(Part 2) Best products from r/religion

The book Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism has many wonderful little tales and concepts. It has short stories drawn from centuries-old Jewish midrash. Some of them you might have to flesh out to make into a good story, but there are many droplets of inspiration in the book.

This is the first story I heard from the book and the reason I purchased it:

> 581. THE STAR MAIDEN

> When the generation of the Flood went astray, God began to regret having created humans. Then two angels, Shemhazai and Azazel, reminded God that they had opposed the creation of humans, saying, "What is man, that You have been mindful of him? (Ps. 8:5)." God replied: "Those who dwell on earth are subject to the Evil Inclination. Even you would be overpowered by it." But the angels protested, saying: "Let us descend to the world of humans, and let us show You how we will sanctify Your name." And God said: "Go down and dwell among them."

> So the two angels descended to earth, where they were certain they could resist the power of the Evil Inclination. But as soon as they saw how beautiful were the daughters of men, they forgot their vows and took lovers from among them, even though they were defiling their own pure essence. So too did they teach them secrets of how to entice men, as well as the dark arts of sorcery, incantations, and the divining of roots.

> Then the two angels decided to select brides for themselves from among the daughters of men. Azazel desired Na’amah, the sister of Tubal-Cain, the most beautiful woman on earth. But there was another beautiful maiden, Istahar, the last of the virgins, whom Shemhazai desired, and she refused him. This made him want her all the more.

> "I am an angel," he revealed to her, "you cannot refuse me."

>" I will not give in to you," Istahar replied, "unless you teach me God’s Ineffable Name."

> "That I cannot do," Shemhazai replied, "for it is a secret of heaven."

> "Why should I believe you?" said Istahar. "Perhaps you don’t know it at all. Perhaps you are not really an angel."

> "Of course I know it," said Shemhazai, and he revealed God’s Name.

> Now as soon as she heard the holy Name, Istahar pronounced it and flew up into the heavens, escaping the angel. And when God saw this, He said: "Because she removed herself from sin, let Istahar be set among the stars." And Istahar was transformed into a star, one of the brightest in the sky. And when Shemhazai saw this, he recognized God’s rebuke of his sin and repented, hanging himself upside down between heaven and earth. But Azazel refused to repent, and God hung him upside down in a canyon, bound in chains, where he remains to this day. That is why a scapegoat is sent to Azazel on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, bearing the sins of Israel.

> Others say that when the two angels, Shemhazai and Azazel, came down to earth, they were still innocent. But they were corrupted by the demonesses Na’amah and Lilith. The children they bore were the giants of old, known as the Nefilim, or Fallen Ones. They bore six children at each birth, and in that very hour their offspring stood up, spoke the holy language, and danced before them like sheep. There were said to be sixty in all. These giants had such great appetites that God rained manna on them in many different flavors, so that they might not eat flesh. But the Fallen Ones rejected the manna, slaughtered animals, and even dined on human flesh.

> Still others say that the offspring of the fallen angels were tall and handsome, and had greater strength than all the children of men. Because of the heavenly origin of their fathers, they are referred to as "the children of heaven."

The book also provides some explanations for the stories it tells:

> The primary mystery of Genesis 6 is the identity of the Sons of God. Anthropologists have suggested that they may have been a tribe of exceptionally tall and handsome men who appeared and were irresistible to women. But the ancient rabbis were certain that the Sons of God were angels, although an alternate version in Aggadat Bereshit identifies them as the Sons of Cain. As a model, the rabbis drew on the prologue to Job, where God and Satan agree to test Job to see if he is truly righteous. Here God has a dialogue in heaven with two angels, Shemhazai and Azazel, who condemn the corrupt ways of men. God argues that if they lived on earth they would behave the same way, because everyone on earth is subject to the Yetzer ha-Ra, the Evil Inclination. The angels insist that they would remain righteous, and they convince God to let them descend to earth (in some versions, by Jacob’s ladder). When they do, they are immediately filled with lust for the beautiful daughters of men, and use their heavenly powers to satisfy their desires. And the offspring of these unions are described as the Nefilim, which has been interpreted to mean giants. Thus the account in Genesis 6 also provides the origin of giants.

