Have you fully read a religious text?

[JA]

Examples of these sacred texts would obviously include the Bible, Quran, Torah, and so on... Also, by "speak" to you, I obviously mean if you felt some religious feeling or felt moved by them.

Personally, I have only read some of the Bible and some of the Quran. While I found them fascinating from a philosophical and historical perspective, there was nothing in those texts that "spoke" to me or moved me in any way. I can appreciate some of the beauty in their message and especially how revolutionary they were for their times, but they caused absolutely no religious/spiritual feeling in me. Honestly, I have never had that and largely believe it is solely a particular psychological experience with no greater explanation or meaning. But, obviously, I could be wrong.

[Blue3]

Yes.

Tao Te Ching (a few times).
Bhagavad Gita.

Have started the Qur'an.

Currently doing the New Testament.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

I've read every book of the bible at one point or another, but there are several that I haven't read in a long time. As far as being "spoken to", well, with stuff that has a clear commandment or moral message  to it, I've definitely felt like god is teaching me something. But with stuff that's more history-oriented and either has commands that aren't for us or no commands at all (Genesis, Deuteronomy, Acts), no, I don't feel "spoken to", but that doesn't mean we shouldn't read that stuff. The more Christians know about the bible, the better.

As for other religious texts - No.

[Antonio the Sixth]

No, but I want to change that soon.

[JA]

No, but I want to change that soon.

Which religious text(s) are you wanting to read? Are you trying to become more religious or just satiate curiosity?

I've read every book of the bible at one point or another, but there are several that I haven't read in a long time. As far as being "spoken to", well, with stuff that has a clear commandment or moral message  to it, I've definitely felt like god is teaching me something. But with stuff that's more history-oriented and either has commands that aren't for us or no commands at all (Genesis, Deuteronomy, Acts), no, I don't feel "spoken to", but that doesn't mean we shouldn't read that stuff. The more Christians know about the bible, the better.

As for other religious texts - No.

What makes you believe that it is "God" speaking to you? How do you draw a distinction between something that is moving because it's beautiful/inspiring and something that moves you due to the divine?

Yes.

Tao Te Ching (a few times).
Bhagavad Gita.

Have started the Qur'an.

Currently doing the New Testament.

What are some of the key insights you've gathered from those texts? Did you feel you were being "spoken to" from more than one of them?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I read the Bible in its entirety during my sophomore and junior years of high school.  Certainly it spoke to me.

It's been some time since I studied Scripture at length, though.

[Antonio the Sixth]

No, but I want to change that soon.

Which religious text(s) are you wanting to read? Are you trying to become more religious or just satiate curiosity?

It wouldn't make sense for me not to start with the Bible. It's the single most influential work of the culture I grew up into, and as such it's already shaped my thinking to a considerable extent. I'd like to broaden my scope to other faiths later, but there is only right place to start.

As for why, I'm not entirely sure how I'd put it myself. "Satiate curiosity" sounds a bit shallow, but I can't honestly say I'm becoming religious in any sense of the word. Mainly, I'm looking for guides to help me think deeper about a number of issues, especially regarding morality. I've gotten a lot of fascinating insights from studying secular moral philosophy, but there's something about it that I've found missing - I'm not quite sure what.

[JA]

No, but I want to change that soon.

Which religious text(s) are you wanting to read? Are you trying to become more religious or just satiate curiosity?

It wouldn't make sense for me not to start with the Bible. It's the single most influential work of the culture I grew up into, and as such it's already shaped my thinking to a considerable extent. I'd like to broaden my scope to other faiths later, but there is only right place to start.

As for why, I'm not entirely sure how I'd put it myself. "Satiate curiosity" sounds a bit shallow, but I can't honestly say I'm becoming religious in any sense of the word. Mainly, I'm looking for guides to help me think deeper about a number of issues, especially regarding morality. I've gotten a lot of fascinating insights from studying secular moral philosophy, but there's something about it that I've found missing - I'm not quite sure what.

I think I know what you mean. It's almost like there's only so far you can go with secular philosophy, yet a part of you demands more because it doesn't feel like that's all there is to this world or philosophy. At the same time, you can't logically or emotionally make (or necessarily want to make) that leap to religiosity/god. That's my current conundrum as well :/

[Mopsus]

The Christian and Jewish Bibles, and the Quran.

Yes, all three of them "spoke" to me.

[RINO Tom]

No, they're long.

[JA]

The Christian and Jewish Bibles, and the Quran.

