Religions of the World

Major Divisions of Belief in Christianity

2008-05-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

Major Divisions of Belief in Christianity

Christian “Eschatological views on the Second Coming”

There are Anti-Millenialists; those who hold this belief usually refer to the books of Daniel and Revelations. They normally do not hold that Revelations writes of literal things that actually will happen. Then there are the Non-Millenialists or Amillenialists, who believe that the Kingdom of God is on earth, right now. Then there are the Post-Millenialists, who hold that we are approaching the point where we will have the Kingdom of God. They believe that when they have converted enough people to Christianity then Jesus Christ will return and reign for 1000 years, judging people and resurrecting the dead. They normally do not have much to say about the “Rapture” or the “Tribulation” as do the Pre-Millenialists, who hold that the Kingdom of God will be preceded by a “rapture,” or taking up of those who believe in Jesus Christ both dead and alive after a period known as the “great tribulation.” There are presently three primary Christian sectarian views Orthodox, Liberal, and Fundamentalist.

Why do you think the Christian Fundamentalists are primarily Pre-Millenialists?

GODISNOWHERE

2008-05-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

It is a wonder that we humans can even communicate. However, we do; words relatively mean the same thing for the most part for most of us. Although, we do not understand the truth in the absolute sense we do often have a sense of it.
When talking about truth it is easy to make the word mean two different things at the very same time. It can mean relative truth, which is owned by the observer or refer to absolute truth, which may or may not exist. However, if it does exist, absolute truth that is, it is flawless, unchanging, timeless, and it explains and unifies everything. It is confusing when the reference is not clear as to what one is talking about.
If absolute truth cannot exist, the rational mind concludes that God is an illusion. This thought is based on the valid assumption that truth is rational and can be known. If relative truth or the truth that we perceive as individuals is so different from anyone else’s belief than it can explain why we have problems communicating. However, once again, the rational mind questions if relative truth is not shared and thus "understandable" then; how are we communicating?
If one concludes that relative truth is shared enough for us to come to a meeting of the minds, it begs the question of How? If there is no basis for rational truth to compass from, or be based on...How then does it work?

Relative truth can be both true and untrue at the very same time. The Koans of Zen use this attribute of relative truth to cause the shock of reflectivity to the initiate. They use questions such as: "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" (Deals with conflict) or "If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?" (This deals with understanding that just because one does not understand or observe something; it does not make it untrue or nonexistent.) Here is a classic example of relative truth showing two opposing viewpoints at the very same time:

GODISNOWHERE

What does it say?

God is now here –or– God is nowhere?

Parables, Stories, and Allegorical Statements

2008-05-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Parables, Stories, and Allegorical Statements

One of the reasons religions use parables, stories, and allegorical statements is that they can address many people at different levels of development. It can also be fuel for those who disagree with the primary principles put forth... as well as a basis for a higher state of awareness for those that do agree. When we stop seeing authority as truth we do begin to see the authority of truth. Similarly a country that is ruled by law will normally seek to destroy those that are following the rule of law. Using the rule by law dogma can be used to maintain a dictatorship or to build one by removing the natural rights of the people using "the imposed law" to do so. This has often been done historically using the pretext of "protecting" the people from some form of "catastrophe" that those in power can stop, fight, or in some way defeat.

Paul Coehlo in the "The Alchemist" suggests through the book that one follow a personal myth. That when one "truly believes" in something the universe will support bringing it about. This is also a prominent belief in many New Age books such as "The Secret." All myths begin with humans looking at something that they cannot fathom or is ineffable and causes them anxiety. From there they look for causal relationships. For example: The volcano is erupting but when the young virgin died it stopped. Therefore, it takes a virgins death...and then after the causality they polarize: They find the up and down, the good and bad, the right and wrong, the devil and the angel...From there they begin creating a narrative they can share with others of their perceptions of reality. These parables, stories, and allegories can often be used in ritual to bring about a neuro-chemical response similar to those who first found the "causality" and with this they too begin the process of accepting the dualities that define their new found perceptions whether it is based on reality or close to it or on the "volcano scenario."

Fundamentalists and Terrorists

2008-05-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

What it means to be a Terrorist Fanatic
We need to be able to make sound decisions and look at people with fairness. We need to look at some very important aspects concerning fairness. In the study of religion we use the label "fundamentalist" and attach it to a large variety of religions to segment a certain type of activities people are taking that delineate them as "being" a Fundamentalist. What is most important is that we maintain our ability to very quickly judge actions as being right or wrong and very slowly if at all judge people.
I believe you will find that there is a gray area of those who consider themselves to be "Fundamentalists" in all of these groups. These are those who hold their religion is the "only" source of truth, their scripture the "only" inspired "word of God, Allah, G-d" and they are "willing" to defend their position with physical force if needed in their mind. Being "willing" to defend a position that cannot be proven with fact as true is not terrorism. Taking action to preemptively attack a supposed "enemy" as part of their "willingness to defend their position" is terroristic in nature.
Though groups that are founded on hate and hating others exist and sponsor terrorism and promote the belief in terror as a viable process of social change; that alone does not make all of their adherents as culpable as those who own, operate and perform the tactical aspects of their organization.

