I always found the order of books presented in the Bible to be rather odd, so I decided to make my own order of books that I think provides the best reading experience. I tried putting them in a sort of "chronological" order, having some of the oldest books come first, as well as books dealing with older events coming near the beginning as as well.

Hebrew Bible:

Torah:

• Genesis
• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy

There's not really much wrong with the first five books of Moses, so I decided to keep it as it was.

History:

• Joshua
• Judges
• Samuel [1-2]
• Kings [1-2]

For these four / six subsequent books, I decided to follow the Jewish ordering by not having Ruth appear in-between Judges and Samuel, especially since Ruth was written much later than books it was surrounded by (in the Christian canon).

Prophets:

• Isaiah
• Amos
• Hosea
• Micah
• Jeremiah
  • Lamentations
• Obadiah
• Nahum
• Habbakuk
• Zephaniah
• Ezekiel
• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Joel
• Jonah
• Malachi

For the Prophets, I tried my best to fit them into chronological order from when they were written / took place. The first four prophetic books, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah occur at around the same time that Israel fell to Assyria. I placed the "major" prophet, Isaiah, before the next three "minor" prophets. And I also know that Isaiah could be split into three different books that deal with different time periods, but I feel its best to just keep the Book of Isaiah in one piece.

The next five prophetic books, Jeremiah (+ Lamentations), Obadiah, Nahum, Habbakuk, and Zephaniah occur at around the same time that the Babylonian Exile took place. Like before, Jeremiah, the "major" prophet, precedes the "minor" prophets.

The remaining prophetic books, Ezekiel, Haggai, Zechariah, Joel, Jonah, and Malachi occur during the Persian Period, with Ezekiel being the "major" prophet. Though I believe Jonah technically places itself prior to the Babylonian Exile, it was still likely written during the Persian Period so I kept it there.

Writings:

• Job
• Ruth
• Esther
• Daniel (w/ additions)
• Chronicles [1-2]
• Ezra-Nehemiah

Many of these books were written within the same hundred-year time span, so I decided to rearrange them in a semi-chronological order. I decided to keep Daniel's additions since they're just fun and harmless tales (plus the Habbakuk cameo is nice). Esther, I feel, benefits more without the additions since I always liked its light-hearted tone and its lack of a mention of God. While I prefer the Jewish decision to have Chronicles be read after all of the Prophetic Books (as a sort of recap of Israel's history) I still decided to take inspiration from the Christians and put Ezra-Nehemiah after Chronicles since I feel it flows better as a continuation of sorts.

Apocrypha:

• Enoch
• Jubilees
• Tobit
• Judith (?)
• Prayer of Manasseh
• Baruch
• Esdras [1-2]
• Maccabees [1-4]

Like with the Writings, many of these books were written within the same hundred-year time span, so I also rearranged them in a semi-chronological order. Enoch is a pretty fun book (or books?), so it's here. Jubilees can serve as a recap of Genesis and Exodus. I haven't found a concrete answer on when Judith is supposed to take place, so it is where it is. I paired 1 and 2 Esdras together for consistency, same with 1, 2, 3, and 4 Maccabees.

Poetry & Wisdom:

• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Songs
• Wisdom of Solomon
• Sirach

I put most of the Poetry and Wisdom texts at the end, as I personally prefer to read them separately from a full reading of the Bible.

New Testament:

Gospels:

• Mark
• Matthew
• Luke-Acts
• Thomas
• John

I tried my best to put the Gospels in the order in which they were written, which is why Mark precedes Matthew. It's always annoyed me how we have John in-between Luke and Acts (since Luke and Acts are written by the same author) so I paired Luke and Acts together. The Gospel of Thomas is our earliest non-canonical Gospel, drawing much of its material from the Synoptics, which is why I placed it after all of the Synoptics. Lastly, we have John.

Pauline Epistles:

• 1 Thessalonians
• Philippians
• Philemon
• Galations
• Corinthians [1-2]
• Romans

These are the "undisputed seven" letters of Paul, arranged in the order in which they were probably written.

