I had to read the Bible (both Old and New), the Koran and the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh holy book) for my research (and parts of the Torah - but Judaism is complicated because the Talmud is often given equal weighting) - not my idea of bedtime reading, but interesting to compare the books. Basically the same in their core messages. But as an atheist, I wasn't the most receptive reader.
I still have two versions of the bible in my collections as well as the Gnostic Gospels and the complete dead sea scrolls! There is also a translation of the koran and a koran concordance, plus the talmud and the babyloenian talmud. They all come in handy as I post on a atheist forum as well! I spend holidays away at Plusgardan Abbey near Elgin, which is on the flight path to Lossiemouth and so we get some interesting fly pasts! My brother John who was training to become a Deacon used to borrow all of my religious books!:becky:
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a fascinating subject, especially the works of Geza Vermes and Robert Eisenman. Two completely different interpretors on the Scrolls, and yet both are compulsive reading. Have you read the two books by Ehrman - "Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew" and "Lost Scriptures: Books That Did Not Make It into the New Testament"? I love stuff like that.
Haven't read her stuff - though I've heard that her works are considered very contraversial amongst the Biblical "fraternity".
Her conclusions are very contoraversal indeed! Nuw since religion is all just a matter of personal intrepretation then her view is just as valid as the mainstream writer on the subject!
I'm going to stick my head over the parapet here and say that I am a Christian. eep: I hope I'm not mindless about it; there's lots of doubts that I wrestle with, but faith is about more than having all the answers. Issues around suffering and evil bother me more than the science - I don't take Genesis literally enough for the latter to be an issue. I've moved away from Conservative Evangelicalism over the last few years, precisely because they are dogmatic about stuff that I can't be (and not as consistent about interpreting scripture as they like to think). But I do think that without God in my life I would have screwed up even more than I have. (I have read the Koran as well by the way). By the way, I'm not saying this because I'm offended by anything any of you have said above, but I don't want to hide under any false pretenses. There are plenty of non-Christians who I would rather spend time with than with some Christians. Adrian :bolt:
Interesting post, Adrian. I have to say that I am an atheist through and through. However, I have never had any issues with any individual who follows a particular religion, which ever one it is. My only issue would be with anyone who decides that my way of life is "immoral" or lacking because of my lack of belief. In the same way, I would not criticise any person who believes in God (unlike a lot of militant atheists who seem to see it as a sport). What I've always been interested in is the way that religion has played a part in the development of different cultures. It seems to be central to the way that people perceive themselves, whether they themself are "believers". I often describe myself as a Sikh, not because I follow the tenants of the religion, but because Sikh Punjabis have a distinct culture as opposed to, say Hindu or Muslim Punjabis (though, of course, there are many overlaps). The bottom line is that we're all individuals, and we believe what we believe. It's only when someone tells you that what you believe is wrong that the trouble starts. K
I should also add that my interest in the different religions, and the books that I mentioned, really started when I started doing research into the religious constructions and intrepretations of disability. For example, the Judeao- Christian view of disability, as explored by two different perspectives: http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/PDF/AMcKennaBodies.pdf http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/Barnes/chap1.pdf
I believe in God, but I do not, per se, believe in organised religion. To paraphrase Gorbachev "I believe in the cosmos. All of us are linked to the cosmos. Look at the sun: If there is no sun, then we cannot exist. So nature is my god. To me, nature is sacred; trees are my temples and forests are my cathedrals." - Mikhail Gorbachev, 1990 With him on the tree bits.
Kyt Thanks for your reply. Working in the NHS in London I do meet people from many cultures including Sikhs and Muslims and when you actually know people from other cultures its very difficult to see them negatively. I know a Muslim couple who foster one of my patients and several other youngsters and they are wonderful people. I, and the adherents of any other organised religion, would say that if you believe in a personal God (rather than a vague spiritual entity) you have to believe in certain absolute truths. But still you can respect those who differ. If you read the bible other than with Evangelical glasses, there are plenty of passages which suggest that God will not be judging people according to whether they have the correct theology, or whether they were born into a time and place and culture where they heard the Christian gospel. The Koran also has passages (presumably ignored by the extremists) urging tolerance of non-believers. Certainly I believe that God is bigger than any one religion. The two links to Theology of Disability look interesting; I may print those out and read them at work - where I can legitimately say they count as work! Adrian
Am i the only one who believes that all Gods/Goddesses/weird multi limbed things are one and the same being?
Nope...and we all believe in, when it boils down to it, the same thing. So why can't we just all get along (rhetorical question!)? eep:
Makes sense to me. I imagine being in a foxhole would make anyone wish for anything to get them through it, be they religious, a believer of a greater power or a cynic. Sorry, I meant when I said "we" that I keep seeing similarities and common backgrounds in many religions.
On another forum where I post, there is a religious nutter who claims that he was abducted twice by UFOs, once in the 1970s and once in 1998 both in lincolnshire. He further claims that the first visit made him an authority on the bible, which he containingly quotes. The second visit according to him, they took a DNA sample to create clones of him because he has won so many prizes playing war games on the internet! There is suppossed to be an intergalactic war going on and that is why they need clones. in reality, he is a convicted criminal who spent time in jail and has never worked in the past five years. Oh and he beleives that all atheist are possessed by anti-christ demons who make them talk and act as they do!
:laugh: That's a first for me! Am in the depths of my monthly e-mag publication so I needed that laugh, Morse!
