Originally Posted By Mr X ...and assuming you couldn't do anything about it, and also assuming that any and all other books were not illegal (except the Book of Mormon, of course...gotta include UtahJosh after all )... What other religious or spiritual text or texts would you turn to for comfort, guidance, advice or whatever? And since we are bound to hear several people get outraged and say "NONE! The bible is everything and anything and no other book will do!", how about those folks just mention maybe some other NON spiritual book which they find to be significant or meaningful (doesn't have to be religious). I'll start. The Power of Now by Tolle is a great one, I really like it. I've also found some very interesting and insightful stuff in the Baghdava-Gita back in my religious studies days, and lots of Buddist texts although I can't point to just one.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney LOL Mr. X, what's up with all the religion topics lately?? Did God pee in your cherrios . To be honest, I can't answer the question, I'm not educated enough to really give one. But if I had to point to anything, then I guess for me anything Buddhist related is probably more my thing, since its more philosophy and less doctrined religion. (8 years of living in Asia and dated a Buddhist monk for a few years will do that to you lol)
Originally Posted By Mr X No need for education, WD (that sure doesn't stop most people from chiming in lol)...just wondering what other people thought of various spiritual books or lines of thinking. Thanks for the post, can you point to any particular Buddhist teachings that you like? (no worries if you don't know any offhand) What's up with all the religion topics? I guess I'm just curious to hear what people have to say on the issue. I'm trying to think of some "food for thought" threads to come up with (that makes some people angry, unfortunately...which is honestly not my intent).
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP Hmm, If all the Bibles (and Book of Mormons *grin*) suddenly disapeared into the ethos I would work on recalling memorized passages and meditating those. However, I do think that other books can be a good source of widsom. We have a scripture in our cannon, the Doctrine and Covenants, this time: "And set in order the churches, and study and learn, and become acquainted with *all* good books, and with languages, tongues, and people." (emphisis mine) A different passage reads, "seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." However, to specifically answer your question I would lean on books by various LDS Scholars. For a non-LDS scholar, I would spend more time with CS Lewis. I like Mere Christianity and the Screwtape Letters. I have not yet read A Grief Observed and would like to get around to that. I also think that well written biographies of admirable people can be very instructive. I don't want simply an slavishly admiring biography, but one that goes into faults and how great people overcome, work around or possibly are even brought down by their own inner flaws. Lastly, just to be annoying, Mr. X, you should realize that simply making the bible illegal would not stop all Christians. The bible itself tells of the rewards of those who continued to be faithful despite religous practices being illegal (Daniel and the Lion's Den, or Shadrach, Meshack and Abendigo in the furnace for example) Oh, and I know I butchered those Persian names. If anyone can correct my spelling I'd apreciate it.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Lastly, just to be annoying, Mr. X, you should realize that simply making the bible illegal would not stop all Christians.*** Well, Mrs. Elder, I would not call that annoying. MY point was to sort of inquire as to what sort of stuff (and I appreciate your answers very much!) the Christians (which are the VAST majority of LP posters) might be interested in should the bible suddenly "disappear" (the "outlaw" thing was the easiest way to put it, I thought).
Originally Posted By EighthDwarf <<We have a scripture in our cannon, the Doctrine and Covenants, this time...>> Sigh....I'm pretty sure X meant to include all Mormom scripture. To answer your question X I would turn to the following for comfort (and actually do today) 1. Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo (I think you would particularly enjoy the chapter called "This Will Kill That" given your affinity for religious discussion) 2. Lord of the Rings by Tolkien - very beautiful book. 3. All the works of the Greek philosophers (the ones that weren't destroyed by the Christians of course) 4. The World Wihtout Us - new book about what would happen to the world if everyone suddenly disappeared 5. Heart of Darkness by Conrad
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP Yes, I assume Mr. X did mean to make the whole LDS Canon disapear. (I know you can't tell from my typing, but that disapear should be pronounced like Franz in the Tiki Room.) Anyway, I'm just saying that even with the canon still present (thank goodness!!) I don't believe that the only wisdom in the world is in the canon. There are real reasons to seek outside of it for wisdom and understanding, as well as inside of it.
Originally Posted By pecos bill I honestly cant think of any books that I would rely on for spiritual comfort. Entertainment, education, wisdom and humor, yes, but I just dont think any one person or group has the knowledge to attempt spiritual guidance for people they have never even met. Goodness knows they have tried, and some have been more popular than others, but in the end, we are still polarized and confused. I am convinced that instinct, upbringing, education and environment are far more important barometers of who we are personally and spiritually, than what we glean from any spiritual or religious book.
Originally Posted By cmpaley Considering the fact that Catholicism doesn't rely on Scripture alone, there would be little problem.
Originally Posted By utahjosh I would turn to the words and writing of the modern-day prophet in the LDS Church. He, his two counselors, and the twelve apostles have been called to testify of Christ and preach His gospel, so I would be just fine. (Though i'd be very tempted break the law and read the Bible and Book of Mormon anyway.)
