Pagan Information Question #10 Pagans, do you own?

Question

Do you won a Bible, a Koran, a Torah? Do you read it regularly? Do you find anything in them that you are able to use in your own Pagan worship?

I own 3 versions of the Bible, an English translation of the Koran, and an English versiion of the Torah. I read them all and find a lot in there that IS uplifting and also has applicability to my practice as a Wiccan. There IS a lot that can serve as a morality backbone to MANY Faiths that do NOT share in the dogma of those Religions. Why is it that I, a 100% Green Witch, can read, and find that good parts of their holy books. Have them totally acceptable by MY Religion and yet be confonted by memebers of those Religions who wouldn't so much as bother to simply read OUR wroks and find similar sections that hold morally uplifting parts and consider them to be valid for their use? I can honestly say that I have read the Bible more than many so-called "good, upstanding Christians" have.

BB,
Raji the Green Witch

That should be own not won. LOL. I can spell just can't type worth a lick.

Boomboom, worthless, Darth, MOnti, Schnurrb, Kolo & Capnurio. & of you, 7 MORE blows of the hammer on the nails in Jesus' hands and feet. 7 more thorns in the cron on his head that draw more blood. Your words of hatred and repugnance do far more damage to yourselves than they do to me. they shame yourselves, they shame Christianity as a whole and they shame Jesus enormously. It is people like YOU, claiming to be "Good Christians" that are the reason that Christianity as a whole is losing followers to OUR Religions and to Islam and Judaism. Oh ydes, "certain" ects of Christianity ARE growing but it's through cannablism of other sects that is happening. Overall, Christianity Is on the downswing in the world. OUR Religions are growing at an ever increasing rate. It is attitudes like YOURS that is the reason for that. Intolerance, hatred and condensendingness have NO place in Religion and YOUR followers SEE what you say and how you behave on this site and in real life.

And they leave in droves, never to be seen again by your churches. Upon my death, I intend to ask the "gatekeeper if YOU and foks like you are on the other side. If the anser is yes, then I will refuse to pass and go the other way. Spending an eternity with folks like you IS Hell, even if it is full to the brim with ALL the joys and comforts imaginable.

You should be totally ashamed for your words on this question. Even YOUR God can appreciate the spirit of the answers of the pagans here who find YOUR works to have merit and find many parts to be spiritualy uplifting and inspiring and your God is VERY pleased with that. For you to deny him that pleasure is the WORST thing that you could possibly do to him. He WIL remember that when you go to see him, too.

BB,
Raji the Green Witch

Pangel, you are ALWAYS welcome to provide input on my questions. Welcome (((((Pangel)))))

Raji

Answer 1

I have several bibles, in part because I like to keep my Latin in practice and cracking the Vulgate is a good way to do that. I used to collect them. Now I mostly use an online one, with a random verse.

They are important for understanding a lot of literature generated in the days when Christianity was the state religion of places.

I have a Penguin Koran.

But I read them all as literature. At the risk of offending the Asatru amongst us, they are as valid to my practice as the eddas, and I consider them similarly important for my personal life...not at all.

Answer 2

I do own one Bible, the KJV. I read it as a Christian and it actually did help me make the decision to leave Christianity and become a pagan. I say that not because of all the bad in the Bible, but all the things it says about how knowing something-like a religion- is good. "You will know the tree by its fruit." The fruit of pagan religions is acceptance, love, and knowledge. It is not debauchery and pleasure seeking. I do not own a Koran or the Torah. I have read the Koran. I also use Buddhist teachings, the writings of Confucius, and misc. texts relating to religion, philosophy, and morality.
There is much good that comes out of these books, and the moral guidance and spiritual inspiration can come without having belief in the Christian God. I have never, almost never, read a book I regret reading. The only exception being Huck Finn by Mark Twain. Anyone can ban that book. I don't care.

