; the book of Acts, which offers a history of the early Christian movement; and something from Paul, either Romans or 1 Corinthians.

One of the gospels? Just one? That's because they're all effectively the same, right? It makes so much sense when you put it that way. Let me inform gfm7175 of your keen insight.

@gfm7175, you only need one gospel, so just pick one and go with that. You can dispense with all of your "Matthew explains this aspect so much better than John" nonsense because they're just six of one and a half-dozen of the other. We don't need your pretense of WOKE scriptural diversity, p-l-e-a-s-e.

@Cypress, I informed gfm7175 so you can expect him to meld into the collective as you recommend above.

by the way, that was a good call giving a choice between Paul, Romans or Corinthians. They're just redundant repetitions. I have no idea why all three are in the Bible.

I also recommend the Epistle of James, which is arguably the world's first communist manifesto.

I'm intrigued. How would one go about arguing this? I have read both in their entirety and aside from them both being religious texts that offer the standard religious praise the poor/poverty and vilification of the rich, I don't see any other parallels whatsoever, much less James being any sort of predecessor to the Communist Manifesto. But you are familiar with this effective argument, you say?

Cypressism If you wasted time reading regurgitations of quickly Googled non-authoritative sources on JPP at the hands of Cypress, consider reading the following:
How to Google like a Pro – 10 Tips for More Effective Googling
What are some hacks/tricks for a better Quora experience?
How Google Uses Wikipedia to Improve Search Results
Science shows Wikipedia is the best part of the Internet
Top 10 Ways to Find Better Answers Online (that Aren't Google) [WARNING: some might find Wikipedia's ranking down at 6th as heretical]

Islam The Qur’an, with its 114 suras, is a bit long. Newcomers might want to start with some of the shorter, earlier, more lyrical revelations toward the end of the volume, then read a few of the longer suras that appear at the beginning (2, “The Cow”; 4, “Women”; and 5, “The Table”).

Interesting. For Christianity you recommend one gospel and one other book, but for Islam you recommend a program for best getting through the entire Q'ran. Fascinating. I'll inform gfm7175 of your keen insight.

@gfm7175, get your head out of your gospel (thankfully it's only one at this point) and start getting into the Q'ranic suras. You are *way* behind the power curve. Get with the program. You need to read all of it. You've already read the little of the New Testament that you actually need to read. So get moving.

@Cypress, for your convenience, I have informed gfm7175 of the changes to his curriculum.

[America]

God doesn't exist.

[Doc Dutch]

God doesn't exist.

Thanks for revealing your beliefs.

Do you believe people are simply meat robots responding to genetic programming and experience? Is killing the poor, the mentally ill or other losers moral?

[America]

Thanks for revealing your beliefs.

Do you believe people are simply meat robots responding to genetic programming and experience? Is killing the poor, the mentally ill or other losers moral?

Considering that those evil (and worse) have been done in the name of religion, I don't see how you can claim moral superiority.

To answer your question, yes, we're meat machines. Unfortunately, there is no evidence of a soul or an afterlife, and since I'm a realist, I can't believe in religion.

[Doc Dutch]

Considering that those evil (and worse) have been done in the name of religion, I don't see how you can claim moral superiority.

To answer your question, yes, we're meat machines. Unfortunately, there is no evidence of a soul or an afterlife, and since I'm a realist, I can't believe in religion.

Dude, are you seriously conflating religions of mankind with your impossible to prove "God doesn't exist"?

Great. So you agree killing the poor, the mentally ill and other losers is a twofer: it ends their misery and frees up assets for those of us who are more productive.

What evil of religion? You just agreed that there are no universal morals. Might makes Right. Survival of the Fittest. If an advanced nation needs more resources or "living space" then it's logical to take it. If the lesser developed people are in the way, then eradicate them just like rats in a building. What's wrong with that?

Religion = dogma. I'm not religious myself, but that is different from believing there is more to existence than being a meat robot.

[Cypress]

I can think of better fictional works than those.

Lay your recommendations on me, Daddy-O.

[Doc Dutch]

Lay your recommendations on me, Daddy-O.

He ran from my questions. I doubt it was to find references for a logical reply. Sad.

[Cypress]

God doesn't exist.

I'm agnostic, so I don't know, and I also don't limit my reading to the preferred canon of one team or the other team. I'm as likely to read works by the noteworthy atheists Frederich Nietzsche and Richard Dawkins, as I am to read the Gospel of Luke or the Dhammapada.

I don't see the need or necessity to just read one team's favorite books.

I have gotten as much out of reading the Daodejing and the Analects of Confucius as I have gotten out of reading my physics and chemistry college textbooks.

[Cypress]

He ran from my questions. I doubt it was to find references for a logical reply. Sad.

