What are you reading?

[Bootstrap]

I am currently about 1/3 of the way through the Quran.

I have a really hard time understanding the Quran, it doesn't match the way I think, and I keep feeling lost.

Have you found anything that makes it easier for someone like me to understand the Quran?

[Swiss Brah]

1 Enoch.

[R7ehr]

I am currently about 1/3 of the way through the Quran.

I have a really hard time understanding the Quran, it doesn't match the way I think, and I keep feeling lost.

Have you found anything that makes it easier for someone like me to understand the Quran?

I bought and recomend this one: https://theclearquran.org/ The Clear Quran. It is easy to read. It is written in modern English.
One particularily jarring detail, is it’s frequent use of the word “loser/losers”. “The translators of The Clear Quran chose contemporary, readable English and frequently use “losers” because it is concise and mirrors the literal sense of the Arabic root. But readability comes with a tradeoff: for many modern readers, especially native English speakers, “loser” can evoke schoolyard insults rather than solemn religious language.”

It has a good forward, and on every page it has what I’ll call “study guides” footnoted that explain various things.
Of course as a modern, and non-Arabic version, I’m sure there are all sorts of shortcomings, but I don’t care because I’m not doing anything more than a read. I’m not studying it deeply, not discussing the content with anyone, and not viewing it as a revelation of God.

[Bootstrap]

1 Enoch.

Did you get there via Jude?

[Szdfan]

I am currently about 1/3 of the way through the Quran.

I have a really hard time understanding the Quran, it doesn't match the way I think, and I keep feeling lost.

Have you found anything that makes it easier for someone like me to understand the Quran?

I bought and recomend this one: https://theclearquran.org/ The Clear Quran. It is easy to read. It is written in modern English.
One particularily jarring detail, is it’s frequent use of the word “loser/losers”. “The translators of The Clear Quran chose contemporary, readable English and frequently use “losers” because it is concise and mirrors the literal sense of the Arabic root. But readability comes with a tradeoff: for many modern readers, especially native English speakers, “loser” can evoke schoolyard insults rather than solemn religious language.”

It has a good forward, and on every page it has what I’ll call “study guides” footnoted that explain various things.
Of course as a modern, and non-Arabic version, I’m sure there are all sorts of shortcomings, but I don’t care because I’m not doing anything more than a read. I’m not studying it deeply, not discussing the content with anyone, and not viewing it as a revelation of God.

My deeply conservative Mennonite pastor grandfather read the Quran. He color-coded passages “biblical” and “non-biblical.” I think reading the scriptures of other religions, not as sacred text, but as literature with a sense of curiosity in order to understand better is a laudable goal.

[Szdfan]

I’ve picked up James Baldwin recently. I read him voraciously as a teenager. As an adult, it’s interesting how much I missed.

[R7ehr]

I have a really hard time understanding the Quran, it doesn't match the way I think, and I keep feeling lost.

Have you found anything that makes it easier for someone like me to understand the Quran?

I bought and recomend this one: https://theclearquran.org/ The Clear Quran. It is easy to read. It is written in modern English.
One particularily jarring detail, is it’s frequent use of the word “loser/losers”. “The translators of The Clear Quran chose contemporary, readable English and frequently use “losers” because it is concise and mirrors the literal sense of the Arabic root. But readability comes with a tradeoff: for many modern readers, especially native English speakers, “loser” can evoke schoolyard insults rather than solemn religious language.”

It has a good forward, and on every page it has what I’ll call “study guides” footnoted that explain various things.
Of course as a modern, and non-Arabic version, I’m sure there are all sorts of shortcomings, but I don’t care because I’m not doing anything more than a read. I’m not studying it deeply, not discussing the content with anyone, and not viewing it as a revelation of God.

My deeply conservative Mennonite pastor grandfather read the Quran. He color-coded passages “biblical” and “non-biblical.” I think reading the scriptures of other religions, not as sacred text, but as literature with a sense of curiosity in order to understand better is a laudable goal.

Interesting. I am also making notations.

[Bootstrap]

I bought and recomend this one: https://theclearquran.org/ The Clear Quran. It is easy to read. It is written in modern English.

Thanks - I bought the Kindle edition, and it is extremely helpful. The website is also helpful.

[Bootstrap]

My deeply conservative Mennonite pastor grandfather read the Quran. He color-coded passages “biblical” and “non-biblical.” I think reading the scriptures of other religions, not as sacred text, but as literature with a sense of curiosity in order to understand better is a laudable goal.

Interesting. I am also making notations.

One of the things I am working on is a set of Bible studies to introduce Muslims to the biblical Jesus. I was really surprised how much overlap there is with Mary and Jesus, both important figures in the Quran. The differences are also really, really important, of course, but knowing what they already believe is helpful for me when I am deciding which pericopes are good for group Bible studies.

[barnhart]

Selected stories by L. Tolstoy.