Ku Klux Klan

2008-05-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan has not changed much at all. What changed are the people who are around them and the laws that stop them. Here is a partial shot of their web site. I had to blank out certain portions. (This is as of 5/3/2008)
If you are not of the White race, this web site is not for the likes of YOU! We reserve the right of free speech to state our views whether our enemies like it or not. The IKA hates: M***, s***, k**** and n****. This is our God given right! In no way do we advocate violence. We believe in educating our people to the monopolistic Jewish control of the world's banks, governments, and media. White education is what ZOG hates and why it tries to imprison White Racialists. http://kkkk.net/home.htm
ZOG stands for Zionist Occupation Government. It is their belief that our government, the government of the United States of America is controlled by Jewish Foreigners. This is their present web site. At the same time they say they are promoting love this is also what appears.

Fundamentalism

2008-05-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Fundamentalism

A really good book on the topic of Religious Fundamentalism is called "The Battle for God" by Karen Armstrong. She has this on tape if like me you have to drive a lot. Here is a web site with a brief description.
http://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/index.cfm?book_number=543
She shows compassion and an insight into this matter that is amazing!
Neither, Judaism, Islam nor Christianity produces terrorists. Terrorists are produced by hate, and it takes hate to maintain their activities.

Are there Christian Terrorists?

2008-05-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

Are there Christian Terrorists?

You may want to look at this site from Northeastern University concerning "Hate Crimes" and the involvement of the KKK. Keep in mind that using judgment is not the same as being judgmental. I have friends in all walks of life. Having them as friends does not for me qualify them for a special dispensation from reality. If someone promotes racism and violence they are promoting hate.
Northeastern University: http://www.violence.neu.edu/in_the_news/past_news/hate_crimes/
You can also look at the Air Force University Library for the identification of known Hate Groups and Terrorists organizations operating in the United States. The KKK is part of the Christian Identity Group which is a larger known Hate Group (i.e. Terrorist Organization, this one is hiding behind “Christianity”) responsible for murdering Nurses, Doctors and Judges. http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/tergps/tgdom.htm

I am a retired United States Military Officer who has over twenty one years of service and have personal as well as professional knowledge of the subject at hand. You cannot be a part of any such hate group and be in the US Military. This is not said to offend but to inform. If a stove is hot to not say so would be dereliction.

I believe you will find that there is a gray area of those who consider themselves to be "Fundamentalists" in all of these groups. These are those who hold their religion is the "only" source of truth, their scripture the "only" inspired "word of God, Allah, G-d" and they are "willing" to defend their position with physical force if needed in their mind. Being "willing" to defend a position that cannot be proven with fact as true is not terrorism. Taking action to preemptively attack a supposed "enemy" as part of their "willingness to defend their position" is terroristic in nature.

Why does one become a member of a Violent Fundamentalist Cult?

2008-04-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

Why does one become a member of a Violent Fundamentalist Cult?

There are two effects I want to tell you about concerning relationships first: The Trim Tab effect and the Boiling Frog Effect.

The Trim Tab effect occurs with small changes that have large effects. The Trim Tab is at the bottom of the rudder of a large sailboat. The rudder is what moves the boat, but the trim tab is what moves the rudder. No one has the strength to move the rudder, so a trim tab is necessary. It is in the small changes to a relationship that bring people into agreement.

Have you ever wondered why a spouse would stay in an abusive relationship? Alternatively, how they got there? They normally got there because of small-unnoticed changes in the relationship. Thus the Boiling Frog: If you throw a frog into a pan of water that is boiling, it jumps out. If you put it into a pan of cold water and slowly turn up the heat, it stays until it is dead. Bad relationships are like that usually. They start with innocuous yet somewhat painful jokes, and then more painful statements that are derogatory…from name calling it goes to rough handling, from rough handling to an occasional hit, from a hit to a beating…and so on.

The induction into a cult has a similar trail it follows. Yet the inductee though at the early stages cut off from finding other sources of that which might help them break free they are then indoctrinated, usually slowly and incrementally to believing a system of violence and arrogance and to value the group they are a part of more than anything else in the world.

Fundamentalists’ are threatened by modernity and the changes it brings to their culture because it challenges their belief system, which in turns challenges the way they attempt to live their lives. The introduction of the written word brought about democracies and the absolutists used violence in an effort to maintain authority for as long as they could. Threatened by a rising tide of monistic voices from their subjects that they should be able to talk to God and read God’s words for themselves.