> In some versions of this myth, the two angels end up coming down to earth not to demonstrate their ability to resist the Evil Inclination, but because God cast them out of heaven for opposing the creation of man. According to Zohar Hadash, Ruth 81a, the angels acquired human form as they descended from on high. When they mated with human women, the “daughters of men,” their offspring were the Nefilim in Genesis 6:4, which literally means “fallen beings.”

> There are many variants of the story of the two angels from a wide range of sources, including The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) and Yalkut Shim’oni. The best-known of these stories concerns two maidens, Istahar and Na’amah, whom the two angels sought to seduce.

> Note that this story, with its fairy-tale quality, manages to explain who the Sons of God were, how they brought corruption to the earth, and the origin of giants. The story also demonstrates that no one, not even angels, is immune to the Evil Impulse. Indeed, so corrupt did the angels become, that it is said that in the end they indiscriminately enjoyed virgins, married women, men, and beasts. The Sons of God are also blamed for having invented the use of ornaments, rouge, and multicolored garments to make women more enticing. The daughters of men are identified as the children of Seth, Adam’s son, and therefore are human (Zohar 1:37a). The heroine of the story is, of course, Istahar, the virgin who resisted the advances of Shemhazai, and was turned into a star. Istahar is a variant name for the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, who was equated with the planet Venus, the brightest star. As for Na’amah, the young woman who is said to have overwhelmed Azazel with her beauty, she is identified as the sister of Tubal-Cain. In later legends, Na’amah is also identified as a sister or daughter of Lilith.

> In most versions of this myth, Istahar demands to be told God’s secret Name, the Tetragrammaton (YHVH). But in one alternate version in Beit ha-Midrash 5:156, which, because it mutes the sexual elements of the story, might be described as a midrash for children, she demands that he let her try on his wings. At first he denies that his wings come off, but when she insists, he takes them off and lets her put them on and at that moment she flies off into heaven and is transformed into a star.

> In later versions of this legend, the role of Shemhazai is diminished, while the role of Azazel is expanded, until Azazel is virtually identified with Satan. Ultimately, it is Shemhazai who repents and Azazel who does not. This leads to subsequent legends about the evil-doings of Azazel. According to Yalkut Shim’oni, Istahar became a star set among the seven stars of the Pleiades, while Shemhazai, hung upside down between heaven and earth, became the constellation Orion. Thus this myth may also be viewed from an astrological perspective as the origin of the constellations Pleiades and Orion.

> There are strong echoes of Greek mythology in the myth of the Sons of God and daughters of men. In bringing heavenly secrets to earth, the Sons of God function much as does Prometheus when he steals fire from heaven and brings it to earth. For more on Prometheus stealing fire from heaven see Graves, The Greek Myths, 39g. There is also a strong parallel to the fate of Istahar in the story of Zeus setting Callisto’s image among the stars. See Graves, The Greek Myths, 22h. See also “Adam Brings Down Fire from Heaven,” p. 137.

And, finally, sources are always given:

> Sources:

> Targum Pseudo-Yonathan on Genesis 6:1-4; Yalkut Shim’oni, Bereshit 44; Midrash Avkir in Beit ha-Midrash, 4:127-128; The Book of Jubilees 4:15, 4:22, 5:1-3; 1 Enoch 6:14; Bereshit Rabbati 29-30; Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 22; Zohar 1:37a; Zohar Hadash, Ruth 81a; IFA 10856.

So that's just one of hundreds of stories in the book. They all have the same format. Some are longer, some are shorter. This book certainly has beautifully mythic tales which certainly can be shared with children, but it also has further discussion and information of interest to any older children or parents with an interest in folklore and mythology.

I apologize in advance for the length of this reply. I didn't think I'd have this much to say.

