Either online / offline. For anyone to answer.  What are yours and why do you like them?  What do they do for you?   Mine are:\n\nParabola = stimulates my learning about different paths and religious / philosophical thought, includes parables from islam, christianity, hinduism, buddhism, eastern religions.\n   \nScience & Spirit = because it is inclusive, does not have that condescending or dismissive tone in articles when speaking of a religion / philosophy, and it brings the best of both worlds for me.  Has a quotation page too... :-D
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Watchtower and Awake magazines.
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1. Christ, a great guy, noble and fair teachings, not attached to material stuff... but totally warped by today's Xian churches (some more than others - some denominations I don't know so well. The best I know is Roman Catholic - very removed from primitive Xtianity). The part I like is Jesus' prechings of LOVE. The rest - no thanks.\n\n2. Islam, also an Abrahamic religion, based on the revelations to Muhammad, imposed by force of arms and bloodshed, very discriminative of women. No thanks.\n\n3. Hinduism - very attached to nature and its cycles, a "mother" to buddhism. With commom notions with buddhism (reincarnations, karma, nirvana). Complicated, sophisticated, worthy of study.\n\n4. Judaism - don't know it too well but since it's the origin of Xtian I can imagine. Their god seems a vindicative, jealous and angry one. No thanks.\n\n5. Mormon - That's a Xtian denomination. Not very familiar with its idiosyncrasies.\n\n6. Buddhist - ah, this is good. I mean apart the folkloric part, and you've got to conider the two strems - Therevada and Mahayana. I prefer the ZEN version (part of Therevada). Noble teachings, good advice, unattachment to material stuff, peace, not harming others and ANIMALS, I like it. Best part - NO GOD TO WORSHIP.  More of a philosophy or ethic code than religion. I definitrly could embrace Zen buddhism.\n\n7. Others. All that is related with Nature appeals to me. pagan, wicca, druid, etc. Special mention to NATURAL SCIENTIFIC PANTHEISM. Great if you are disappointed with present day religions. Connection to Nature, the Universe, reverence of the All. No need for a personal god. A philosophy rather than a religion, but with the component of awe, respect, delight, wonder and reverence for Nature and the Universe.\n\nLast word for Taoism - read the TAO-TE-QING. It's beautifully written, and great noble teachings. Unforgettable!! Truly impressive!!
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I've written my own book which I like to believe is interesting :P \n\nIt's basically about:\n1-God (His qualities, what He wants from us..)\n2-The stories of the prophets of God (lessons that can be learned from them, interesting stories)\n3- The history of Islam/life of prophet Muhammad PBUH.\n4-The Holy Qur'an (authenticity, greatest achievement of the Arabic language)\n5-The Misperceptions of Islam (e.g. Misinterpreted verses of the Qur'an)\n6- The Hereafter (i.e. Death, Judgement Day, Hell, Heaven - all in detail)\n\nThe good thing i guess about it is that the book can be read starting from any chapter. So people who are interested, for instace, to read about prophet Joseph, they can just go to his chapter and not read anything else\n\nhttp://spaces.msn.com/slimayn/\n\nPeace be with you
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Islam.... Quran\nChristianity..... Holy Bible\nJudaism.... Tanakh (Torah Naviim and Khatuvim)\nBuddhism.... Dhammapada (this will very between sects)\nHinduism..... Bhagavad-Gita\nancient egypt...The Book of the Sky is one of many attributed by Egyptian Pharaoh, Akhenaten (i believe he is from the 18th dynasty) The Book of the Heavenly Cow is another which was begun during the reign of King Tut.... i'm sure there are others i'm not aware of\n\nunfortunately i don't know much about the last two\n\n****i'm not sure about the greatest pagan works but it is definitely something i'll look into\n\npeace and blessings to all
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Personally, I prefer to pick a subject or a person and study them, rather than just reading from front to back, know what I mean?\n\nYou can start in order if you like, study Adam and Eve, then Noah, then Moses, etc., studying the "greats" as I call them lol, or read them as it interests you or where you have a need.\n\nSolomon was a super cool guy, and the richest man that has ever lived, ever.  Start with him, you might get some money management tips! \n\nMy personal favorite?  That'd be Proverbs 31 starting about the middle of it there's an absolutely wonderful tribute to the Woman of Noble Character.  It's how I always try to live, with that in mind.  Read it and you'll find out exactly how much power women really had back then too.