Fundamentalists are threatened by modernity from all of the major religions, primarily from Islamic, Christian and Judaistic. Their response that leads to violence begins with taking the mythos of their scriptures and attempting to make it into a political strategy that makes logical sense to them. They see themselves in the middle of a great battle between good and evil itself. They being on the side of good and all who in their mind oppose them; are evil and attempting to trick them with facts. This in turn justifies their use of a militant piety that usually results in violence wherein they believe they are only defending themselves and doing the work of G-d or God or Allah. In all of these religions, the use of literal interpretation of their scriptures is a relatively new event in their religions. The interpretations of allegorical statements in their scriptures remained in the realm of clearly understood allegory until the early 16th century for the majority with few exceptions (The 16th century is the beginning of Technological Innovations that started the Industrial Revolution.) The danger comes from taking the mythos of the meaning of allegory and instead of allowing it to influence ones thinking and clear ones judgment turn it into a blueprint for developing political strategies making all who think different opponents, subjects or targets.

What is one thing you would say to a person considering committing violence in the name of their religion?

Religions and Violence

2008-04-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

Fundamentalism and New Religions

The use of violence to propagate a religion or belief is part of fanaticism and often part of fundamentalism in any quasi-religious system. Religions are not based on violence; systems of belief based on violence are not religious. The systems of belief based on violence often use religion to cloak their dictatorial basis. The indoctrination process of these systems often starts with the use of religious teachings of love. They then take the convert through a series of changes that destroys the very essence of the original belief. Jesus Christ did not advocate violence as a method to resolve problems nor enhance a relationship between humans and God.

What do you think, or feel, could bring about an atmosphere for violence in a “new religion?”

Technological Growth and Religion

2008-04-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

Technological Growth and Religion

As countries modernize, they experience change with varying degrees of conflict involved. Countries that have modernization occur rapidly are hotbeds for Fundamentalist movements. They are especially vulnerable if they are Third World Nations, who lack a system of national education. There appears to be a strong correlation to technological/educational growth to religious abatement. (MacCulloch, Pezzini) As Europe and America moved into the Industrial age, they did their changes gradually. Each technological improvement brought about a correspondent change in their overall social make-up.
The reliance on mythos faded or sublimated to the use of reason. Luther saw the emergence of reason as a detriment to the growth of Christianity that it would lead to Atheism. Calvin saw it as an empirically supporting the Christian doctrinal beliefs and so did John Wesley who brought about the “Methodical Christian Approach” and the Methodist church. (Armstrong)
Karen Armstrong proposed that the very reasoning they use to understand the significance of religion and faith has blinded secularists and those who follow the scientific rationalistic approach to life (Scientific Materialism). The secularist approach has led to an arrogance that kept them in a position of trying to “be right” when “doing right” was needed for understanding. That these theologies and ideologies may be rooted in fear is apparent, but modern secularism is the culprit, having drained life of its meaning and purpose. With the encroachment of secular ideologies, a form of paranoia erupts in highly religious peoples. When the interpretations of meaning behind discoveries are prone to dismantle long held unquestioned suppositions about reality, fear is inevitable. As millions of people around the globe struggle with seemingly irreconcilable philosophies of life, the rise of militant fundamentalism is and was inevitable.
We went from the spoken word to the written word, to radio, to television then the computer. With each successive jump in our ability to communicate we also saw a rise of radical fundamentalist eruption.

What can we do to resolve the problems arising from modernization and the impact it has on religious beliefs?

References:

MacCulloch, Robert and Pezzini, Silvia, (2002), “The Role of Freedom, Growth and Religion in the Taste for Revolution,” http://repec.org/res2003/Pezzini.pdf [web pdf]

Armstrong, Karen (2001), “The Battle for God,” Random House Publishing

Recommended Further Reading:
Singer, C., Holmyard, E.J., Hall, A. R and Williams, T. I. (eds.), (1954-59 and 1978) A History of Technology,, 7 vols., Oxford, Clarendon Press,. (Vols 6 and 7, 1978, ed. T. I. Williams)
Kranzberg, Melvin and Pursell, Carroll W. Jr., eds. (1967)Technology in Western Civilization: Technology in the Twentieth Century New York: Oxford University Press.
Pacey, Arnold, (1974, 2ed 1994),The Maze of Ingenuity The MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, 1974, [2ed 1994, cited here]
Derry, Thomas Kingston and Williams, Trevor I., (1993) A Short History of Technology : From the Earliest Times to A.D. 1900. New York: Dover Publications.
Brush, S. G. (1988). The History of Modern Science: A Guide to the Second Scientific Revolution 1800-1950. Ames: Iowa State University Press.
Bunch, Bryan and Hellemans,Alexander, (1993) The Timetables of Technology, New York, Simon and Schuster.
Olby, R. C. et. al., eds. (1996). Companion to the History of Modern Science,. New York, Routledge.