I got my BA in Religious Studies in 2014, just graduated with my MA in Religious Studies this past May, and I start a PhD in Religious Studies at UNC Chapel Hill in a few weeks.

The field of religious studies is more than just reading a bunch of religious texts. One can examine sociological aspects; theorists of religion(s); anthropological approaches; critical approaches that examine intersections of gender, race, and queerness, etc. (My specific work, for example, is on US-Mexico borderland religious traditions and decolonization.)

>

I also think it's important to stress that "Religious Studies" is different from "Theology." RS is the study of religion(s) and largely how they affect and are affected by culture and society. Theology is the study of the nature of the Divine. At the risk of sounding like a reductionist, RS might ask, for example: "What does the effect of US legislation on peyote use tell us about modern colonization?" whereas theology might ask: "Would God be angry if I used peyote?" There are students and professors in RS that do work on theology, but not everyone does.

Religious Studies is A LOT of reading, which most of us find pretty enjoyable - especially since it is so interdisciplinary, like /u/smittenkitten97 has already mentioned. It's great to read the Quran and the Tanach and so forth, but I would highly recommend starting works on critical theory if you are serious about getting into the field. It will give you a leg up should you decide to go on to graduate work in the future, and it really enriches your education. Reading J.Z. Smith is a great place to begin, and Russell McCutcheon has written this book which I cannot promote enough: https://www.amazon.com/Studying-Religion-Introduction-Russell-McCutcheon/dp/1845530128

>

As far as what to expect going down the road:
It is good you're thinking of a double major because Religious Studies in and of itself is not the degree sought after by most employers. That's not to say you won't find work; the glory of RS being so interdisciplinary enables you to market yourself in a variety of ways that can appeal to many job openings. But honestly, in my experience, if you want to continue on to do graduate work, it's really only worth it if you want to become a professor. And even then, it's a hard road to follow. The market is over-saturated with RS PhD-holders, and there aren't enough job openings to accommodate them all. It is very competitive. You constantly have to justify who you are as a scholar and why your work is worthy of funding. I've been pretty lucky in my journey so far - my project is highly relevant thanks to this dumbass administration, and there was already a rising desire and need for people who work on US borderlands material. Thus, I've gotten into almost every school I applied to from undergrad to PhD, and every admission came with remarkable funding. I do not bring this up to gloat or show off. I bring it up because it is very much an exception. All of my professors in undergrad told me it is not worth getting a graduate degree if you are not offered funding. It's a ton of work, and the prices are exorbitant.

All this is to say, the texts you've listed have no substantial cohesion; do you have a specific area of focus in mind? Did you just want to do comparative studies? If you have a focus, that can help you in your search for undergraduate programs, especially since application time is right around the corner. I was lucky enough to tour a few campuses this year, and I've met professors from all around, so if you have any questions about a campus or a program, I'd love to help if I can.

I think that's all for now. Sorry for being so long-winded. Feel free to reply or PM me if you there's anything you'd like to know more about.

I would read SHORT but incisive texts from great religions or religious thinkers. Just one or two a day to start with.

I personally love The Hidden Words by Baha'u'llah, but there are many great interfaith collections as well. One nice one is God's Big Instruction Book, here used, which is actually many tiny delicious nuggets from different world Faiths.

I'd read one or two short interesting pieces, and meditate on them.

I think the spirit is quite easily reawakened and nourished! Also looking forward to seeing others' recommendations...

I also really like this prayer:

>O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.

>O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.

Here in musical form

There's also a really neat event called Soul Food that happens in several cities, with very uplifting and inspiring interfaith readings. Attending something like that might also be helpful: but really, I think short prayer, meditation, and reading are the best.

Elaine Pagels is a great contemporary scholar of Christian religion, and particularly textual and historical explication. Her The Origin of Satan is fascinating, and The Gnostic Gospels is a solid survey of some of the lost branches of early Christian tradition.

Gershom Scholem is one of the last century's great explicators of Judaism and mysticism, particularly the Kabbalah. I doubt there's a book he's written that isn't worth reading, but the best place to start may be his book On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism, particularly the chapter on the relation of mystical experience to community norms.

