4 ms·

If you have the time you could read the religions’ foundational texts (Bible for Christianity, Quran for Islam, etc.) before commentaries on them.

exegete 3y ago
I would also suggest modern translations of the texts
- amusingimpala75 3y ago
  Well yes that is what I meant, although reading the original language has a different feel to it.
JasonFruit 3y ago
That is a good way to get some ancient wisdom, and sometimes some incidental history, but it's surprising how little it will inform you about what those religions teach in contemporary practice. I don't think I could read the Bible and derive from it anything like the range of modern Christian belief and practice.
- amusingimpala75 3y ago
  I’m curious, what specific beliefs come to mind?
- paulryanrogers 3y ago
  IME seeking wisdom from ancient scriptures is like seeking the time from a broken clock. It'll be right twice a day yet useless since you need better sources, methodology, or reasoning anyway.
nemosaltat 3y ago
After the Bible & The Quran, Reza Aslan’s “Zealot” (Christianity) & No god but God (Islam) provide some great historical context.
antognini 3y ago
Having done this myself (at least for the Bible) I would disagree with this advice. The texts are very old and were written in the context of a very different culture. There is a lot of important context that the authors assume the reader has, and a modern reader simply lacks that context. Without a good commentary a lot of it will just go over your head and some parts will be misinterpreted.
- paulryanrogers 3y ago
  Indeed studying the context and critiques is likely far more useful than the claptrap most contain. Considering many were written by or about grifters I would also not recommend them.
arp242 3y ago
I don't think that reading scripture is actually all that helpful in understanding the "history and evolution of religion", which is what was asked for. The bible has remained mostly unchanged for 1,600 years or so, but interpretations have varied substantially (also note: there was no "bible" for the first 400 years of Christianity, at last not how we understand it today). Of course, it helps to be familiar with scripture, but there's quite a bit of it and it's quite frankly not a particularly easy read (New Testament is a bit better than the Old). It's not where I would start – understanding the history of religion is more about history than religion.

exegete 3y ago

I would also suggest modern translations of the texts

amusingimpala75 3y ago
Well yes that is what I meant, although reading the original language has a different feel to it.

JasonFruit 3y ago

That is a good way to get some ancient wisdom, and sometimes some incidental history, but it's surprising how little it will inform you about what those religions teach in contemporary practice. I don't think I could read the Bible and derive from it anything like the range of modern Christian belief and practice.

amusingimpala75 3y ago
I’m curious, what specific beliefs come to mind?
paulryanrogers 3y ago
IME seeking wisdom from ancient scriptures is like seeking the time from a broken clock. It'll be right twice a day yet useless since you need better sources, methodology, or reasoning anyway.

nemosaltat 3y ago

After the Bible & The Quran, Reza Aslan’s “Zealot” (Christianity) & No god but God (Islam) provide some great historical context.

antognini 3y ago

Having done this myself (at least for the Bible) I would disagree with this advice. The texts are very old and were written in the context of a very different culture. There is a lot of important context that the authors assume the reader has, and a modern reader simply lacks that context. Without a good commentary a lot of it will just go over your head and some parts will be misinterpreted.

paulryanrogers 3y ago
Indeed studying the context and critiques is likely far more useful than the claptrap most contain. Considering many were written by or about grifters I would also not recommend them.

arp242 3y ago

I don't think that reading scripture is actually all that helpful in understanding the "history and evolution of religion", which is what was asked for. The bible has remained mostly unchanged for 1,600 years or so, but interpretations have varied substantially (also note: there was no "bible" for the first 400 years of Christianity, at last not how we understand it today). Of course, it helps to be familiar with scripture, but there's quite a bit of it and it's quite frankly not a particularly easy read (New Testament is a bit better than the Old). It's not where I would start – understanding the history of religion is more about history than religion.