Related sites of Interest:
Biblical Timelines http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/bible/timeline.stm
Changing Views of the History of the Earth http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/geohist.html
Inside the Kingdom - Part II:http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east /jan-june02/saudi_2-15.html NewsHour explores the debate over Islam, education, and culture in Saudi Arabia. Christians in the Middle East:http://search.npr.org/cf/cmn/cmnpd01fm.cfm ?PrgDate=04/23/2002&PrgID=5 Talk of the Nation looks at the role of Christians who live in Israel and the West Bank. This story was aired during the military standoff at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity. The Pope's Journey:http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/religion/ jan-june01/pope_5-8.html NewsHour conducts a discussion on Pope John Paul II's journey of reconciliation to Greece, Syria, and Malta. Islam: Empire of Faith:http://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/index.html The companion Web site for Islam: Empire of Faith, a PBS film about the world's fastest growing religion Observing Islam:http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/religion/ july-dec01/islam_11-16.html Islamic scholars discuss the future of Islam as Ramadan begins amid curiosity and concern. (Novemeber 2001) Inside Out: Revolutionary Islam:http://insideout.wbur.org/documentaries/revolutionaryislam/ This radio documentary examines the manifestations of political Islam around the world. Guide to Religions of the World:http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people /features/world_religions/ A guide to six world religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism Beliefnet Web Site:http://www.belief.net/ A Web site on religion Judaism 101 Web Site:http://www.jewfaq.org/index.htm An online encyclopedia on Judaism Lexicon of Israeli "English":http://www.iyba.co.il/lexicon.htm A glossary of Israeli terms, acronyms, and abbreviations found in English-language publications Exploring Religions:http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/religionet/er/default.htm Information on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism Who Are Eastern Christians?:http://www.arimathea.co.uk/whoare.htm The origin and definition of Eastern Christianity Syria and Christianity:http://atheism.about.com/library/world/KZ /bl_SyriaChristianity.htm The history of Eastern Christianity in Syria Islam:http://www.cqpress.com/context/articles/epr_islam.html An encyclopedia entry on Islam Islam: A Worldwide Religion:http://www.seasite.niu.edu/crossroads/russell/islam.htm Islam's impact on Southeast Asia Persian Poet Top Seller in America:http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1997/11/25/us/us.3.html An article on the popularity of mystic Islamic poet Jalaluddin Rumi Historical Maps of Islam:http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~brvs/pages/maps.html Historical maps of Islam Islam in Iran:http://www.pbs.org/visavis/islam_in_iran_mstr.html Vis à Vis explores the origins of Islam and its evolution in Iran. Saudi Time Bomb?:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/ Frontline investigates the hidden undercurrents of Islamic extremism, its far-flung reach, and its threat to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Religion & Culture:http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/classroom/lp5.html Students will consider the theme of religion and culture as they learn about the Hindu-Muslim conflict in the province of Gujarat, India. Understanding History, Religion, and Politics in Jerusalem and Beyond:http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2001/promises/intheclassroom.html Students will acquire historical knowledge of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in the region, learn how to interpret a conflict from multiple perspectives, advocate for a point of view, and develop greater conflict resolution skills. Gender Issues in Islam:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/muslims/ Students will compare and contrast the roles of men and women with regard to various topics in the six countries featured in the film. Great Thinkers and Accomplishments of Islam:http://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/lesson4.html Students will learn about the diverse accomplishments of great Islamic scholars. God Fights Back: 1978-1992:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/peoplescentury/teachers/tggod.html In the 1970s, alienated Iranians flock to the promises of Islamic fundamentalism and Egyptians and Algerians soon follow. In the 1980s, alienated Americans flock to the promises of Christian fundamentalism. The Fascinating World of Islam:http://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/lesson2.html Students will research the people, places, and events that have shaped the history of Islam. An Introduction to Islam and Muhammad:http://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/lesson1.html Students will compare the major monotheistic belief systems of the world. Middle East: Crossroads of Faith and Conflict (map):Supplement to National Geographic, October 2002