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Yes and no.  It's a huge genre.  Some of it is a bit of light philosophy and some of it is pure crap. Some of it has theology in it and makes that more palatable to the masses.  \n\nI think you can buy "Why bad things happen to good people," in this section.  That book has some helpful things to say.  \n\nI think you need to be a critical thinker when you read--and unfortunately if you are needing help you can't always be that.  You make good points but lets not ban any books.  Just proceed with caution.
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"Do looking at pictures/statutes of favored deities help sharpen your focus on an issue that is bothering you, even if some of you may not believe in the existence of this deity?"\n\nYes, when I look at an image of my Ishta Devata (personal image/name of the Divine) that alone can sometimes calm me and help me focus my mind on the Divine itself and start to consider how to resolve the issue. Sometimes it is just calming to know that I have a place I can go to in peace, look at the image on the altar, and know that this space is sacred in my home and is the window by which I can talk to the Divine (not that I have to go their to pray, but there are times when trying to resolve a problem and you are at home that going to this space, seeing the image, it helps you).\n\n"Do looking at pictures-statutes of a deity bring peace, inspiration, meditation?"\n\nDepends on the image I suppose. Most Hindu murtis (the picture or stature) they have lots of meaning in them. Hinduism teaches that there is only the One (Brahman) and that we can use whatever images, names, etc to call upon the One. Meditation is the technique of learning to focus your mind on a single point. Focusing your mind on an image, a sound (like a name), etc are all forms of meditation. Inspiration can come through all the meanings within the images. Peace can come, not through the image directly, but how we use this tool.\n\n"If a agnostic or atheist, do you equate looking at pictures of deities as a "belief" in that deity?"\n\nI'm not agnostic or atheist, but there are some Hindus who would, in western categorization, be considered "atheist" in a sense based upon that philosophical school's beliefs. Overall, Hindus constantly emphasize that the images, names, etc are mere representations of the many aspects of the One and that we use the names and images to help us, if necessary, worship and focus our mind on the One. Thus, Hindus fully admit to the fact that there is no elephant headed god in the sky, but that in fact it represents Brahman, the One and that their worship is really directed to that. They are like electrical outlets that allow us to plug-in to the One...which hinduism equates as being pure-consciousness. \n\n"Or do you feel that looking at pictures-statutes can be a powerful way to meditate?"\n\nYes, it is a very simple form of meditation (the same with using sound like Aum or just repeating the name..if one does not have an image). Both are considered very powerful forms of meditation, not only in HInduism, but also in Jainism, Sikhism, Taoism, Buddhism, and many other religions where meditation is a central practice.\n\n\nMy Ishta Devata (personal form/name of the Divine) is Ganesh. Some of my other favorites are Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Rama and Sita, Hanuman, Narasimha, Garuda, Gayatri, Ayyappa, Murugan, Surya, Apollo, Antinous, Mary, Jesus, Mata Bharat (Mother India), Ganga, Isis, Thoth, Horus, Anubis, and Ahura Mazda.
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Yes, I support this view.\n\nI think all the religious texts have some wisdom in them, but you can't take them literally.  Some bits were written just for that time and aren't applicable, some are true bits of wisdom that stand the test of time.  However all to me is just nice stories to tell a message/moral, not history.