Yes, all three of them "spoke" to me.

To which religious faith do you adhere if the sacred text of those three all "spoke" to you? Why did you settle upon your current faith instead of a different one?

[Mopsus]

The Christian and Jewish Bibles, and the Quran.

Yes, all three of them "spoke" to me.

To which religious faith do you adhere if the sacred text of those three all "spoke" to you? Why did you settle upon your current faith instead of a different one?

I adhere to Christianity because I was raised a Christian in a Christian country: it's the only faith I understand "from the inside", so I'll never be forced to wonder if my background keeps me from being fully integrated into my religion. Similarly, if I had been raised a Jew, I would be Jewish, and if I had been raised in Islam, I would be a Muslim (the same goes for Hinduism, Buddhism, and so on and so forth). With that said, I think that a lot can be learned from studying the texts of other religions: as an outsider looking in, certain things are bound to strike you as novel, and if you investigate those lines as far as they will take you, you will earn a new - perhaps purer - perspective on your own faith. And that can only be a good thing.

[DC Al Fine]

I've read the New Testament in its entirety, but I don't think I've finished Numbers or 2nd Chronicles in the Old Testament.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

No, they're long.

Not all of them.  The Dao De Jing is quite short, tho it isn't by any means the entirety of the Daoist canon.

[Antonio the Sixth]

No, but I want to change that soon.

Which religious text(s) are you wanting to read? Are you trying to become more religious or just satiate curiosity?

It wouldn't make sense for me not to start with the Bible. It's the single most influential work of the culture I grew up into, and as such it's already shaped my thinking to a considerable extent. I'd like to broaden my scope to other faiths later, but there is only right place to start.

As for why, I'm not entirely sure how I'd put it myself. "Satiate curiosity" sounds a bit shallow, but I can't honestly say I'm becoming religious in any sense of the word. Mainly, I'm looking for guides to help me think deeper about a number of issues, especially regarding morality. I've gotten a lot of fascinating insights from studying secular moral philosophy, but there's something about it that I've found missing - I'm not quite sure what.

I think I know what you mean. It's almost like there's only so far you can go with secular philosophy, yet a part of you demands more because it doesn't feel like that's all there is to this world or philosophy. At the same time, you can't logically or emotionally make (or necessarily want to make) that leap to religiosity/god. That's my current conundrum as well :/

Glad I'm not the only one in this situation. It's pretty awkward (especially when I try to explain it to non-religious people who don't have this issue), but I definitely feel like I'm making some progress.

[JA]

No, but I want to change that soon.

Which religious text(s) are you wanting to read? Are you trying to become more religious or just satiate curiosity?

It wouldn't make sense for me not to start with the Bible. It's the single most influential work of the culture I grew up into, and as such it's already shaped my thinking to a considerable extent. I'd like to broaden my scope to other faiths later, but there is only right place to start.

As for why, I'm not entirely sure how I'd put it myself. "Satiate curiosity" sounds a bit shallow, but I can't honestly say I'm becoming religious in any sense of the word. Mainly, I'm looking for guides to help me think deeper about a number of issues, especially regarding morality. I've gotten a lot of fascinating insights from studying secular moral philosophy, but there's something about it that I've found missing - I'm not quite sure what.

I think I know what you mean. It's almost like there's only so far you can go with secular philosophy, yet a part of you demands more because it doesn't feel like that's all there is to this world or philosophy. At the same time, you can't logically or emotionally make (or necessarily want to make) that leap to religiosity/god. That's my current conundrum as well :/

Glad I'm not the only one in this situation. It's pretty awkward (especially when I try to explain it to non-religious people who don't have this issue), but I definitely feel like I'm making some progress.

I tried going the religious route before, but I felt nothing. It was all academic and going through the motions. That's why I ask questions in the religion & philosophy subforum more than make comments; I'm searching for something, yet I have no solid grasp of what it is.

Most people seem to be either irreligious and confident/secure in that, or spiritual/religious and confident/secure in that as well. They may have doubts and so on, but generally, they know where they stand. Personally, I don't believe, neither logically nor emotionally, yet some part of me is pulling me towards something unexplainable. Perhaps we are sentimentalists trapped within minds trained for scientific thinking. I have always felt the "identity," poetry, and beauty of religion was far more compelling than religion itself. For example, I love novels with religious inspirations (Les Miserables brings me to tears with its beauty and depth) and religious architecture and art (the Renaissance is the high point of art to me). Not to mention how much I love religious holidays. Yet, I feel I am more of an observor of these things than a full participant.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I can relate to a lot of that. I went through a phase of near-complete disinterest for religion for most of my teenage years (although thankfully I was never antireligious), but since then I've felt my personality change in significant ways. I used to be very introverted and rational, but starting with my year in San Francisco I've started experiencing much more intense emotions, and I've felt an increasing need for social times. Concurrently, I've found it much more urgent to find a meaningful, coherent and unambiguous set of criteria for distinguishing right from wrong, and as I said I couldn't find it in any strand of secular philosophy.