Sacred Texts & Religion

2008-04-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Sacred Texts & Religion
Free e-books All of the book links below in RED are from this web site: http://www.e-book.com.au/freebooks.htm Ancient Egypt Ancient Egyptian Pantheon Names Descriptions & other information on the gods of old Egypt. http://www.vibrani.com/gods.htm Egyptian Book of the Dead - The Papyrus of Ani; Egyptian Book of the Dead. http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Books/Papyrus_Ani.html Ra and the Serpent Egyptian myth of creation. http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Resources/StudTxts/raSerpnt.html
Asian Classic Texts
The Asian Classics Input Project works to preserve disappearing books containing the great ideas of the Eastern half of humanity, and to make these books and ideas accessible to the world at large. Downloadable mainly as zipped text & rtf files. Includes ACIP Release V: World.Wide.Wisdom. Over 200 previously unreleased titles from the classics of traditional Asian philosophy in the Tibetan language. http://www.asianclassics.org/
Baha'i Bahá'í Sacred Writings and other books, articles etc. To read online, or downloadable as text, rtf or Word documents. http://www.bahai-library.org/ Baha'i Library Online (in English, French & Spanish) http://bahai-library.com/ The Kitáb-i-Aqdas http://www.ibiblio.org/Bahai/Texts/English/AQD/AQD-4.html Below, a downloadable (.ZIP) HTML version of this "Most Holy Book" of the Bahá'í Faith. http://www.powerup.com.au/~takkenb/Kitab-i-Aqdas/Kitab-i-Aqdas.htm The Kitáb-i-Iqán http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KI the Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah in HTML, with a FLASH version also. Both at: http://www.upliftingwords.org/writings/hiddenwords
Buddhism BuddhaNet These Buddhist texts may be read online with the Adobe Reader or variants thereof. Texts are presently available in English (UK & US variants), French, German, Spanish & Japanese. The texts may also be downloaded as zipped .pdf files to read offline. http://www.buddhanet.net/ebooks.htm Buddhist Reading Room Sutras & other content for online reading. In American English. Some texts also available for download as ZIP format archives (IBM / Windows users) or StuffIt format (Macintosh users). http://www.buddhistreading.com/ Online Dharma Libraries "Authors and/or publishers of the works have granted us permission to make these electronic editions freely available to the public. In the Buddhist tradition, this is the practice of dana, or "freely-offered generosity."…Extensive collection of Buddhist texts for downloading. http://www.dharmanet.org/files.html Sacred Texts: Buddhism In English, for reading online.Includes modern (early 20th century) compilations of the Buddhist Canon, plus texts of Northern & Southern Buddhist schools,Tibetian Buddhism and much else. http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud More Buddhist e-books for online reading. http://www.tipitaka.net/pali/
Cao Dai
Centre for Studies in Caodaism (Sydney) Online full text Cao Dai scriptures & books, articles, images,& audio- visuals, in Vietnamese, French & English. Includes information on the history, organization, philosophy and practice of Caodaism. An Australian archive in HTML, thanks to Cong-Tam Dao of the University of Sydney. http://nla.gov.au/nla.arc-10190
Christianity The Holy Bible (King James version) in HTML http://www.bartleby.com/br/108.html The NET Bible (New English Translation) a completely new translation of the Bible. Includes many thousands of hyperlinked (clickable) translator's notes (which may include theological opinion). Online in HTML. Courtesy of the Biblical Studies Press. http://netbible.bible.org/ The Bible, New International Version Online, in individual chapters. UK version: http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/index.php?action=getVersionInfo&vid=64#booklist/ US version http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/index.php?action=getVersionInfo&vid=31#booklist/ Note usage restrictions as explained at the top of the Biblegateway webpage. The Holy Bible, Douay-Rheims Version, in HTML http://www.catholicfirst.com/bibledrv.cfm New American Bible, from United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in HTML http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible
Old & New Testaments of the Bible formatted for eReader (Palm Reader). New Testament as one download. Old Testament is in four parts. King James version. http://www.palmdigitalmedia.com/free/ebooks Latin Vulgate Bible, for Palm This I.8MB .prc file download requires a Palm DOC reader. Find under "L" in the many Bible versions available free at: http://spiritualworx.com/skw_template.php?page=PalmSoftware.php&fext=prc/ Old and New Testament books in groups, in PilotDoc format, zipped. http://www.antioch.com.sg/edgar/bibledoc.html New Testament TNIV version, as PDF for Adobe Reader. http://www.tniv.info/bible/index.php Bible Downloads for Palm OS, Pocket PC, Smartphone and some Symbian devices A variety of Bible versions, plus reader software, available in English, & Albanian, Arabic, Byzantine Greek, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latin, Romanian, Spanish & Swedish. http://www.olivetree.com/handheld/free/
The Bible, text search of New International Version, in 19 languages. http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?version=NIV The Bible, text search of Revised Standard Version http://www.hti.umich.edu/r/rsv The Bible, text search of New American Standard Version http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?version=NASB