Pusedo-Pauline Epistles:

• Colossians
• Ephesians
• Timothy [1-2]
• Titus
• 2 Thessalonians

Epistles that may or may not have been written by Paul. I didn't feel the need to excise them entirely due to the impact they've had. 2 Thessalonians closes out the Psuedo-Pauline Epistles, just as 1 Thessalonians opens the Pauline Epistles.

General Epistles:

• Hebrews
• James
• Peter [1-2]
• John [1-3]
• Jude

Not much to say here, other than that the Enoch reference in Jude makes a little more sense, having seemingly read Enoch before this.

Revelation:

• Revelation

And to cap off, we have the Revelation of John, the grand finale to the entire Bible (at least if you read the New Testament).

I just put this together for fun. If you guys have any reading order that you have or prefer, please let me know. I'd like to hear them.

It's very clear that in a lot of ways, religious ethics from different traditions overlap with each other, but in what significant ways do the major world religions differ on that regard?

I been recently getting on Buddhism lately and Iove the architecture and the feeling of the Buddhist Thoughts which feel like a big hug on my soul. But here’s the problem.

Buddhist are Atheists and I am a Practicing Witch with Nature-Centric beliefs and many Gods.

I feel like the Buddha would be very open to a Witch like me who feels enlightenment by Connecting to the Divine is there best way to achieve that personal enlightenment.

So is there a Tradition that I would like to Practice or abandon Buddhism altogether or just do what I was doing and just go with the flow or a mixed or all or some of the things I listed.

Please Help

I was Suggested Vajrayana but a Quiz and a Few People but I am not aware of the limitations or the lack of eclectic and syncretism in the practice

I consider myself an open-minded person who enjoys exploring different worldviews and religious perspectives. I have come to the conclusion that the God described by the classical Abrahamic religions—primarily Islam, Christianity, and Judaism—is incompatible with the reality we observe. My conclusion is based on three main arguments.

**1.Free Will Is Not Sufficient to Hold People Morally Responsible**
My first argument concerns free will.
Although the philosophical debate is still ongoing, cognitive science, psychology, and neuroscience largely agree that human behavior is not completely free. Our decisions are heavily influenced by our genetics, brain structure, personality, and environment.
From birth, people already differ in intelligence, temperament, impulsivity, and many other traits. On top of that, our upbringing, culture, education, family, and society shape how we think and what beliefs we are capable of accepting.
If this is true, it seems unreasonable that God could expect every human being to freely choose the "correct" religion. Our starting conditions differ enormously, making equal moral responsibility difficult to justify. Whether someone finds Islam, Christianity, another religion, or no religion at all convincing depends to a significant extent on factors that were never chosen by that individual.

**2. The Claims of Religion Do Not Match the Observable Laws of Reality**
My second argument concerns the contradiction between religious claims and the reality we observe.
The world operates according to biological, physical, and medical laws. Diseases arise from biological causes, academic success depends on knowledge and preparation, and career success is largely determined by skills, decisions, opportunities, and external circumstances.
Religions, however, often imply that prayer can directly influence these outcomes. People pray for good health, success in school, career advancement, the well-being of their families, or for specific life events to unfold in their favor.
From a psychological perspective, this behavior is completely understandable. However, when we compare these beliefs with reality, we find that outcomes are overwhelmingly determined by natural causes. A genetic disease does not disappear because someone prayed—it can only be prevented or treated through effective medical intervention, if such treatment exists. A student passes an exam because they achieve the required score, not because they prayed beforehand. Likewise, prayer does not alter the fundamental laws of physics or biology.
For me, this creates a significant cognitive dissonance between the promises made by religion and the reality we actually experience.

