Favorite religious text
 

I have to do a scripture reading for my Baccalaureate (sp?) which is some big ceremony in a Church right before graduation, and I don't really feel like reading out of the Bible because even the really ****ed up parts are pretty boring, so I'm thinking of doing reading some other religious/philosophical scriptures... I was looking at the Tao Te Ching a while ago, and that seemed to have some interesting bits in it, but it's hard to just flip through these books and hope to find something really cool. So I figured I'd come here, do any of you have any texts that you really like, and if so, favorite passages? Nothing cheesy or life afirming, the best thing I've seen so far was a Buddhist discourse about everything being emptiness.. that was kind of neat. But yeah. Help me out.

The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran's mute if you burn them all together you get close to the truth. - Verse 2, Cassadaga.

I don't read many religious texts, but the Satanic Bible by LaVey has some pretty logical philosophical parts. He does get too wrapped up in Satan and magic/"psychodrama", though, considering LaVeyan Satanism is essentially a form of atheism.

The Book of the SubGenius started out really good, but it got boring and I never finished it. It had some good stuff, though. I like the concept of Slack, even if I'm not sure how seriously you're supposed to take anything in that book.

How in god's name were you picked to do the reading?

The Gospel Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster.

There's a gospel? Damn, that would have been pretty good.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...3f28987441.jpg



bow down and worship the Pregocy.

Hmmm... This thread needs a bump (and a move).

I appreciate the Hindu holy book the Bhagavad Gita quite a bit. It has ties to the Sanskrit drama Mahabharata. Unlike other holy books, it is written entirely in verse and the messages aren't preached as they are throughout other holy books.

I am actually interested in all religious texts mainly because it tells a bit about the people who invented it. One day I was watching a Rand interview and Rand said that those who cling to religion have a psychological disorder. That was the first time I applied psychology like that to religion.

The Gospels of the Bible are really good if you know what you are reading. You can't just read it like a novel. You have to know the culture of the time period to get a lot of things Jesus says and does. Not to mention, you really have to dig deep looking at the disciples. The gospels could be considered some of the best works of romantic literature even to an atheist.

I ended up reading from the Tao te Ching... Buddhism, Taoism and Hinduism are all very interesting religions with a great deal of wisdom.

You should have read from Dianetics. I bet that would've gone over well.

Thats a bit overly simplistic dont you think? It doesnt just rip on Christians for living life by a set of rules, it denounces Christianity for the supressions on 'real life' and its emphasis on guilt and abstinence. It celebrates a human beings inner desires and individuality. It is basically the antithesis to the Christian conventions, with a heavy influence from Crowley and Nietzsche.

I think some of it make sense, i take issue with a lot of Christian moralism. Yet some of it is utter tosh. If i was to pick a religious text it would have to be Buddhist based, the Tao Te Ching, Sutta Pitaka or Abhidhamma Pitaka perhaps

um what the fuck are you talking about

lol ancient jews are so eighteenth century europe.

Jews didn't write the gospels.

Um, not exactly what I was getting at but okay. I've just yet to read William Blake's thoughts on Jerusalem and Lord Byron's So, we'll go crucifying no more that's all.

I liked the old testament, the imagery and story are beautiful. The Koran, also.

Apologies, i must of missed that word out when reading your post

Completely off-topic, but it's nice to see someone else who knows Yndi Halda and Fly Pan Am.

I am referring to the fact that romantic literature contains a hero who shows the best that mankind can be.

not really

point is the gospels are in no way, shape, or form romantic literature

yndi halda are decent, but i haven't gotten too much into them, and everything out of montreal is great

i'd say the gospels have some elements of romanticism in them, especially if contrasted against the old testament

i'm not saying they can't or don't have elements of things similar to those found in romantic literature

a cat isn't a dog because it is a pet with fur and warm blood

dont take it so literally just because it gives you the opportunity to shoot someone down




or do, whatever

i like your style

i like your moves

I was exaggerating. Obviously the greatest piece in romantic literature would have to be Atlas Shrugged.

Not even I can really say that one. The Arthurian legends are probably the best.

Heaven's Gate should've came out with their own book. Castration and suicide are appealing in a religious text imo.

I am actually interested in your views mainly because they tell a lot about the person you are. One day I read this post (see above) about Ayn Rand containing the phrase "psychological disorder" at this point I became increasingly disturbed because you weren't reffering to Rand while using the phrase. That was the first time I applied the fact that you're a total idiot to my post.

Seriously, all the stupid Rand troll comments are annoying. Look at Cardboard Adolescent who has actually debated with me. Look where he has gotten (I forget what thread it was, but I will make my post probably tomorrow.) Heck even Sleepy Jack has gotten somewhere. Half the people that diss Rand can't even tell me the four main branches of philosophy. If you aren't going to state an argument then you just show how ****ing dumb you are. Tell me how much you know about it, and tell me why you dislike it.

I didn't like Rand at first. At first I was a straight up subjective morality libertarian. I never hated her, but I didn't share her views an I thought she was radical. When I actually read The Virtue of Selfishness, I agreed with what I had read.

Logic, ethics, epistemology and metaphysics.

If you want to go masturbate to the Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (i've read it, not worthy of discussion, only ridicule) then go ahead. Just don't try to spread your drivel.

That book basically shows how confused Rand is. I know she had a disdain for "academic philosophy" but she could've at least learned something before writing a book on the subject. She thought that she could answer major epistemological questions without any study in under an hour. To think, these questions have been bothering people for centuries and centuries and she could do it in thirty minutes! What a genius!

They had one. Some idiot deleted it for a cocktail recipe containing phenolbarbitol.

Heaven's Gate was funny. THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE IS TO LEAVE WITH US.
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