I think this project of mine was more about the genre of moral philosophy and ontology.

If fiction is the topic, I've read the crap out of Michael Crichton, Arthur C. Clark, Steven King, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, Ann Rice, etc. But am always open to more suggestions.

[NiftyNiblick]

A List of Recommend Scriptural Readings

Hinduism
If you read only one text from Hinduism, it should be the Bhagavad Gita.

Judaism
For Judaism, you might try something from each of the three. sections of the Tanakh. From the Torah, you might sample Genesis, which includes some of the most famous stories in the Hebrew Bible. From the Prophets, read 2 Isaiah (chapters 40–55), which most scholars date to the 6th century B.C.E., during the Babylonian Exile. From the Writings, try the brief book of Ruth, a simple yet
moving tale of ordinary people and extraordinary kindness.

Trumpism
If you spend four years worshiping and groveling at the feet of Donald Trumpf, consider reading Art of the Deal, or Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump.

Buddhism
One of the most beloved texts from the Theravada tradition of Buddhism is the Dhammapada, which sets forth the basic principles of Buddhist doctrine and morality. The canon of Mahayana Buddhism is vast, but one book considered by many to be the fullest. expression of the Buddha’s teachings is the Lotus Sutra. Read the first four chapters, which include the parables of the burning house and the prodigal son.

East Asian religions
For East Asian religion and philosophy, read the Analects of Confucius and the Daodejing. The Analects are brief, fairly straightforward sayings of Confucius. The Daodejing was originally an anonymous collection of wisdom sayings that was later attributed to Laozi and eventually elevated to the status of a divine text.

Christianity
Recommended readings for Christianity include one of the gospels, perhaps Luke; the book of Acts, which offers a history of the early Christian movement; and something from Paul, either Romans or 1 Corinthians. I also recommend the Epistle of James, which is arguably the world's first communist manifesto.

Islam
The Qur’an, with its 114 suras, is a bit long. Newcomers might want to start with some of the shorter, earlier, more lyrical revelations toward the end of the volume, then read a few of the longer suras that appear at the beginning
(2, “The Cow”; 4, “Women”; and 5, “The Table”).

Sikhism
The Adi Granth is the paramount scripture of Sikhism. Two recommended readings in this tradition are The Name of My Beloved: Verses of the Sikh Gurus, translated by Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, and Songs of the Saints from the Adi Granth, translated by Nirmal Dass.


Source credit: Grant Hardy, Ph.D., Professor of History and Religious Studies, University of North Carolina

The list isn't quite short enough for me,
but I do appreciate the effort, my Russian friend.

[Doc Dutch]

I think this project of mine was more about the genre of moral philosophy and ontology.

If fiction is the topic, I've read the crap out of Michael Crichton, Arthur C. Clark, Steven King, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, Ann Rice, etc. But am always open to more suggestions.

Agreed on the subject matter. One theory of time and reality is that everything that can happen is happening albeit in different timelines. Existence is a series of forks-in-the-road. People have choices. The range may be narrow, but there are still choices to be made even if only in their attitude.

Mr. America made a choice to express his hatred of religion and the impossible-to-prove claim "God doesn't exist." I made a choice in confronting him on it as opposed to ignoring him.

[Cypress]

The list isn't quite short enough for me,
but I do appreciate the effort, my Russian friend.

I don't set unrealistic goals for myself. Edward Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is still metaphorically gathering dust on my Shelf!

The Bhagavad Gita, Daodejing, Analects of Confucius, Dhammapada, Gospel of Luke are all short enough they can each be read in an afternoon.

[NiftyNiblick]

I don't set unrealistic goals for myself. Edward Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is still metaphorically gathering dust on my Shelf!

The Bhagavad Gita, Daodejing, Analects of Confucius, Dhammapada, Gospel of Luke are all short enough they can each be read in an afternoon.

I see no mention of the Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer novels, Cypress.

Perhaps we BOTH need to broaden the vistas of our minds.

[Cypress]

Agreed on the subject matter. One theory of time and reality is that everything that can happen is happening albeit in different timelines. Existence is a series of forks-in-the-road. People have choices. The range may be narrow, but there are still choices to be made even if only in their attitude.

Mr. America made a choice to express his hatred of religion and the impossible-to-prove claim "God doesn't exist." I made a choice in confronting him on it as opposed to ignoring him.

A lot of the reading materials in the OP don't have anything to do with God. Confucious spoke very little about an afterlife or cosmic deity. Buddhism and Daoism don't have creator gods. In Asian traditions, there isn't a crystal clear boundary between philosophy and religion.

On the internet in America, I think when people see anything written about religion, their mind automatically conjures up an image of a old bearded guy in a white robe.

We probably have Michelangelo to blame for that.