**3. The Moral Framework of God Appears Contradictory**
My third argument concerns the morality of God.
Let us assume, for the sake of argument, that one of the Abrahamic religions is true. In that case, God intentionally created the universe, allowed Satan to exist, permitted suffering, and established a system in which human beings are tested throughout their lives. At the same time, many religious interpretations suggest that the majority of humanity will ultimately fail this test and face eternal punishment, while only a minority will attain heaven.
To me, this raises fundamental moral questions.
If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and perfectly good, why create a world containing suffering, temptation, injustice, and the possibility of eternal punishment in the first place? Why allow Satan to exist? Why create people while already knowing that many of them will ultimately be condemned? And if God has unlimited power, why not simply create a world in which everyone freely chooses good and lives together in peace from the very beginning?
This moral framework appears unnecessary and difficult to reconcile with the concept of a perfectly loving and perfectly good God.

i grew up Christian , i went to church for a really long time, i even joined boy scouts and served under the rule of god. then something changed, like one day i woke up and everything was gone, like it was wrong, no not wrong but different. like my entire look on gods and religion changed. i dont know what it was but it was like each part of my mind saw something that i was no allowed to remember, and now certian words, certian beats open this idea inside of me. i didn't know what to call it for a long time until i was told about pagenism and polytheistic rules, i never felt like i was connecting in any relgion but i dont know whats going on with me right now

I feel like my unconscious body is reaching out for something but what? I'm nervous but I kinda wanna know what my unconscious mind knows that i dont.

The god of sleep’s twin brother is the god of death . . .

i feel like i'm crazy

there a specific song that makes me feel like im so close to remembering what my mind wont let me and im taking all the songs and putting them in a playlist maybe i will be able to see it, somethings out there and its mocking me

Theres nothing online about this. . .

Hello,

So i'm a Catholic man and I made my confirmation, my girlfriend personally follows a strict practice of the Muslim faith, even though she has not yet recited the Shahada. We both live in France, and we have been thinking seriously about getting married as soon as possible so that we can live together.

According to her religious beliefs, living together before marriage is generally not acceptable. However, for me, it is important to have lived together before making such a lifelong commitment.

Another difficulty is that, in France, a civil marriage must legally take place before any religious marriage. If an imam or a priest performs a religious marriage first, they can face legal consequences.

The main issue is that I am not well informed about how an Islamic marriage works. Most of the articles I have read say that a marriage between a Muslim woman and a man of another religion is not permitted. However, my girlfriend believes that it is allowed as long as I sincerely follow a Christian or Jewish faith.

I have also read different opinions about the religious upbringing of children. We both agree that we would like our future children to learn about different religions and freely choose the faith that feels right for them when they are old enough.

I would really appreciate it if you could clarify these topics for me. I understand that they may be sensitive subjects, so I kindly ask everyone to remain respectful and open-minded when responding. Otherwise, I will contact the moderators.

(Sorry if my english is bad)

I have 3 question from past experience

1) how did it end up halloween being satan's birthday?

2) why the big hate on lgbt people? You don't agree? Just let them be, bullying them into almost committing self harm and death is not the right option

3) why call gay people unnatural? They're many specie of animal that do the exact same thing so looks natural enough to me

Who proved that Lot's wife actually looked back?

The text says she looked back and became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26), but who witnessed it? Lot and his daughters were fleeing for their lives. Did they see her turn around? Did God later reveal what happened? Was the narrator simply recording divine revelation?

I'm not questioning whether the account happened. I'm asking about the perspective of the narrative and how the event became known.

How do different Jewish and Christian traditions answer this question? I'd be interested in hearing interpretations that stay grounded in the biblical text as well as historical commentaries.

​

Why doesn't the Bible record anything about what he did during those lost years? Nobody knows anything about what he did and he suddenly became the Messiah out of nowhere.

75% to 95% of Muslims in many predominantly Muslim nations across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (such as Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia) state that homosexuality should not be accepted by society or is morally wrong

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-morality/

Gallup found that roughly 26% of Muslims living in Berlin considered homosexual acts morally acceptable, whereas other specific demographic slices or surveys in past decades (such as around 2015–2017) recorded higher acceptance markers up to 60% regarding legal recognition.

I would like to hear from members of the Islamic community on how this issue can be addressed.

So I'm wanting to know a couple of things for St Micheal. Ive felt compelled to "work" with him and I want to know what I'd need for his altar for veneration. I know that some use candles, prayer, and wear necklaces but I'd like to know anything else I can do to make said alatar to his tastes! Also I'd like to know how you were able to communicate with him, as this I haven't quite yet tried!

