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Learning how to think about religion. Accounting for religious experience and the esoteric spiritual process in our thinking about "God" and the Greater Reality....

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Reality Is. Religion is what we make it. Reality Is, prior to mind. Religion is what we make it, with the mind. Religion without experience in the Greater Reality is often worthy of criticism. But that criticism misses the point. Such religion, rightly engaged, is, as we have seen, only a foundation. Without experience in the Greater Reality neither the atheist nor the religionist has the genuine discrimination to either criticize the other or defend him or herself, for each is left with only the thinking mind and limited experience with which to understand the other—and thinking mind and limited experience are, in themselves, inadequate for the task...

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Contents Light, Religion, and Spirituality -9- About Intelligence in Religion -12- The Problem in Thinking about Religion -14- A Common Ground -17- Heaven, Houdini, and Kierkegaard -30- Nonsense, Violence, and Truth -41- The Absence of God, and the Presence of the Greater Reality -50- The Divine Person and the Trinities of Religion -58- Gurus, Teachers, and Spiritual Masters -71- Magic, Mystery, and Miracles -90- The Straw Man of Atheist Complaint -96- A Summing Up -99- ...

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In this book you can explore many fascinating subjects, including: Devil Worship ... Zombies ... Doomsday Cults ... Head Shrinkers ... Hungry Ghosts ... Fire Walking ... the Grim Reaper ... Witch Smellers ... Human Sacrifice ... Holy Mud ... Dervishes ... Sacred Mushrooms ... the Dance of Death ... Snake Handlers ... Sin Eaters ... Demonic Possession ... the Antichrist ... Golems ... the Temple of Rats ... Stoning the Devil ... Weeping Statues ... the Wandering Jew ... Incorruptible Bodies ... Ritual Crucifixions ... Ghouls ... Pillar Saints ... Prayer Wheels ... the Black Stone of Mecca ... Temple Virgins ... Towers of Silence ... the Devil's Mark ... Heavenly Omens ... Tiahuanaco ... the Ghost Dance ... Idol Worship ... and many more. The book also contains many interesting images, including reproductions of some famous works of art. This book is in the public domain. ...

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Introduction The Temple of Rats Jivaro Head Shrinkers Cargo Cults Self-Flagellation The Black Stone of Mecca Hungry Ghosts Witch Smellers Egyptian Crocodile Worship Christian Snake Handlers The Rope to Heaven The Scapegoat Gods in Human Form Devil Worship The Sex Slaves of Paradise Animal Sacrifice Human Sacrifice Self Mummification Zombies Incorruptible Bodies The Firebird Sacred Mushrooms Demonic Possession Towers of Silence The Ghost Dance Temple Virgins Chinese Dragons Baron Samedi The Devil's Mark The Assassins Religious Body Piercing Holy Mud The Book of Mormon Weeping Statues The Tree of Zaqqum Nukekubi The Giant Flying Head Crucifixion Re-enactments Ahimsa The Valkyries Heavenly Omens The Rapture Chinese Guardian Lions Religious Police Spirit Money Idol Worship The Antichrist Ghouls Monuments Built by a God Chosen People Sacred Cows The Wandering Jew The Thugee Stoning the Devil Original Sin Prayer Wheels Faith Healing The Cedar Tree of the End Naturist Religious Sects The Australian Fertility Stone Strange Mayan Creation Myth Sin Eaters The Dance of Death Holy L...

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Is there anything that is essentially required to complete any task? There are two virtues required: sincerity & morality. Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan says, “If these two things are present in this era of time cycle, then that is more than enough. Even if one of them is present, it will indeed take one to final liberation.” What is meant by sincerity? To remain sincere to one’s own self, to remain sincere to things he is decided on. A sincere person would never go against his goal. It is sincerity when no bad thought arises for anyone during any circumstance. Insincerity is also a good attribute. It can take one to final liberation faster. Nonetheless, one remains in the middle of the two i.e. he neither remains sincere nor he remains insincere. Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan says, “It will do if one achieves half the level of sincerity & morality.” In current compilation wonderful details are presented on sincerity-insincerity that will help reader progress on the spiritual path. ...