When I did begin to acquaint myself with theological concepts, I could see that they provided exactly what I was lacking. I've even tried to appropriate some of them, and try to use them as building blocs for how I try to think of things. But still, without faith as the cornerstone of all this, it feels forced and shallow - or even like an imposture or a mockery. And I know I don't have faith, and probably never will. It's not even a matter of rational belief - I actually think the existence of God is perfectly plausible, and absolutely compatible with a rational, empirical mindset. I don't know what it's about, but it's probably emotional.

Anyway, I'm still hopeful that I can do something valuable with this yearning, though I'm not yet sure what. We can try figuring it out together.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Antonio, since you live in LA, you should check out Grace Community Church in Los Angeles.  The pastor there (John MacArthur) is phenomenal, and he does a great job explaining the Bible, verse-by-verse, if you are interested in delving deep theologically.  The pastor also runs a seminary where my pastor completed his doctoral degree (The Master's Seminary).

I've actually been considering trying to see if I could start involving myself with a church. If I do, I want be serious about it, so I first want to think carefully and figure out if it really makes sense.

I've looked up Grace Community Church, and unfortunately it's very far from where I live (remember LA is an immense sprawl), so I don't think I could make that work. I'm thinking of looking first into churches in my neighborhood. Thanks for the suggestion, though, I really appreciate it.

[JA]

Antonio,

Not to pry, but I am curious how connected you feel; like as part of a community? That is one of the theories I have been considering is that a large part of these desires stems from a sense of atomization or alienation from important social bonds. Like you, I am a (highly) introverted person, so I always felt more comfortable studying religion from a distance (i.e. never immersing myself in a religious community). Based upon my conversations with religious persons, it seems that the communal aspect is one of the most important benefits of religiosity.

Discovering a coherent and fulfilling philosophical system is certainly not an easy task. But, perhaps, like me, you simply live too much in your head and are over-analyzing these things. Maybe you must simply begin to live those theological concepts and incorporate them into your lifestyle. Do not focus on them as abstractions to be pondered, but rather as words of wisdom by which you live. I should practice what I preach...

Btw have you read any of the works of Rumi or The Philokalia? I strongly recommend both of those.

The Philokalia

[Antonio the Sixth]

The need to feel connected and part of a community is a big part of what I'm looking for, yeah. It would definitely make sense given how things have been changing for me lately. Although there's also something intimidating about social connectedness and I still have to figure out if it's the right thing for me. I can elaborate by PM if you want.

I haven't come across these works, no. I'd love to look into them when I have some time, though I still need to start with the Bible.

[The Mikado]

Yes and yes.

I've said before and I'll say again that the best part of the Bible is the streak of books between I Samuel and II Kings. I adore some of the stories in there. Rehoboam being such a monster that Jeroboam leads a successful revolt, only for Jeroboam to resort to idol worship and losing his hand. Hezekiah forced to rip off the doors of the Temple to buy off the Assyrians, left with the horrible moral choice of desecrating the Temple or letting Jerusalem get sacked. Josiah rewriting the entire law code based on the discovery of an old Holy Book and reconsecrating the entire Kingdom of Judah, only for his experiment to be cut off because he fell in battle with Egypt. King Zedekiah forced to watch as all his children were executed, and then getting blinded immediately thereafter so that that act was the final thing he saw. There's drama, war, political intrigue, and a vibrant cast of characters.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I read all of Revelations once, and maybe one or two other books of the Bible, but never something that would encompass the canon of my, or anyone else's, religion (though I read many picture Bibles as a child). 

[All Along The Watchtower]

I think that reading an entire book of the Bible (not hard to do - there are some really short ones) counts as reading an entire religious text, so my answer is yes.

[Mr. Smith]

The Book of Mormon is 531 pages, so yes, I have.

[Zioneer]

The Book of Mormon is 531 pages, so yes, I have.

Don't forget the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price! Those are another couple hundred pages.