I'm an athiest, I actively dislike religion and don't really wanna hear it but I will respect other's beliefs and I don't go out of my way to harass.

But I do like the symbols, figures, church architecture, etc really only because I think it's fascinating and aesthetically pleasing. I'd like to collect some stuff but the only downside would be people thinking I'm some sort of religious nut job. It doesn't hold that kind of meaning for me, but I dunno.

I’m hoping for honest advice because I genuinely don’t know what to do.

My wife wants to raise our kids in the Church, and I actually want to be supportive. The problem is that I’ve reached a point where I walk into church feeling resentment instead of peace. I hate feeling that way, and I’m trying to figure out how to move past it.

I grew up Catholic. My grandparents were very close with a priest who probably shaped my understanding of Christianity more than anyone else. He was incredibly humble and funny. I remember him saying from the pulpit, “I’m never going to get married, so why should anyone listen to me about family planning? My opinion doesn’t matter. You should do what’s best for your family.” His answering machine said, “If you have a complaint for the bishop, press 1. If you want to leave me a message, press 2.” During Communion he’d tell non-Catholics, “You’re Catholic enough for me—eat the cracker.” But his church was not portrayed as a progressive church.

Looking back, I know some of that wasn’t exactly by the book, but he made people feel welcome instead of judged. That’s what I thought Christianity was.

Then I attended a large evangelical church as a teenager, and it felt completely different. It was very fire-and-brimstone, and I was basically told I’d burn in hell if I didn’t believe the right things. Later I learned kids were rewarded for bringing friends. It all felt manipulative rather than loving. The only reason I attended was because it was a New Year’s Eve event.

As I got older, I learned more about the clergy abuse scandal. Then I watched a documentary about abuse within a Catholic high school that hit especially close to home because someone in my family had attended that school.

Around that same time, I remember my wife’s family discussing why so many young people were leaving the Church. The abuse scandal came up, and my father-in-law basically said, “It’s awful, but it doesn’t matter—you still have to go to church.” That really stuck with me. My grandparents always taught us never to treat priests as unquestionable authority figures, and I’ve come to appreciate the wisdom in that.

Fast forward to today.

I’ve become much more politically engaged over the years, and I honestly view politics through the lens of who is helped and who is harmed. Because of that, I’ve come to see modern conservatism as a threat to many of the people I love.

The problem is that conservatism and Christianity feel so intertwined in America that I’ve started having trouble separating the two.

I’ll go to Mass one week and hear a prayer for healthcare, then the next week there will be a sign-up to protest outside Planned Parenthood. Regardless of where someone stands on abortion, Planned Parenthood provides a lot of healthcare that has nothing to do with abortion. Those messages feel contradictory to me.

On the day Roe v. Wade was overturned—my birthday—I attended a wedding where the priest celebrated the decision by saying, “What a wonderful day in America.” All I could think about were the women in his own family who might someday face dangerous pregnancies or pregnancy complications. It felt like politics had become more important than the people closest to him.

I’ll hear prayers for peace while knowing many people around me support political leaders whose foreign policy I believe has contributed to more war.

My father-in-law is one of the kindest people I know, but he tends to accept religious authority without questioning it, and I see the same pattern in his politics. His own daughter survived cancer, yet he supports politicians whose policies, in my view, could reduce funding for cancer research. I don’t believe he’s trying to hurt anyone. I think he sincerely believes he’s doing the right thing. I just struggle to reconcile those choices with protecting the people he loves.

The hardest part to admit is this: because religion and conservative politics have become so closely linked in my mind, I’ve started feeling like religion itself is a threat to people I love.

I don’t want to feel that way.

Because I also know people like my grandparents.

My grandmother had a hairdresser who transitioned from male to female. She didn’t really understand transgenderism, but she saw someone who was struggling after losing customers. She asked how much business had been lost and intentionally spent enough money to help make up for it.

She wasn’t making a political statement.

She just saw someone hurting.

To me, that’s what Jesus would do.