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The First Epistle of John is a book of the Bible New Testament, the fourth of the catholic or general epistles. It was written in Ephesus about 90-110 AD, apparently by the same author or authors who wrote the Gospel of John and the other two epistles of John. Not actually a letter, it is a sermon written to counter the heresy that Jesus did not come in the flesh but only as a spirit. It also defines how Christians are to discern true teachers: by their ethics, their proclamation of Jesus in the flesh, and by their love. (Wikipedia)...

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Religion

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This is a collection of stories collected over thousands of years by various authors, translators and scholars. They are an amalgam of mythology and folk tales from the Indian sub-continent, Persia, and Arabia. No original manuscript has ever been found, but several versions date the collection’s genesis to somewhere between AD 800-900. The stories are wound together under the device of a long series of cliff-hangers told by Shahrazad to her husband Shahryar, to prevent him from executing her. Many tales that have become independently famous come from the Book, among them Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor. This collection comes from the first of sixteen volumes translated by Richard Francis Burton. The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 01 )...

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Fairy tales, Myths/Legends

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Text of famous inspirational lecture and biography of Russell Conwell, a Baptist minister and Temple University Founder (Summary by Scott Dahlem)

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Biography, Religion

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The Song of Songs (Hebrew title שיר השירים, Shir ha-Shirim), is a book of the Hebrew Bible—Tanakh or Old Testament—one of the five megillot (scrolls). It is also known as the Song of Solomon or as Canticles, the latter from the shortened and anglicized Vulgate title Canticum Canticorum, Song of Songs in Latin. It is known as Aisma in the Septuagint, which is short for Αισμα ᾀσμτων, Aisma aismatôn, Song of Songs in Greek. (From Wikipedia)...

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Religion

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The Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan is a Christian pseudepigraphical work found in Ge'ez, translated from an Arabic original and thought to date from the 5th or 6th century AD. It was first translated from the Ethiopic version into German by August Dillmann. It was first translated into English by S. C. Malan from the German of Ernest Trumpp. The first half of Malan's translation is included as the First Book of Adam and Eve and the Second Book of Adam and Eve in The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden. Books 1 and 2 begin immediately after the expulsion from the Garden of Eden and end with the testament and translation of Enoch. Great emphasis is placed in Book 1 on Adam's sorrow and helplessness in the world outside the garden....

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Religion

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Wopsy is the story of a very young Guardian Angel, sent to watch over a pagan baby in Africa. Wopsy desperately wants his baby's soul to become white and clean in baptism, but what is a small guardian angel to do when there is no missionary priest in the village? The author was a member of the missionary order of priests known as the White Fathers (So named because of the white habits they wore). He wrote the Wopsy series of books in order to encourage missionary vocations in young children. (Summary by Maria Therese)...

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Children, Religion

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The Epistle of Paul to the Romans , often shortened to Romans , is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul, to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is by far the longest of the Pauline epistles, and is considered his most important theological legacy....

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Religion

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The Epistle to the Romans is one of the letters of the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. In the words of N.T. Wright, the Book of Romans is neither a systematic theology nor a summary of Paul's lifework, but it is by common consent his masterpiece. It dwarfs most of his other writings, an Alpine peak towering over hills and villages. Not all onlookers have viewed it in the same light or from the same angle, and their snapshots and paintings of it are sometimes remarkably unalike. Not all climbers have taken the same route up its sheer sides, and there is frequent disagreement on the best approach. What nobody doubts is that we are here dealing with a work of massive substance, presenting a formidable intellectual challenge while offering a breathtaking theological and spiritual vision. (Summary from Wikipedia)....

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Religion

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volunteers bring you 9 recordings of The Feast of Lights by Emma Lazarus. This was the Weekly Poetry project for December 18, 2011. Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, is the Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during the 2nd century BCE. This poem celebrating Hanukkah was written by Emma Lazarus, a Jewish American poet. Emma Lazarus also wrote 'The New Colossus,' a sonnet which is inscribed on a plaque on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty....