Speaking of Kabbalah, it's recent popularity speaks poorly of what is an otherwise venerable and serious tradition of symbolism and ethical concern. If you're interested in spiritual literature, it's probably not a bad idea to take a stab at the Zohar. There's an abridged translation by Scholem out in paperback, but you're probably better off with this edition.

That comes, incidentally, from a series of books issued by a Catholic publisher, Paulist Press, under the name Classics of Western Spirituality, which is generally excellent. So far as I know, it's the only press currently printing some truly classic historical texts, so their catalog is worth browsing. They're particularly good, as you might suspect, on early Christian texts -- I don't know where else you'd go for something like Carthusian Spirituality -- but they also have Sufist, Judaic and non-mainline texts. In particular, I'd say pick up the Pseudo Dionysus.

While we're on the subject of early Christian writers, there's The Desert Fathers, The Cloud of Unknowing, Revelations of Divine Love -- the last of which is a notable early example of feminine Christian spirituality.

On the more modern end, there's Simone Weil, the tragic Marxist-cum-Catholic. I'd recommend either Waiting for God or Letters to a Priest]. While we're talking about modern Christian theology, we should note three of the most important names of the 20th century: Paul Tillich, Rudolf Otto, and Tielhard de Chardin. The books to start with, respectively, are Dynamics of Faith, The Idea of the Holy, and The Divine Milieu.

Shifting away from Christianity, another major name in 20th century theology is Martin Buber, the Jewish German mystic. His I and Thou is the most generally applicable and was widely influential in existential circles, but he also wrote widely on issues of Jewish identity.

More in the mainstream of Jewish tradition, there's the Talmud, although the sheer size of the writings that full under that name are the sort of thing that scholars give their lives over to. For our purposes, something like Abraham Cohen's Everyman's Talmud will generally suffice.

And finally, I just recently bought The Three Pillars of Zen, which is widely held to be the best practical introduction to the topic available in English. There are a bewildering amount of books on the subject, but without some sort of framework for understanding their relation to the historical traditions, it can be nearly impossible to sort out which are worth while.

EDIT: Forgot linking by reference isn't working; fixed with inline links.

That's great you are open to learning and interested in broadening your world view. That's a great first step. There are a lot of great books about religion and philosophy. You should start where you are most interested but it can be helpful to get a high-level overview with books like:

• http://www.amazon.com/The-Worlds-Religions-Wisdom-Traditions/dp/0062508113
  
• http://www.amazon.com/God-Is-Not-One-Religions/dp/0061571288/ref=pd_sim_b_4
  
  Basically giving you an idea of different religions around the world and how they differ but also how they are similar. Also the internet is a great resource. Start reading about different religious and philosophical beliefs even on Wikipedia as an easy way to get started. Anyhow, best of luck with everything.

Conspiracy of...?

Konsonantal linguistics, Theology, Anthropology etc?

It's just wurd play mate.

Where does the konspi... Oh..

I do understand that anything novel is seen by the naive as untrustworthy.

Established authority and mainstream consensus has not had the time to catch up.

Therefore, suspicion is grounded in sound Reasoned Logic.

I understand.

However,

Just read ze damn book/site and it's not new anymore!

Its how new things become old, when audiences download the NEW information.

Free copy of Imago.

The website is 1st draft, stream of consciousness research notes, scribbles and flights of fancy for future worjs, sneak peaks...

The Book is Gold
Containing Consonantonumeric cipher (translate any language into any other language quantifiably superior to all other methods of translation)

And square circle spacetime geometry breakdown.

Also poems.

Awesome, new, and FREE!

Though if you like it, please spread the word and encourage purchase to support further new content.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zajD6vSJ4ABy13APbldb0upVKSy1t-WW/view?usp=drivesdk

And the shop version

amazon.co.uk/Imago-One-Again-Anthony-Kennedy-ebook/dp/B01MSUURUQ

It DOES make you smarter just by reading it, or your time back!