Christian Classics Electronic Library for the Palm Pilot http://members.aol.com/PilotCCEL Christian Classics Ethereal Library Huge collection of significant Christian works. Especially in English, but with some Russian & Chinese e-texts, plus a few in Latin, Greek, French, German, Czech, Italian & Spanish. Many In ThML (Theological Markup Language, an XML variant), or in HTML. Also as online facsimile, plain text, Open eBook, Palm DocBook, or Microsoft Reader formats. Some MP3 audio files also. From Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Missouri. http://www.ccel.org/ Christian Latin - Online versions of Christian Latin texts from Abelard to Thomas à Kempis. http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/christian.html The Catholic Encyclopedia (1914 edition), for online reading or consultation. Hyperlinked. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen Some Catholic devotional works formatted for Palm OS and MS Word. http://www.rosarynmore.com/download.html
Project Wittenberg Works by and about Martin Luther and other Lutherans. http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/wittenberg-home.html Project Wittenberg's Lutheran Electronic Archive: gives priority to documents written by Luther or about Luther. Documents by other Lutherans and Lutheran churches or organizations are produced to a lesser extent. The majority of the works are in HTML or text format. http://www.ctsfw.edu/etext The Walther Library also provides links to a broader range of Protestant and Lutheran works at: http://www.ctsfw.edu/library/probono.php
Coptic Texts The St. Pachomius Library. In HTML. http://www.voskrese.info/spl/index.html Note: For an explanation of the current relationships among the Coptic, Eastern Orthodox and Ethiopian churches see: http://mb-soft.com/believe/txn/coptic.htm Early Christian Writings: New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostics, Church Fathers. In HTML. http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/ The Ecole Initiative - a "Hypertext Encyclopedia of Early Church History," up to the Reformation. http://www2.evansville.edu/ecoleweb
Mormonism (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) The Book of Mormon, online by chapters in HTML. Downloadable version (.pdb file) for Palm & Windows CE devices also available. Other Mormon e-texts here too. http://scriptures.lds.org/bm/contents
Gnostic The Gospel of Thomas The "Scholars' Translation" of the Gospel of Thomas, by Stephen Patterson and Marvin Meyer. http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/Trans.htm Gospel of Thomas commentary http://www.gospelthomas.com/ The Gnostic Society Library A comprehensive collection of Gnostic texts online. http://www.gnosis.org/library.html
Ecclesiastical calendar conversion. Warning - this gets complicated. http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byauth/woolley/calconv.html The Christian Jokes Collection More than 430 religious jokes, compiled by a young woman from South Australia. Her name however is not frivolous, she has Multiple Chemical Sensitivity syndrome. http://www.bubblegirl.net/cjc.html
Desiderata - Meaning, that which is to be desired. Much concentrated & timeless wisdom here. http://artandpoetry.com/art/sherrie/desiderata.html
Epic of Gilgamesh Summary of the ancient text, this version written by the oldest-known named human author. Written c. 2000 B.C. http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/GILG.HTM
Hinduism The Vedas - claimed to be mankind's oldest scriptures, and considered by Hindus to be a direct revelation of God. Read online in HTML. In 7 parts and 21 chapters. English translation by Professor Raimon Panikkar. Click on the Vedic Experience link. http://www.himalayanacademy.com/books/vedic_experience/VEIndex.html Huge collection of online HTML Hindu e-books and PDFs. http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/
Bhagavad-Gita. In audio versions in16 languages, or as HTML in English only. http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/ Dharmic Scriptures. This page at present contains the four Vedas as a zipped Word file for downloading, plus Vedas Exerpts, Vedic Samhitas & Brahmanas Introduction, and the Upanishads, as Word files. Expansion into other formats is planned. http://www.dharmicscriptures.org/scriptures.htm Upanishads - The Texts Available individually online, or downloadable gathered as one PDF file. http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/upanishads.htm Upanishads - Transliteration Key http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/upanishad.html Dvaita Text Resources Some classic Hindu texts as PDF files in Sanskrit, some with Roman script versions. http://www.dvaita.net/ Hindu Insights Many mini-texts on Hinduism for reading on this award- winning site. http://www.hinduism.co.za/ Ars Floreat A number of spiritual and sacred texts, including the Bible, the Koran, Plato and some Hindu scriptures, presented in Dutch, from an overall philosophical basis of the Advaita Vedanta tradition of India. In PDF. http://www.arsfloreat.nl/
Islam The Koran (Qur'an) The Qur'an, in four side-by-side English translations. Available by chapters for online reading. http://www.quran.org/quran/quranframe.htm The Koran An electronically scanned version of M. H. Shakir's English translation of the Holy Qur'an, as published by Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., in searchable SGML form. http://etext.virginia.edu/koran.html The Koran in the original Arabic, downloadable as a full e-reader software program with support for various fonts and font sizes, 2D animations, MP3 audio sounds, search engine, text color, underline color, tags etc, as prepared by Samir Alicehajic of Zagreb, Croatia. English and German translations are included in the "Koran 6.51" version software. Bosnian, Dutch, French, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese & Turkish translations which may be imported into the above software are also available. An online HTML English Koran translation, plus Hadith (sayings of the Prophet) also feature on this site. http://www.yildun.com/ Holy Qur'an Viewer, version 2.910 ( as Developed by Jamal Al-Nasir) - Supports Multiple Qur'an Languages, Remote Recitation, Manuscripts. A hadith viewer, a more basic Koran viewer, other e-reader software and some other downloadable literature are also available at this