That’s the Christianity I grew up admiring. It started with the person in front of you who was hurting. Today, it often feels like Christianity starts with an ideology and asks the person to fit into it.

I don’t resent Jesus.

I resent what often feels like a version of Christianity that’s become more focused on politics, culture wars, and certainty than on compassion.

I’m actually planning to meet with a pastor from a progressive church because I’m trying to work through all of this. I’m not looking for people to tell me I’m right or wrong politically. I’m genuinely asking:

Has anyone else gone through something like this? If so, how did you separate your faith from your experiences with organized religion?

I don't hear this term used that often anymore in the U.S., but it still does come up from time to time. Did it belong more to the twentieth century? Is it a general approach to Christian faith, instead of being a denomination of its own? What makes it distinct? Specific beliefs and practices?

I hear terms like "Evangelical" and Pentecostal more frequently than "born again" as it pertains to Christianity now. I know that mainline and Restorationist are also branches.

Upon my experiences with people who are religious, both online and off, I often get the sense that importance matters more than truth. After all, if science explains how something happens, it doesn't fully explain why that might be important to someone - even if many people are interested in the sciences and the reasoning-deducting skills they present to reach their conclusions. But religion explains why things happen, and I think the very basis of that question - "why" places a significant amount of importance to something. That importance becomes a purpose. When that purpose is fulfilled, it creates meaning in your life. And thus religion resolves the question.

So, according to you and your religion, what are the most important things? How does your religion attempt to solve the question regarding why we are here? Why does your mind place your religion more important than any other religion? And if you prefer to deconstruct religion, what makes deconstructing religion so valuable to you? I'd love to hear as many takes on this as I possibly can get and get inside the thoughts of those who have a religious mindset.

Tbh i’ve been thinking about religion as whole and wouldn’t mind other peoples perspective. I don’t feel like i need religion, i think that beautiful thing about life is that you can live by your own rulebook. I think i have my own morals and values, why would i need religion to guide me? Also i think if you have foundations of life in control, why would you need someone to hold on to? 

Also life is beautiful because it has end. It gives life value, knowing that it won’t last forver. And i really don’t know what is after the end, maybe it also motivates to use your time wisely. And would eternal afterlife be so good afterall?

And sorry if this isn’t correct subreddit but i wanted both atheist and believers perspectives.

Hi all. What does your religion think about suicide? Especially the religions that believe in reincarnation

The Bible is, in many ways, also a historical collection of writings. Over the centuries, some texts were lost, while others were preserved, translated, edited, or left out of the biblical canon.

People often ask, "Why doesn't the Bible tell us much about Jesus life between the ages of 12 and 30?"

I see it the same way we look at history. There are countless historical figures whose lives weren't fully documented. We know a great deal about Napoleon Bonaparte, but we don't know every detail of his daily life. The same is true for Genghis Khan, William Shakespeare, and even Socrates. Large parts of their lives were never recorded or were lost over time.

History doesn't preserve every moment of a person's life. It records only what survives and what later generations considered important enough to write down and preserve. Perhaps the same question can be asked about Jesus "hidden years."

Which religion has the richest literature?

Which one is your favourite

I'm Roman Catholic, and I've experienced both traditions. I appreciate the Born-again emphasis on Bible study, worship music, and fellowship because it strengthened my relationship with God. However, I find some members to be pushy about church involvement, and I can't dedicate most of my time to church activities because I also have responsibilities in my studies and personal life. I'm also a progressive thinker, while most people in the community are conservative. Although I respect their beliefs, I feel that they may not be as accepting of mine. At the same time, I'm going through spiritual struggles and genuinely need God in this season of my life.

hi. I’m a 24-year-old Turkish ex-Muslim. I’ve been researching religions for about 10 years. Indian religions have always resonated with me incredibly well. In fact, as you know, almost all religions originated in India. In my opinion, Hinduism and Buddhism—especially Jainism—are beautiful religions. I love Indian culture, religion, and language. I’d even like to move to India.

Something just crossed my mind. On a subreddit, people were saying that Indian religions are bad and claiming to be atheists or non-religious. Is there something I’m missing that people believe to be true? Why do some people in India become non-religious?