> How do you explain the beginning of human civilisation? Did it automatically start?

We were discussing the origins of the universe, not human civilization. Why the hard left turn? However, unlike the origins of the universe, which we know almost nothing about, the development of human civilization is better understood. I imagine you’re a young person. Can I suggest that you read Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, and Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind? They’re both brilliant. I’d send you copies of both if you were in the US.

The short version is that we evolved as social, tribal, animals. We were nomadic, hunter-gatherers for tens of thousands of years. But, after the discovery of agriculture, we could settle in one place. This allowed specialization of work. People no longer had to do everything. Hunting was done by those good at hunting, for the whole group. Farming was done by those good at farming, for the whole group. And, maybe most importantly, this created more time to innovate. To test out new ways of doing things without jeopardizing the tribe. Out of this, civilization was born.

First of all, can I just say how much I love giving and receiving book recommendations? I was a religious studies major in college (and was even a T.A. in the World Religions class) so, this is right up my alley. So, I'm just going to take a seat in front of my book cases...

General:

1. A History of God by Karen Armstrong
   
   
2. The Great Transformation by Karen Armstrong
   
   
3. Myths: gods, heroes, and saviors by Leonard Biallas (highly recommended)
   
   
4. Natural History of Religion by David Hume
   
   
5. Beyond Tolerance by Gustav Niebuhr
   
   
6. Acts of Faith by Eboo Patel (very highly recommended, completely shaped my view on pluralism and interfaith dialogue)
   
   
7. The Evolution of God by Robert Wright
   
   Christianity:
   
   
8. Tales of the End by David L. Barr
   
   
9. The Historical Jesus by John Dominic Crossan
   
   
10. Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography by John Dominic Crossan
    
    
11. The Birth of Christianity by John Dominic Crossan
    
    
12. Who Wrote the New Testament? by Burton Mack
    
    
13. Jesus in America by Richard Wightman Fox
    
    
14. The Five Gospels by Robert Funk, Roy W. Hoover, and the Jesus Seminar (highly recommended)
    
    
15. Remedial Christianity by Paul Alan Laughlin
    
    Judaism:
    
    
16. The Jewish Mystical Tradition by Ben Zion Bokser
    
    
17. Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard Elliot Friedman
    
    Islam:
    
    
18. Muhammad by Karen Armstrong
    
    
19. No God but God by Reza Aslan
    
    
20. Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations by Michael Sells
    
    Buddhism:
    
    
21. Buddha by Karen Armstrong
    
    
22. Entering the Stream ed. Samuel Bercholz & Sherab Chodzin Kohn
    
    
23. The Life of Milarepa translated by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa
    
    
24. Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism by John Powers
    
    
25. Zen Flesh, Zen Bones compiled by Paul Reps (a classic in Western approached to Buddhism)
    
    
26. Buddhist Thought by Paul Williams (if you're at all interested in Buddhist doctrine and philosophy, you would be doing yourself a disservice by not reading this book)
    
    Taoism:
    
    
27. The Essential Chuang Tzu trans. by Sam Hamill & J.P. Seaton
    
    Atheism:
    
    
28. Atheism by Julian Baggini
    
    
29. The Future of an Illusion by Sigmund Freud
    
    
30. Doubt: A History by Jennifer Michael Hecht
    
    
31. When Atheism Becomes Religion by Chris Hedges
    
    
32. Atheism: The Case Against God by George H. Smith

Yeah, the Jewish Study Bible is my “go-to” for the Hebrew Bible. I love the New Jewish Publication Society’s translation and the notes are excellent.

You can read more about the Jewish Annotated New Testament here. Enjoy!

EDIT: formatting

I don't know a complete collection but This particluar version of the Nag Hammadi library is the best one I've found (I have like 4 different ones).

I also recommend looking for books by Jean-Yves Leloup as I find hte translations and notes very well done.

