16
Nov
2009
Announcing the World Religion Challenge 2010
Last night, I launched the World Religion Challenge on a separate, dedicated site. Here’s what I wrote about the challenge:
The Challenge will run from Jan 1st 2010 to Dec 31st 2010. There are four categories to the Challenge:
I decided to lift a note from Taoism by calling these Paths (Tao means “way” or “path”) to Reading Challenge Enlightenment:
1. The Bare Bones Path (Also Know As: The *Technically* There’s Only Three Path): Read something about what are *technically* the only world religions, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. (These are considered, by some scholars, to be the only World Religions because while Judaism and Hinduism have the numbers, they don’t proselytize or really invite other people to join, making it more of an ethnicity).
2. The Penthouse Path (Also Known As: The Five Biggies Path): Read something about the five major world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
3. The Universalist Path (Also Known As: The Above and Beyond Path): Read something by all five of the major world religions PLUS more books about any or all of the following: Shintoism, Animism, Taoism, Confucianism, Wicca, Mythology, Atheism, Occult, Tribal Religions, Voodoo, Unitarianism, Baha’i, Cults, Scientology, Mysticism, Rastafarianism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zorastrianism, Agnosticism, Gnosticism, Satanism, Manichaeism, Deism, Comparative Religion, Religious Philosophy, Jungiansim, Symbolism, Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, etc., etc. etc. (you may also read about another aspect of one of the 5 Biggies)
4. The Unshepherded Path (Also Known As: The Don’t Tell Me What to Do Path): Read as many books as you would like about whatever religions you want.
What to read?
Nonfiction
fiction
religious texts
poetry
and if your eyeballs are ready to fall out of your skull:
watch a movie
see a play
listen to some music
attend a service
celebrate a holiday
perform a ritual
open the door when Jehovah’s Witnesses come to call
Need some inspiration? Do the following:
Go to this post on my blog, and see where it is tagged “religion?” Click on the tag and it will take you to all of the myriad books I’ve tagged as “religion”. In the next month and a half, I’m going to try to review a lot of other books I’ve previously read so as to add to the list.
Go to the bookstore, and browse around
Look up religions on Wikipedia
Ask me for advice
Steal from other participants’ lists
Audio books and cross-overs from other challenges are encouraged.
Do you have to have a blog to join? Of course not! I’d be happy to post on here for you…or you can just leave a comment with the book you read.
Soo…Go make your lists!
No, seriously, what are you waiting for? Go sign up!
That button is GORGEOUS. Makes me even more excited about joining in! Yay for comparative religions! lol
I’m in too, although it may take me a little while to write up my post. Thanks for including the Unshepherded Path. I love the button too, by the way!
ooh, great challenge topic. Will join up later on closer to 2010
MUST finish up one or two that I’m currently doing first!
This is really neat … and kind of up my alley for some of the books I’m already planning on reading for 2010 so I’m going to poke around on your challenge pages and see what I can come up with. I love your different paths!!
Hi JT,
I seem to lost my way in your blog. Where do I post my review for the World Religion Challenge? I remember seeing it. But I lost it now. would appreciate if you could send me the link and I’ll bookmark it?
Many thanks! Happy Easter!!!
JoV T