Answer 3

Bible = 6 (several versions)
Koran - 1
Mormon book - 1
Torah - nope, would like one though.
Satanic Bible - 1 (and a couple of Anton LaVey's books)

I just recently reread the Bible again this summer - cover to cover. There are some interesting things in the books. I found it amazing when I attended a Bible study on 2James on spreading rumors and how astounding the women were at the wisdom in the Bible and I was thinking - the same wisdom is in the Havamal but they'll never know that because they won't read anything BUT the Bible.

Shame

Answer 4

I do have several translations of the Bible, as well as one of the Koran, but I don't find much that is useful to my Pagan practice. I am Pagan. Nothing in the Bible is, in my opinion, useful to someone of a Polytheistic world view -- unless it is to help you to reconstruct the beliefs and practices of the Pagan cultures mentioned in the Bible (Cananites, Babylonians, etc.), and even then you are getting a very skewed view. My "holy books" are the myths and hymns of the Greeks. I think more Pagans should research their own religion, and learn how a Pagan thinks and what a Pagan believes, and how the ancient Pagans practiced their religion. Bible literacy is useful when the Evangelicals come around to try and convert you, but don't waste too much time on it when you should be learing about your own Gods. I am not trying to sound anti-Christian here, but we are not Christian. What should it matter to us what Christians believe? We have our own religion, and our own beliefs.

Answer 5

I have a bible and a copy of the Tao Te Ching.

Although I do not own them, I have also read the Koran and other spiritual texts like the Norse Eddas, and Ramayana, etc.

I find them all fascinating and always useful. Any good enduring spiritual writing has value in it.

I can't say that I consciously incorporate things into my pagan worship ... but I am sure it all has an effect.

And thumbs up to everyone for participating!

Answer 6

I have read the bible many times, the Koran only in parts. I have copies of them around here somewhere.....

I have not found anything in any of them that I would use in ritual, but I haven't really looked either. I have, however, taken some passages from the bible and translated them into language which is consistent with the Divine Feminine. Notable, the 23rd psalm and the Lord's Prayer, which lent themselves beautifully to being translated into Mother Earth language.

Blessings,
Lady Morgana )0(

Answer 7

Yes, I have about 9 different versions of the Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Quran, The Pentateuch, the Tanakh. There are a lot of teachings I have found that go quite well with my personal beliefs... I just don't place faith in their Gods and I don't believe in the doctrines they put forth.

I think many people feel that if they read "Pagan" writings it will somehow suddenly make them Pagan or they'll be instantly transported to hell for even touching our writings. I find it very odd... how can anyone claim something is wrong when they have absolutely no knowledge about it to begin with? *shrug*

Good question, btw. =)

Answer 8

I own 3 copie of the bible and have read them many times, though not for quite some time now. I have not read the koran or the torah but am always meaning too! I have read Hindu texts and the teachings of Buddha also learning is never wasted.

Answer 9

Well this religion is really interesing, and yes respect for Earth/Nature. Well Wiccans (a Pagan religion) call Earth Goddess and her name is Brigit. Also there is a threefold law which states that "Harm None" and "Do what ye will" this is part of the Wiccan Rede, look it up. When you said they danced naked around a fire, well they did that for celebration of some kind. We have respect for nature, we worship it. There are many God/Godesses. We worship the four elements: Air, Fire, Water, Earth the have their own direction such as North, South, ect. Well yahoo has a group named Witch_Essentials and they will help you! Blessed Be!

Answer 10

I own a Bible and a Torah, and have read the Quran. Frankly, I find them hard to stomach. I mean, things like the testing of Abraham or the genocide at Midian or the extraordinary amount of things worthy of the death penalty or the threat to make parents cannibalise their children or the verse in Psalms extolling the virtues and joys of dashing your enemy's little children upon the rocks or the passage describing Israelite soldiers slicing open the stomachs of their enemies' preganant wives and daughters... none of this is particularly helpful to my own spiritual path, and I haven't even touched on the Quran. Sure, there are inspirational and uplifting passages in there, but it's all a question of how much ratshit it takes to make a good sandwich disgusting.