Another place to look is http://earlychristianwritings.com

The Yusuf Ali Translation of the Quran is the best. I think it best preseves the spirit of the original arabic.

This site is good it allows you to easily switch between translations

http://al-quran.info/#home


As for Tafsirs (commentary) I think the Tafir al Mizan is the best Shia Tafsir.


https://almizan.org/


But since you want something similar to a spoon-feeding I think you should check out the Study Quran. I've heard praise of it but I haven't read it myself.

Oh, I understand completely! It's been a bit of a struggle for me, because I used to lean toward thinking more like you-- it's the more common way of thinking in the West, and I have had to kind of unlearn some of it. Some of it, because I still have a strong predisposition to analytical, yes/no thinking, and because I was born into this way of thinking, culturally speaking. It's a bit like being bilingual. I can speak the second language, even speak it fairly well, but not quite as fluidly as the first. I can hardly imagine what it would have been like to have born in a fully polytheistic environment where worship of the gods was the default cultural norm.

I can't think of web pages at the moment about polytheism (which is the sort of perspective the Asatruar and I are talking about (which isn't the same as my other stuff about not knowing everything--that's my idiosyncratic view), but I can suggest a couple of books:

"God Against the Gods: A History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism" by Jonathan Kirsch, and

"The Deities Are Many: A Polytheistic Theology" by Jordan D. Paper.


In addition, there is another book that makes a good companion to it, but is from a small Druid publisher, and so is unlikely to be found in a library (though--holy crap-- there's a Kindle edition for 5 bucks, so it may actually be cheaper to buy than the other two books, if you have a kindle or a device with a kindle app or something...This is new to me.)

"World Full of Gods: An Inquiry into Polytheism" by John Michael Greer. Paper's book is more personal, talking about his own experiences with polytheism, as well as with polytheism in different cultures and the implications of polytheism,etc. Greer's book is less personal, but a bit more conversational.

(Edited for book links)

The Case for God and The Bible: A Biography by Karen Armstrong are both good. The God Delusion is a simple breakdown and explanation of most major religious claims. Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World by the Dalai Llama is an interesting book on ethics. The Koran: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Cook is 150 funny and insightful pages on Islam. Under the Banner of Heaven is a shocking and fascinating account of fundamentalist Mormonism. The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan discusses religion, and Cosmos and Pale Blue Dot are my secular versions of holy books. And of course given the occasion, I can't leave out God is Not Great.

I recommend avoiding authors like Lee Strobel and Deepak Chopra. Both are essentially liars for their causes, either inventing evidence, or deliberately being incredibly misleading in how they use terms. Popularity in those cases definitely doesn't indicate quality.

This book won't answer every question you might possibly have on the nuances between the "Abrahamic" Faiths, but it is a great introduction:

http://www.amazon.com/God-Is-Not-One-Religions/dp/0061571288/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369104390&sr=8-1&keywords=Prothero+God+is+not+One

Reasons I Believe In Setianism

1. It started with the rejection of materialism
   
   
2. Then I came to Platonism
   
   
3. I realized Platonism logically led to polytheism
   
   
4. I learned about Life-Fields and the Teleology they imply
   
   
5. I learned the myths of the ancient Egyptians
   
   
6. I accepted the position that best fit this knowledge, Setian Metaphysics
   
   Resources:
   
   [1] More against materialism
   
   • Rejection of Materialism
   
   • Wiki
   
   • Why Materialism is Baloney
   
   • Dualism
   
   • Substance Dualism
   
   • Against Materialism
   
   [2-3] More on Platonism
   
   • Mathematics and Physicalism
   
   • Theory of Forms
   
   • Arguments for Forms
   
   • Plato
   
   • Short
   
   • Platonic Polytheism
   
   [4] More on Life-Fields
   
   • Scientific Evidence
   
   • Evidence 2
   
   • Summary
   
   • By Dr. Burr
   
   • Dr. Aquino
   
   [5] More on Egypt
   
   • [Setian Pyramid Texts] (http://orderoftheserpent.org/forum/index.php?topic=35.msg150#msg150)
   
   • Seth God of Confusion
   
   • Images of Set
   
   • Mysteries of Horus and Set
   
   [6] More on Metaphysics
   
   • Self Actualization
   
   • O.S. AMA
   
   • O.S. statement
   
   • Metaphysics

This is backwards thinking. Lack of evidence against something in no way is evidence for it, and in some cases can even be the opposite (lack of bigfoot skeletons is evidence towards them not existing, for example). Prove there is no X, and suppose that it's reasonable to accept X if it remains unproven but not disproven, is a way to think that leads to accepting false beliefs.