site. http://www.divineislam.co.uk/DivineIslam/Software/QuranViewer2/ Hadith (Sayings and Traditions) A variety of texts online in HTML, some audio also. http://www.al-islam.org/links.asp?CatId=70 Stories of the Prophets (as a 2.52Mb Self Extracting EXE file). http://www.DivineIslam.co.uk/DivineIslam/Software/Prophets_Stories/ International Islamic Digital Library "An ambitious project to create a centralized repository of knowledge on Islam and the Muslim communities which is authoritative, comprehensible & reliable". This Malaysian initiative includes books, manuscripts, multimedia, theses, articles & conference papers. Users need to register. http://www.iidl.net/ Islam Denounces Terrorism (online e-book). http://www.divineislam.co.uk/DivineIslam/Articles/Terrorism/terrorism1.shtml Harun Yahya Islamic books online in HTML, or for PDF and MS Word download, from noted Turkish author Harun Yahya. Many titles available in English here. Other languages accessible from the site. http://www.harunyahya.com/m_book_index.php NZ Muslim Net Many Muslim e-books in English. Variously as Adobe PDF, Flash, MP3 Audio, HTML & self-contained software programs. http://www.nzmuslim.net/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=MostPopular
Shi'ite Encyclopedia (Revised 2001 edition). View online in HTML. Or download chapter by chapter in Text or MS Word, or the entire encyclopedia as a zipped file. http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia
Sufism, the Way of the Heart "The Ways to God are as numerous as the breaths of humankind." -Sufi Tradition.
Sufiportal. Sufi e-books in German and English. http://sufiportal.de/download.php?s=list&kid=14 Selections from the Diwan of Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ABewley/diwan.html
The Hikam of Ibn 'Ata'llah http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ABewley/hikam.html
Jainism
The Jaina Sutras - Akaranga Sutra and Kalpa Sutra, plus a variety of other Jain texts. Online in plain text and HTML. http://www.sacred-texts.com/jai/index.htm
Judaism The modern English translation of the Torah that you will find online here was published by the Jewish Publication Society in 1985. There are also versions of the Nevi'im & Ketuvim, & links to Readings. Note: The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh is roughly equivalent to the Christian Old Testament, and has three parts, Torah, Nevi'im & Ketuvim. The Torah, in the narrow sense (the Written Torah) is the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. The Nevi'im are the Prophets - Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the Twelve Minor Prophets. The Ketuvim is the Writings, including Psalms and Proverbs, Esther and Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Chronicles, Ruth, and the love poetry of Song of Songs. If you take the T (from Torah), the N (from Nevi'im) and the K (from Ketuvim), and put them together in one word, you have TNK. Add some vowels and it becomes the Tanakh.Text versions of the Torah, Nevi'im & Ketuvim are available at: http://jewish.com/modules.php?name=Content The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in four HTML language editions - Hebrew, Aramaic, English and parallel Hebrew and English. Zipped version available for download. Book-by-book printer-friendly version and MP3 recordings of the books of the Hebrew Bible also provided, plus The JPS Bible for the Palm Pilot. A Torah encyclopedia as well, in a single ZIP in English, and other Torah resources, all from: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/ Jewish Torah Audio. Hundreds of hours of commentary, stories, poetry etc, all in RealAudio or downloadable audio format. Describes itself as "The first world-wide Jewish audio since Mount Sinai". http://www.613.org/ Divrei Torah -- Commentaries. Many sources online. http://www.shamash.org/tanach/dvar.shtml#shamash Seforim e-books Hundreds of seforim (Hebrew books by rabbis) as Adobe .pdfs. http://www.hebrewbooks.org/ SeforimOnline.org also distribute old and out of print Hebrew books in PDf for free. http:// http://www.seforimonline.org/
Myths & Legends Encyclopedia Mythica http://www.pantheon.org/
Proverbs One Proverb A collection of illuminating proverbs and sayings from around the world, available in two ways. Firstly, provides random proverbs and sayings online in HTML - click till relevance reaches out to you. Also as free e-books for Palm eReader, MobiPocket and iSilo readers, and (in beta) for iPods. http://oneproverb.net/frame1.html http://oneproverb.net/opPDAbook.HTML
Sprituality (various) Science and Health with the Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, to read online in HTML http://www.spirituality.com/dt/toc_SH.jhtml Theosophical texts online A large collection in plain text, including books by Blavatsky, Judge, Tingley, Purucker, and others; introductory manuals on theosophy and material on the world's sacred traditions. http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/tup-onl.htm Pantheism The religion of nature. Basic beliefs and Belief statement. http://www.pantheism.net/beliefs.htm Religion of Expressionism (Chiropractic) A 5.27Mb PDF download requiring the Adobe Reader. http://www.triuneoflife.org/ Summum Bonum The return of Amen Ra. Online in HTML, or downloadable as a self-extracting .exe file (instructions on site) for Windows, Macintosh, Palm &Pocket PC. http://www.summum.us/philosophy/book.shtml
Shinto The Kojiki (excerpts). the Nihongi (excerpts), the Yengishiki (Shinto Rituals). PlusThe Book of Tea & other texts. http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/
Sikhism Shri Guru Granth Sahib in text form, the thirty one ragas. http://www.sacred-texts.com/skh/granth/index.htm Select writings - IN HTML, English with Sanskrit. http://www.sikhs.org/transl.htm
Taoism The Tao Te Ching online, in English, Chinese & German translations. http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/ttc-list.htm The I Ching in English & Chinese, HTML. http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/iching.htm Taoism Information Page. Many more Taoist texts online. http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/