Originally Posted By Mr X Oh brother. Obviously either I didn't set up the hypothetical well enough here, as the point was to ask people what other stuff they might be interested in, NOT a hypothetical "how could I continue to practice my Christianity if the bible weren't available?". Okay, let's try it this way. Say the bible was discredited, outlawed, for some reason seen as unfit as a religious guide or something, AND YOU BELIEVED IT...what other spiritual works might you find to be relevant or interesting in your life? I'm fine with talking C.S. Lewis, or other forms of Christian-centric writings, but all this "well, I'd just rely on my memory", or "I'd turn to all the writings that focus on the bible" is all well and good (we all KNOW that's how you guys feel), but sort of kills the idea of a topic to discuss what OTHER stuff you might have an open mind towards. Haven't heard of The Razor's Edge..what's that one all about?
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh <Haven't heard of The Razor's Edge..what's that one all about?> A guy sees the horror of WWI, and tries to figure out what life is about. You should read it, or at least check out the movie. Bill Murray did a decent job of turning it into film.
Originally Posted By DlandJB I'm fine with talking C.S. Lewis, or other forms of Christian-centric writings, but all this "well, I'd just rely on my memory", or "I'd turn to all the writings that focus on the bible" is all well and good (we all KNOW that's how you guys feel), but sort of kills the idea of a topic to discuss what OTHER stuff you might have an open mind towards.>>> It doesn't work for me even in this context, because the other works that bring me comfort or strength are all biblically based and heavily quote scripture (C.S. Lewis, Rick Warren, Kay Warren, Scott Peck, Lee Strobel) so presumably they would also be no good. Can't wrap my brain around this one. Sorry.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I can wrap my brain around this one pretty well because I don't read the Bible very frequently any more. I was raised as a Baptist and read the Bible enough times during that period to last me, well... an eternity. Over the last 25 years I have been a Catholic, and as cmpaley pointed out the Catholic Church is not as Bible-centric as most protestant religions are. But what would I read for spiritual comfort? Travelogues. Really. There is nothing that gives me a greater understanding of the wonderful scope of God's creation than a well written travel essay. Recent travel books I've read include: Catherine Watson's "Home on the Road: Further Dispatches from the Ends of the Earth". It is a wonderful collection of travel essays covering her travel to locations as varied as Tibet, Death Valley, Easter Island, Mongolia and Vietnam. I was completely amazed how in the space of a 10-20 page essay she could capture the feeling of a location and its people with such clarity and understanding that you truly felt you had been there. Some of the essays were so breath-takingly beautiful or heartfelt that they left me with silent tears running gently down my cheeks. J. Maarten Troost's "The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific" This was a humorously written story of the two years Troost and his wife spent on a tiny atoll straddling the equator in the South Pacific. It was a lifestyle so different from ours that it was almost unimaginable. A lifestyle where having electricity on any day was not a given, where septic systems were unknown, and your diet consisted pretty much entirely of fish since you couldn't even grow a decent veggie on the atoll. It was so foreign that it was even more remarkable how once again people are people everywhere. It was amazing how Troost and his wife had so adapted to the simple and incredibly laid-back lifestyle of the Kiribati that they were reluctant to leave when her two year employment contract had ended. Paul Theroux's "The Old Patagonian Express". The book chronicles Theroux's attempt to travel from his home in Massachusetts to Patagonia (an area at the far southern end of South America) completely by rail. Since I am a rail buff this book immediately appealed to men. But I was amazed at how much I learned about the people and countries of Mexico, Central and South America. Once again, the variety and uniqueness of the places he traveled through opened a whole new world to a guy like me who previously had figured anything south of the USA was pretty much the same and was certainly a place I wouldn't want to be. The common thread I found in these books was how both our similarities and differences define us as humans, and that our differences form a common human bond every bit as much as our similarities do. So I have gone on way longer than I intended. But nothing makes me more in awe of God's creation than to find out more about its incredible diversity and beauty.
Originally Posted By ChurroMonster In addition to the brilliant works listed in post #6 I would add: 6. The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil. 7. The collective works of Carl Sagan. 8. Fight Club and Choke by Chuck Palahniuk.
Originally Posted By EighthDwarf In addition to what I said in Post 6 and what Churro said in Post 18 I would add a couple more (Can't believe I forgot these!!!) 9. Siddharta by Herman Hesse - this book is about Buddhism and is very simple and short. But the message is profound. 10. Buddha by Karne Armstrong - this book really messed me up in the head and caused me to question everything. It's very thought-provoking. 11. Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton - this was written by a Trappist Monk and is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. In fact, I think the opening paragraph is the most beautiful thing I have read to date.
Originally Posted By woody >>What other religious or spiritual text or texts would you turn to for comfort, guidance, advice or whatever?<, I'll probably turn to the latest political creed (Marxism, Maoism, Liberalism, Darwinism) because if the Bible is ever outlawed, the law of the land is political indocrination. I'll be more scared of losing my life than my soul to the mob of atheist persecutors who are caught up in the disaster of societal utopia.
