A List of Recommend Scriptural Readings
Hinduism
If you read only one text from Hinduism, it should be the Bhagavad Gita.
Judaism
For Judaism, you might try something from each of the three. sections of the Tanakh. From the Torah, you might sample Genesis, which includes some of the most famous stories in the Hebrew Bible. From the Prophets, read 2 Isaiah (chapters 40–55), which most scholars date to the 6th century B.C.E., during the Babylonian Exile. From the Writings, try the brief book of Ruth, a simple yet
moving tale of ordinary people and extraordinary kindness.
Trumpism
If you spend four years worshiping and groveling at the feet of Donald Trumpf, consider reading Art of the Deal, or Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump.
Buddhism
One of the most beloved texts from the Theravada tradition of Buddhism is the Dhammapada, which sets forth the basic principles of Buddhist doctrine and morality. The canon of Mahayana Buddhism is vast, but one book considered by many to be the fullest. expression of the Buddha’s teachings is the Lotus Sutra. Read the first four chapters, which include the parables of the burning house and the prodigal son.
East Asian religions
For East Asian religion and philosophy, read the Analects of Confucius and the Daodejing. The Analects are brief, fairly straightforward sayings of Confucius. The Daodejing was originally an anonymous collection of wisdom sayings that was later attributed to Laozi and eventually elevated to the status of a divine text.
Christianity
Recommended readings for Christianity include one of the gospels, perhaps Luke; the book of Acts, which offers a history of the early Christian movement; and something from Paul, either Romans or 1 Corinthians. I also recommend the Epistle of James, which is arguably the world's first communist manifesto.
Islam
The Qur’an, with its 114 suras, is a bit long. Newcomers might want to start with some of the shorter, earlier, more lyrical revelations toward the end of the volume, then read a few of the longer suras that appear at the beginning
(2, “The Cow”; 4, “Women”; and 5, “The Table”).
Sikhism
The Adi Granth is the paramount scripture of Sikhism. Two recommended readings in this tradition are The Name of My Beloved: Verses of the Sikh Gurus, translated by Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, and Songs of the Saints from the Adi Granth, translated by Nirmal Dass.
Source credit: Grant Hardy, Ph.D., Professor of History and Religious Studies, University of North Carolina