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Ancient Texts, Holiday, Religion, Poetry

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Kalimát-i-Maknúnih or The Hidden Words is a book written in Baghdad around 1857 by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. This work is written partly in Arabic and partly in Persian. The Hidden Words is written in the form of a collection of short utterances, 71 in Arabic and 82 in Persian, in which Bahá'u'lláh claims to have taken the basic essence of certain spiritual truths and written them in brief form. Bahá'ís are advised by `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of Bahá'u'lláh to read them every day and every night and to implement its latent wisdom into their daily lives. He also said that The Hidden Words is a treasury of divine mysteries and that when one ponders its contents, the doors of the mysteries will open. The text of the Hidden Words is divided up into two sections: one from Arabic, and another from Persian. Each consist of several short, numbered passages. The Arabic has 71 passages, and the Persian has 82. This audiobook only contains the Arabic section. Each passage begins with an invocation, many of which repeat. Some common invocations include O Son of Spirit, O Son of Man, and O Son of Being. Bahá'í prayers are writte...

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Religion, Philosophy, Advice

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“In these days,” writes the renowned Bahá’í scholar, Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl, “which are the latter days of 1911, A. D. and the early days of 1330 A. H., I have seen a curious article which astonished me. What did I see? I find that one of the missionaries of the Protestant sect, who accounts himself among the learned men of the twentieth century, a helper of the pure religion of Christ and one of the civilized and cultured occidentals, by name, Peter Z. Easton, has been so provoked by jealousy at the universal spread of the heavenly word of His Holiness Abdul-Baha throughout vast expanses of Europe that he has trespassed the limit of courtesy and humanity and published an article replete with execration and calumny in the magazine “Evangelical Christendom.” …Briefly, as this servant [Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl] carefully perused and weighed the above mentioned article, it was found that Peter Z. Easton, in his own supposition, has clung to “four proofs” in opposing the great Bahai Cause. We will therefore mention these four points and show the falsity of his fanciful ideas in each instance.” A number of works were written in the 19th century to def...

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Religion, Philosophy, Essay/Short nonfiction

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Pantheisticon: or, the Form Of Celebrating the Socratic-Society. Divided into Three Parts. Which Contain, I. The Morals and Axioms of the Pantheists; or the Brotherhood. II. Their Deity and Philosophy. III. Their Liberty, and a Law, neither deceiving, nor to be deceived. To which is prefix'd a Discourse upon the Antient and Modern Societies of the Learned, as also upon the Infinite and Eternal Universe. And subjoined, a short dissertation upon a Two-fold Philosophy of the Pantheists, that is to be followed; together with an Idea of the best and most accomplished Man. Written Originally in Latin, by the Ingenious Mr. John Toland. And now, for the first Time, faithfully rendered into English. (Summary from frontispiece.)...

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Philosophy, Religion

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Excerpt: Chapter 1. The Foreigner At Home. ?This is no my ain house; I ken by the biggin? o?t.? Two recent books* one by Mr. Grant White on England, one on France by the diabolically clever Mr. Hillebrand, may well have set people thinking on the divisions of races and nations. Such thoughts should arise with particular congruity and force to inhabitants of that United Kingdom, peopled from so many different stocks, babbling so many different dialects, and offering in its extent such singular contrasts, from the busiest over-population to the unkindliest desert, from the Black Country to the Moor of Rannoch. It is not only when we cross the seas that we go abroad; there are foreign parts of England; and the race that has conquered so wide an empire has not yet managed to assimilate the islands whence she sprang. Ireland, Wales, and the Scottish mountains still cling, in part, to their old Gaelic speech. It was but the other day that English triumphed in Cornwall, and they still show in Mousehole, on St. Michael?s Bay, the house of the last Cornish-speaking woman. English itself, which will now frank the traveller through the most of...