Zen/Western Zen Zen Buddhism A treasury of Zen texts. http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/zen/index.htm Zen Guide Koans, stories & collected words online. Pithy and provocative. http://www.zenguide.com/zenmedia/index.cfm The Tao Of Programming & much else Modern internationalism -from Russia with love, in English, some classic & Modern Zen texts. http://klein.zen.ru/English Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Read this classic online in HTML, or download as a PDF. http://bonigv.tripod.com/ Zen Fun http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/resources/zen_fun.html
Zoroastrianism Zoroastrian Archives. Provide the complete text of the Avesta, the most ancient scriptures of Zoroastrianism, as well as many Pahlavi scriptures. It also includes information about the Avestan language, and other useful information for students of Zoroastrian religion. http://www.avesta.org/avesta.html
OTHER WEB SITES WITH FREE DIGITAL BOOKS ON RELIGION
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Buddhist Digital Library - Buddhism Electronic Publications Digital Buddhist Library and Museum (Chinese and English) 70000 books and journals online. ... http://www.academicinfo.net/buddhismlibrary.html
The British Columbia Digital Library: Collections by Subject ... Digital Buddhist Library and Museum. National Taiwan University and Chung-Hwa ... The Book of Mormon (Humanities Text Initiative, University of Michigan).. http://bcdlib.tc.ca/links-subjects-religions.html
Kauai's Hindu Monastery, Publications Hinduism Today, Books Online, Children's Courses, PDF's, Multi-Media and More ... Interactive Digital Presentations for computer viewing ... http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/
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The Online Books Page: Archives The following presses have put a substantial number of free online books on their ... The books below are found this site. http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/archives.html
• Access to Insight (readings in Therevada Buddhism) • Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project (at al-islam.org) • Amazing Facts Library (Seventh-Day Adventist material) • Ars Floreat (spiritual texts in Dutch) • Bahá'i Academics Resource Library (at bahai-library.org) • Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (Hare Krishna, other Eastern religion texts) • Biblioteca Electronica Cristiana (Christian electronic texts in Spanish) • BuddhaNet eBook Library (texts in PDF format) • Catalog of Quaker Writings of the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries (online and some print resources; at qhpress.org) • Chabad Lubavitch Books (books on Hasidic Judaism) • Christian Classics Ethereal Library (at Calvin College) • The Church in the Southern Black Community (at UNC) • Classical Jewish texts (in Hebrew, in Israel) • Divine Life Society (writings on Hindu religion and philosophy) • The Church in the Southern Black Community (at UNC) • Classical Jewish texts (in Hebrew, in Israel) • Dvaita Text Resources (classic Hindu texts in Sanskrit) • Holiness Classics Library (Christian books and articles at the Wesley Center) • Grandes de la Espiritualidad (classic religious spirituality texts in Spanish) • Internet Sacred Text Archive (various religions) • IntraText Digital Library (5000+ texts on religion and other subjects, multilingual) • Islamic Books Library at alislam.org (Ahmadiyya movement texts) • Menasseh Ben Israel collection (17th century printings of Jewish texts; in the Netherlands) • The Online Swedenborgian Library (at swedenborg.org) • Pointing the Way: Christian Literature on the Internet (at ICLNet) • Project Wittenberg (Lutheran texts; at ICLnet) • Restoration Movement texts (at mun.ca) • Rosicrucian Fellowship Library (at rosicrucian.com) • Saint Pachomius Library (Orthodox and other Christian texts; at ocf.org) • Secular Web Library (atheist and related literature; at infidels.org) • Still Waters free text archive (new and classic Calvinist texts) • Tertullian Project (ancient and early medieval Christian-related texts) • Theosophical University Press (occult books from 19th and 20th centuries) • Theravada Text Archives (new and classic Buddhist texts)

When is it right to do wrong?

2008-04-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

When is it right to do wrong?
As we learn, more about the "facts" of reality faith becomes more defined. Faith is different from mere belief in that faith is built on compassion, moral integrity and moral courage. Beliefs can be built on desires, wants and even needs...Compassionate belief systems appear to be built on the search for truth: Whereas, non-compassionate belief systems appear to be challenged by the presentation of truth and of change.
For example, there was a belief held by a part of the Catholic Church quite some time ago that left-handedness was of the devil. About ten percent of the American population is left-handed. This belief was also held by a culture in Japan. In being left-handed in Japan, it was grounds for divorce up until about two decades ago to be left-handed. For the Christian denominations that held to this fallacy it was often based on Matthew 6:3 where it talks about "not letting your left know what your right hand is doing." You can read more about this at the following web site: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/1684/lefthand.html Or try this one http://www.1millionsites.com/Society/People/Lefthanders/
There is a famous question in the study of Religious Ethics: "When is it right to do wrong?" Dr Martin Luther King is a living testimony of a good answer to this question.
In your opinion; "When is it right to do wrong? or Is it ever right to do wrong?" (Consider the answer from the Fundamentalist viewpoint, and then from the Conservative religious establishment viewpoint.)