Is it better to have a religion based on a book (i.e. the bible, the koran) or not? (i.e. Buddhistm, Paganism)

Question

and why?
What are the benefits and potential downfalls to both?

Answer 1

I prefer a religion without a "holy" book. You can get stuck in a box with a holy book and stagnant.

That's one reason I'm excited by reconstruction religions - we're open to new discoveries, new growth and theories. There's a saying in heathenism: UPG - Unsubstantiated Personal Guidance. If you say Odin likes chocolate cake, people will doubt that until it's proven or several different sources (preferably not connected to the first person) say they also have the same insight.

The downside is stumbling around and trying to find what works in the religion and rituals. It also leaves the religion open to outside influence that isn't authentic. Those that are hard-line recons reject any merging between traditions - like Wicca and heathenism/Asatru (scornfully calling it WiccaTru).

The other downside is the religion gets dismissed more easily because we don't have a "sacred" text we can refer outsiders to.

ups and downs to both but I prefer the not having "sacred" texts.

Added: Ignoramus - don't pretend to be stupid, please. There are religions that aren't based on a SACRED text, paganism, Buddhism, etc. There are 100s of pagan books but NONE of them say that one book is the only right pagan book or sacred.

Answer 2

Even Paganism has books. They may be a bit different for most of us, but we do have them.

And "The Teachings of Buddha" is available in a book.

Many Solitary Pagans learn exclusively from books, but the problem with that is that the books do not always answer your questions or are unclear about things.

It is always best, overall to have books as well as mentors to help through things.

What the "big 3" religions (Judeism, Christianity, Islam) do is to depend on their books, but those are translations of translations of translations of translations. Somethings were bound to get lost in those translations, so there is a dependence on biblical scholars to interpret the things in those books that are unclear.

This can oftentimes end up with some very serious and intentional wrongs, all in the name of religion.

But it is really the best that we can have, even though it is far from perfect.

There is no perfect way, but with or without books, there needs to be some middle ground for it to work.

Answer 3

First of all, I don't think religions are based on books. I think books are written to discuss religion.

An example of this is the Bible. It is not one book but a collection of books from many different authors that were "assembled" by the early church.

In addition, there are different Bibles depending on the faith. The Catholic Bible is slightly different from the Protestant Bible.

There are also many translations of the Bible. Since idioms generally do not translate well, the Bible is typically adapted to fit the culture of the reader.

In addition, there is also personal bias. Two people can read the exact same words and get a totally different meaning based on their background, previous experiences and expectations.

However, the good news is that there is somewhat of a "source" to refer back to. Whenever someone tells me, "the Bible says..." I almost always ask them where this is stated. Rarely does the person know and many times the quote is taken out of context so that it means something totally different than what it is intended.

An example of this is that I was told the Book of Mormon states "There is no God" Actually, in Alma, chapter 30, verse 53, it states: "But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say."

There is an old saying (don't ask me where I read it),
"Those who don't remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I believe that all religions are based on faith. However, books are good because they are a record of the writer's viewpoints, experiences and the mistakes that we should learn from.

I am a Baptist by choice. However, I have friends that are Mormon, Buhdist, Hindu, Islamic and Catholic. I even have one friend that swears to God that he is an Atheist. I don't know of a religion that hasn't had a book written about it. Read them all and pick what works best for you.

Answer 4

It's good to have a religion with a book that fully explains the religion, and also the 'rules', but it should be updated so that the religion changes with the times, instead of being stuck in a more primitive time. However, the religion should not be BASED on the book.

Answer 5

There are many benefits to having a faith based on many books and self made journeys. Mine is very diverse, I have studied many of the world's religions and their origins. The benefit is that you have a stronger faith, an infallible faith. And you can argue any point without saying things like 'read the Bible' and 'because i say so'. You can make educated statements encompassing a broad spectrum of information. Sounds good to me anyway.

Answer 6

The monotheistic religion of Islam was alive and flourishing long before the Qur'an was written, it is the religion Abraham and Jesus practiced, worship of God and God alone. It was only centuries later that any of God's word was written down.
So the (original) religion of the Bible and the Qur'an were not at all based "on a book".
Not sure about paganism, but have you never heard of the Vedas?

Answer 7

Our understanding of the Universe around us changes and evolves with time. Books written a long time ago don't. Basing your faith in a book creates conflicts when more is discovered about our universe (like the theory of evolution). This makes book-based religious people look stupid when they argue against newly discovered aspects of our universe that aren't covered in their books.

Answer 8

Christianity is not 'based' on a book;-} but on Jesus himself.
Jesus revealed himself to mankind, to be the Son of God,
by his life, death, & resurrection from the dead.
Thousands bore witness to these facts at the time.
Many more experienced the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.
They, in turn, were able to perform many miracles, like him.
These facts were recorded, some of them in the Bible.
No other religion is so highly documented as Christianity.
And the continuous history of the Church verifies that.

Answer 9

May I kindly point out that Buddhism is based on books and on the teachings of Buddha as well.....The difference is that in Islam and Christianity there is only one book, whereas in Buddhism and Hinduism there are several books....

Answer 10

The only belief system based on a book that is worthwhile would be one based on a science book.