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Contents CHAPTER I: THE FOREIGNER AT HOME ..................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER II: SOME COLLEGE MEMORIES................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER III: OLD MORTALITY .................................................................................................. 20 CHAPTER IV: A COLLEGE MAGAZINE ...................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER V: AN OLD SCOTCH GARDENER ............................................................................. 36 CHAPTER VI: PASTORAL .............................................................................................................. 41 CHAPTER VII: THE MANSE .......................................................................................................... 48 CHAPTER VIII: MEMOIRS OF AN ISLET .................................................................................... 53 CHAPTER IX: THOMAS STEVENSON ? CIVIL ENGINEER...................................................... 58 CHAPTER X: TALK AND TALKERS ....................

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The Gospel of Matthew (literally, according to Matthew; Greek, Κατά Μαθθαίον or Κατά Ματθαίον) is one of the four Gospel accounts of the New Testament. It narrates an account of the life and ministry of Jesus, from his genealogy to his post-resurrection commissioning of his Apostles to go and make disciples of all nations. Bibles traditionally print Matthew as the first gospel, followed in order by Mark, Luke and John. Authorship is traditionally ascribed to Matthew the Evangelist. (Summary from Wikipedia)....

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Religion

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Although Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a wealthy landowner, in his later life he had what was considered a “religious awakening.” This experience went on to inform his writing and his lifestyle in profound ways. His views transcended the specifics of religion, as known in his day - so much so he came to be a helpful guide both to Mohandas Gandhi and to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The four stories in this collection ask profound questions and gently supply helpful, non-dogmatic hints to their answerings: What is the most important thing to do? Who is the most important person? When is the most important time? What is worth owning? What is the most profound religion? What rules should men live by? How much land does a man need? Who is God? What should we bother to discuss? How should we act towards one another? How should we respond to cruelty and violence? And many more. Wonderful stories written in a relaxed style. Summary by Alan Drake....

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Short stories

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Who you believe in and what you believe is the most important matter in life. In a morally troubled world, how powerful a hold does religion have? Are you confused about religious ambiguity, love of money, love of power, sexual immorality, art? Reading The Brass Bed and other Stories may help, then again it may just raise more questions....

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The Salesman Alabaster Easter The Albatross Cafe She wore clover . . . Tabula Rasa The Two Men The Dancer

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In the long days and dark nights of occultation (ghaibat), neither our beloved prophet, Mohammad (s.a.w.a.) nor our Imam, Imam Vali-e-Asr (a.t.f.s) is present in our midst. The only way to quench the thirst of their recognition (ma'refat) and knowledge is through the treasure of books, which we have inherited from our great scholars. As it is narrated by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) - in the last era, the faith of the people will be based on 'black over white' i.e. books. Books are the source through which we can acquaint ourselves with Islamic beliefs (aqaed), religious edicts (ahkam), history, and ethics (akhlaq). In this treatise we try to acquaint ourselves with one such book, which is one of the most crucial references with regards to Hazrat Sayyudush Shohada, Imam Husain (a.s.). The book is Kamiluz Ziaraat....

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Table of Contents Chapter 1: Reward for the Ziyarat of Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.), Amirul Momineen and Imam Hasan and Imam Husain (a.s.) ....... 8 Chapter 2: Reward for the Ziyarat of Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.) . 9 Chapter 3: Ziyarat of the Prophet’s grave and invocations at his tomb....................................................................................... 11 Chapter 4: Rewards and Excellence of Praying in the Prophet’s mosque................................................................................... 18 Chapter 5: Ziyarat of Hamza (a.s.), Uncle of the Prophet, and other Martyrs of Uhad.............................................................. 19 Chapter 6: Excellence and Rewards of visiting the Masjids and Graves in Medina.................................................................... 23 Chapter 7: Bidding Farewell to the grave of Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.).................................................................................. 25 Chapter 8: Rewards and Excellence of Praying in Masjid Kufa and Masjid Sahla ......................................................................