Let's apply the methodology to other ideas. Prove that fairies don't exist. Prove that the flying spaghetti monster doesn't exist. Prove that Zeus doesn't exist. Prove that socialism is bad. Prove that capitalism is bad.

The burden of proof is on the person with the positive claim... that these things exist, or that we should switch to X system, or whatever.

God does not exist is a positive claim, as is that claim that a god exists. The default position should be, if you want to believe as many true things and also not believe as many false things as you can, to not accept either claim until given sufficient evidence.

To the OP, have you read 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God? It's an excellent list of reasons people have to believe in a god.

Interesting how all your statements change from "no" to some form of acknowledgment. Whatever...

If you want some more fun facts you can read this book by a Jew who hates Israel: https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-History-Religion-Thousand-Political-ebook/dp/B00GGOEL4A/

Cheers

Weeeell, it's quite hard to explain it all in a post on reddit. First of all, Buddhist does not consider Buddha to become or transform into a god.

My advice is to read some book about it. For instance Buddha by Karen Armstrong. It's about the person Buddha rather than his teachings. http://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Penguin-Lives-Biographies-Armstrong/dp/0143034367

Good luck!

The Experience of G-d: Being, Consciousness, Bliss by David Bentley Hart

Five Proofs of the Existence of G-d by Ed Feser

Let's Get Biblical!: Why doesn't Judaism Accept the Christian Messiah?

The Beast That Crouches At The Door by Rabbi David Fohrman

Free D-loads:

Secular By Design: A Philosophy of Noahide Laws and Observances by Alan Cecil

Living Up To The Truth by Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb

G*ds Your Forefathers Did Not Know

Towards a Renewed Case for Theism


The Fine-Tuning of the Universe for Intelligent Life

Oh, also there's a very interesting book called 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in God.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1591025672/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_1NzYBbN5B4KY4

It puts many issues into a clear cut form.

> Interesting how all your statements change from "no" to some form of acknowledgment

It's just in your head mate.

> If you want some more fun facts you can read this book by a Jew who hates Israel: https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-History-Religion-Thousand-Political-ebook/dp/B00GGOEL4A/

And then? Am I enlightened and want to destroy Israel too?

http://www.amazon.com/The-Hidden-Words-Bahaullah/dp/193184707X

And

http://www.amazon.com/The-Story-Bahaullah-Promised-Religions/dp/1931847134/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414069042&sr=8-1&keywords=baha%27u%27llah

?

I'm very unfamiliar with Baha'i so that would be cool to read up on it. Will these texts be a harder read without any knowledge of Baha'i or should I start somewhere else?

Whether or not this particular article is sensationalistic fear-mongering, witch-mania and superstitious fervor are endemic to the human condition. I recommend reading the book The Demon-Haunted World.

Zionism is basically an implementation of Mein Kampf for jews. In other words, it supports a racist nation. Now I have no particular opinion on racism. I am not racist, but I have no problem with racists. If a group of jews or whites want to establish a nation, that is fine with me. I just hate hypocrisy. White nationalists are at least honest about what they want, but unfortunately for them, they are quite stupid. Judaism is the most successful racist movement and they aren't stupid, but they are dishonest.

These 2 books, both written by jews, give both sides of Zionism, for and against:

https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-State-Struggle-Israels-Soul/dp/0465029027/

https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-History-Religion-Thousand-Political-ebook/dp/B00GGOEL4A/