I think that's the inherent problem with organized religions and their founding texts. They're not progressive. There's no "elastic clause," if you will. However, progressive sects can be found in any major religion. My family, for example, are Reconstructionist Jews. Reconstructionism is a very young movement that is constantly reinterpreting the Torah and its teachings in a modern context. Our synagogue performes marriages for homosexual couples, for example, because the Reconstructionist rabbis have found much in the Torah that should allow for unions between any two people who love each other, even though some outdated stories (not direct Jewish law) condemn homosexuality.

It's all about the interpretation. The founding text is never a great example of the modern meaning of a religion.

Religion...the SCURGE of mankind......................considering the EVIL religion has done to folks over the centuries............WHO NEEDS IT? ........Guess I'll go to confession now.............or eat some pork...............or if I go to town, I won't cover my face...........going to buy everyone on my list
a crucifix with Santa on it.............................maybe the 'snake' was right in the first place..what if Adam responded differently.....................A BASH religion post right here!

Nothing wrong with that. I don't really follow it, either. It's just nice to see a sect of a major religion that's so accepting and progressive.

The more I hear about the Qur'an the more it intrigues me. I know very little about Islam, but I do remember after 9/11 there was a huge paradigm shift against it here in America. Everybody was instantly paranoid and there was this hushed (negative) awareness that I feel was unfounded and obviously sensationalized by the media. I remember watercooler discussions where it was always along the lines of 'i have a neighbor that is Islamic, he's very quiet...I've always wondered', and other such nonsense. The tribe was mobilized.

The thing that I never got was that in my very limited experience with the Qur'an it just seems to be more socially relevant than the Bible. I hear passages about truth, honesty and understanding (what Chefquix outlined in the subject of this post would NEVER fly with the majority of Christian sects. You simply don't fuck with the Bible). It's something worth looking into at any rate. It's always good to know what people are basing their ideas and actions on.

I have to disagree with Oldcatman- I don't think religion is a scourge on mankind. I think faith in whatever God you believe in can be a beacon of light in the darkness and confusion of life on this planet. I believe in God and I don't belong to any church or subscribe to any organized faith. My personal reason is that this world is simply too perfect to have not been created by something that is smarter and more divine than any of us. This planet is so fucking balanced and perfect and we've been given the choice to either bring it along and nurture it or just fuck it all up. Sadly, it seems that the majority of the world has chosen the latter.

I've read parts of the Bible and it has some incredibly beautiful stories as well as some incredibly confusing and violent ones. Personally, I believe it was created by man and carries the perception of men and that renders it fallible.

Anyways, I think I'm off-topic. I'll order a copy of the Qur'an off Amazon and the worst thing that can happen is I'll learn more and come to understand what makes a large portion of the planet tick.

I don't think that's a bad deal at all.

christopher

I think that it's the nature of biological life and evolution to find that balance you talk about. That in itself is worth worshipping in my honest opinion.

Open Source Religion.

Perhaps we should start getting that shit together, eh Wally? We've talked about it for long enough.

open source religion. that's brilliant. i like it. i've never thought of that. apparently some other people have, though:

http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/opinion/story/0,24330,3428244,00.html

http://www.opensourcejudaism.com/

"A renaissance in religion, too, would demand that we dig deep into the very code of our myths and faiths, and then re-experience them in the context of full modernity. It will require us to assume, at least temporarily, that nothing at all is too sacred to be questioned, re-interpreted, and modified. But in doing so, we will be enabled to bring religion through its current crisis and into its next phase of expression. And, ironically perhaps, we'll be engaging ourselves in one of Judaism's most time-honored traditions." (excerpt from techtv article)

interesting.

has anyone read the book 'american gods' by neil gaiman? i've always loved his sandman work and i highly reccomend the book.

also, i've always liked kevin smith's dogma. that movie made me feel better about the concept of christianity than any time i spent in a church when i was a kid.

i'll be in NJ for thanksgiving and off the radar for a few days. i hope everyone was a great weekend, and i'm looking forward to reading ideas regarding this post.

chefquix- you've done well with this site. thanks.

christopher

You may not like the font variant...

.quote {
font-variant: small-caps; text-indent: 10px; margin-left:15px; margin-right:15px; padding:5px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; color: #1A1A1A; line-height: 175%;
background-color: #99D155; border: #6CA428; border-style: solid;
border-left-width: 2px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 2px; border-bottom-width: 1px
}

Nice... I may tinker a little but other than that it's pretty good. I especially like the light green background. Thanks man!

The new quote style looks very nice.

ChefQuix, I would look at the passages from the Qur'an as dares by the author (in this case, "God") to whoever is reading it to produce such verse in order to disprove its divinity. At least, that is how it is interpreted in most Muslim circles I am familiar with. It doesn't quite mean you can add to it, but you can dare to claim it is not divine by producing similar verse (but...you have to be "truthful" or honest and not ask "God" for help in the process).

The point? You can try if you will, but there's probably no way any group of self-entitled Muslims that will accept it (some people have tried already).

On the other hand, I do like the idea of an open-source religion...but wait, isn't Science just that?

Religious texts are interesting reads, at the least to see how a few lines of text can fuck up so much of human history, and to see how it often becomes self-prophesizing (when you have huge populations believing in something bound to happen).

Yes.. Exactly like right now with 'Armageddon' looming over our shoulders. Christians around the world must be living in fear.

did the person who posted those verses

did they not read what follows it

it is not an invitation to add to the religion

we should consult a islamic scholar for the meaning even though in its context is more than apparent

Gotta learn arabic before I do anything.. ;)