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If the links between myths and religion are of interest to you the  PBS interview series "The Power of Myth" (with Bill Moyers) based on the writings of Joseph Campbell is a must.  There is a book by the same title, and my public library in a town, pop. 5000, has both the series on VCR and his books.  \n\nCampbell has many other writings from a lifetime of fascination with myth.  He taught for many years at Sarah Lawrence\n\nI taught religion for several years, and was ignorant of the common threads between what is now called mythology and today's religions until I explored his writings.  It was truly a life altering experience and one of the finest elements of my education.  \n\nYour  perception of  "Mythology" will evolve and 'write-off' won't be meaningful if you delve into this subject, so I can't answer the question you posed except to say that the peoples of the world have had religion forever.\n\nBe prepared to be addicted, and transformed.\n\nPS \nCharlie Rose  interviewed Bill Moyers and his wife last night.\nThey will present about 13 persons of all religious persuasions on a new program about religion tonight on PBS
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If you wish to find religious beliefs that are in harmony with Science and Reason check the Baha'i faith:\nA small selection of writings\n\n O SON OF SPIRIT!\nThe best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes. \n\nO COMPANION OF MY THRONE!\nHear no evil, and see no evil, abase not thyself, neither sigh nor weep. Speak no evil, that thou mayest not hear it spoken unto thee, and magnify not the faults of others that thine own faults may not appear great; and wish not the abasement of anyone, that thine own abasement be not exposed. Live then the days of thy life, that are less than a fleeting moment, with thy mind stainless, thy heart unsullied, thy thoughts pure, and thy nature sanctified, so that, free and content, thou mayest put away this mortal frame, and repair unto the mystic paradise and abide in the eternal kingdom for evermore.
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Personally I liked "Physics and Philosophy" and "Physics and Beyond" by Heisenberg.  The latter is Heisenberg's autobiography, but it has some interesting ideas in it.  I also like a multiple volume set of books called  "The World of Physics: A small library of the literature of physics from antiquity to the present" There are a lot of excerpts dealing with historically important discoveries in physics.  It tends to go somewhat easy on the math too.  More recent popular books are "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking, and "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene.
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I believe the natural universe is far more awe-inspiring than the "supernatural."  I believe that prejudice and hatred can be destroyed through honest and careful thought.  I believe the fact that I exist WITHOUT the fabled creation myth, makes me all the more special, and ties me into the continuing cycles of life and the universe.  I also believe in patience and understanding, and in freedom of speech and religion.
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The text is availible online, you can use a word search if it is a particular section you are trying to find.  The Stanford Encyclopedia has a ton of very easy to read stuff on the big A, the section on Aristotles Physcology covers a bit of De Anima.
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There are at least 200 pages on mind (including animals) in THE URANTIA BOOK.  At least part of the handle for which you are searching will be found there.\n\nI was once a great believer in behavioral phenotypes which I imagined to arise purely from chemical constituents such as DNA....\n\nBut with many more years of investigation, I have found that just as the behavior of our computers is attributable to programmers, so also the behavior of the animals is attributable to their creators.  In this instance living organisms are a substrate of sorts (carefully organized that way) in which higher realities -- mind and spirit -- can have an effect.\n\nNot to the same degree as one finds in humans, nevertheless quite parallel.\n\nWe have animal bodies ourselves, and our development reflects our phylogenetic heritage.  At various stages we share many of the same aspects of mind ministry as the animals have.\n\nBut we can also become philosophical and plan for the future of our children.  Animals are far less self-conscious and lack the potentials necessary for high wisdom or finding God.\n\nAlthough you may think this unscientific, I am a scientist, just an older one.\n\nAnd I am not the first scientist to bring higher concepts into the commentary.\n\nEinstein and Alfred North Whitehead are two others.\n\nThere are quite a few biologists and medical doctors in this category also.\n\nBut again, the best explanation is in the book mentioned.\n\nOne must be humble to enable great learning.
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Oh, wow, there are SEVERAL.\n\ncheck out\nhttp://www.sacred-texts.com/\n\nTo name a few off the top of my head, there is:\nTaoism - Tao Te Ching, I Ching, Chuang Tze\nBuddhism - Tipitaka, Dhammapada, Lotus Sutra, Diamond Sutra\nHinduism - Besides those you mentioned, Mahabharata, Vedas (there are 4), Upanishads, Puranas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, etc.\nZoroastrianism - Avesta\nSikhism - Guru Granth Sahib\nShinto - the Nihongi\n\nthose were just off the top of my head\n\nBuddhism has so many sacred texts, you cannot read them all in a lifetime.
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My favorite site is at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/ I love the personality and career and all the tests in the Human Body and mind section, but they have a lot of different science sections that are very cool! It's definitely a fun site...but you can learn also.
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I want to learn and discuss why I want a degree in philosophy.\n\nThat would be my topic 'why i want a philosophy degree'