What do you believe in?
 

Whatever religious beliefs you have, briefly summarize them and recommend 5 books (include title and author) that would further educate me about those beliefs. If you are atheist you can recommend books on scientific theories that you support. Choose carefully I have every intention of reading all of these. You may include sacred texts such as the Bible in your list but please include other books.

And just for fun, give me a reason why I should believe what you believe.

I don't like telling anyone what they should believe in. I'm not sure what to believe myself.

If you're not sure what to believe, studying all beliefs could help you figure it out.

Can I just ask why you're asking for recommendations about spiritual guidance from an anime site? Seems kind of redundant. But, either or, I don't particularly beleive in any one religion, I've never really thought of belonging to one, I think about spirituality in terms of my own soul and the acquisition of knowledge.

It's like Socrates said, there's something weird about picking up a belief from an authority. It's just not as legit as if you were actually going to think about these things in dept for yourself. But eh, that's just me.

1) The pilgrim's progress by john bunyan
2) The book of Job, the book of 2nd Isaiah and the book of Amos (Old Testament)
3) The Tao te Ching
4) The Parmenides
5) Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger

As you can see, this is a rag tag bunch of books. Parmenides and the tao te ching are espeacially hard to read at points.

I believe that religion and science both have flaws in their designs... which makes me neither religious nor atheist... but unsure of who is right if anyone

I am a heathen, pagan, Neopagan, or something like that, that is, I like to return to the pre-Christian beliefs of Germanic peoples. If you can , I would suggest you get your hands on either 1)The Poetic Edda and 2)The prose Edda
both these eddas are written by the great Snorri Sturluson. They are probably online somewhere or another.
I think that's it. Also read the following if you're interested:
Germanic Neopaganism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Norse pagan worship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Asatru Basics
http://www.asatru-u.org/beginner/asa...er-outline.htm

I'm not just asking on Menewsha I'm asking everywhere I know, for diversity. You don't necessarily have to pick up a belief from an authority to be part of a religion. Belief itself is very personal anyway.

You don't have to believe scientific theories to be atheist, atheism is just not believing in a god/higher power. If you're not sure if there is one you're probably agnostic.

'Aight, fair enough. But yeah, those books are vague in the best kind. One's christian, one's jewish, two's taoist and then the other two are just good books that talk about it in subtle ways so they blow ur mind. The Platonic one is a dialogue, too. Hurray books.

I'm not the least bit religious, (nor do I intend to ever be), but I do have things that I believe in. Whether it be positive or negative. I can't really think of any off the top of my mind, but I do post blogs here on menewsha about things like this.

Though if someone asks me my opinion on something, I'll probably tell you what I think of the subject.

I'm christian and this book pretty much covers why i believe. But mostly its a personal experience thing.

The case for creation - Lee Strobel.

PM me if you want more info.

I kinda just believe in.. people. :/ Does that count? I mean, I think there's probably supernatural stuff and I think it'd be cool if something after death existed.. But mainly, I believe in people and what they do. If they do good, then surely others will do good. If a person does wrong, then it's quite possible they'll get what they deserve in the long run. Karma, I guess. We decide our own fate and hope that others will try to use their own lives to make a positive impact on the life we have now rather than do things to "earn" a better afterlife we may or may not have.

I'm not really sure if there's any books like that or if that's even a basic idea of any religion, but that's my two cents.

@Sun: Isn't that basically the belief about the Christian God too?

I have a rather odd array of beliefs based on what I was brought up around.
Which isn't saying much, since I'm baptized, communed, and confirmed in the eyes of the Catholic church.

Regardless, I believe in spirituality, reincarnation, past lives, stuff like that.
I don't identify with any sect of Christianity whatsoever, and am still searching.
I plan to do a helluva a lot of reading of religious texts in the coming years - whether that brings me to having beliefs or not, though, is not the point. I just want to read up on everyone's perceptions of what the hell brought us here. Even Scientology in all of its craziness has a story worth hearing, in my opinion.

For now, I'm agnostic. I've always identified as agnostic, and will continue to until I have some sort of AHA! Moment that says otherwise.
Assuming that such a moment comes.

personally i'm agonostic. so i don't belong to any religion but i still believe in a higher power. I just believe heaven and hell are within each of us and our lives aren't planned out. that sort of thing.

I don't know any books... but I beleive in God and was babtized christian, but I do not believe in that religion. So I can only speak from what I believe in from science and the psychic Sylvia Browne who has had a big impact on how I view the world and what might happen when we die. Again, I'm not certain. I pretty much think the bible is bull crap. Stories written by man about 100 years after Christ, I think. I don't think the virgin Mary was a virgin and Christ wasn't perfect. I don't, however, believe in the devil. I know some might think 'For there to be a God there has to be a devil.' I think not. I don't think God has any other influence on us then when he puts us here. Other then that our choices are our choices. We are NOT God's puppets once on earth. I don't think God said 'Let there be light!' or anything. I beleive that God sat back and drank lemonade as science did the work on our planet earth and such. I do beleive there is a higher power. God. Ehh, I feel jumbled. I hope you understand what I was trying to explain.

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You put it better then I did (: I am agonostic. ^.^

@alixness that's pretty much how i am lol i think there are key events in our lives that must occur, but how we respond and our ultimate destination are ours to control. there things out there that unexplainable and belong to the super natural world but I am a firm believer in evolution. I've read the bible, and i think its a load of nonsense. but i've also read alot of other books about different religions so my beliefs are pulled from lots of different sources. therefor i am agnostic!

I'm spiritual, but in terms of all the religions out there, I'm pretty much an atheist because none of them fit me at all, and how I feel strongly about science. I would recommend Why I am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell. Snips of the book can be found here and here on the internets.