Best Religious Books of 2011: HuffPost Religion's Top 11

Hundreds of religion books come across the HuffPost Religion desk each year. Stacked in mountains next to our computers, they remind us of the sacred wisdom, religious leadership and academic rigor that so many women and men have shared with us. This year was an especially rich, and we were impressed by the titles that came from across the religious spectrum. In honor of 2011, we picked our top 11 favorites with a special honor going to number 12. We look forward to hearing your picks in the comments, and are looking forward to more great books in 2012.

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For more on the best of 2011, visit AOL's Best of 2011.

Comments

[Jim Rich]

03:56 PM on 09/15/2012

i suggest 'THE KNEE OF LISTENING' - A Spiritual Autobiography of Adi Da Samraj. An Avatar who writes not about being a correct religion, but about Reality that is beyond conventional relilgion, based on His Own Realization - unique and complete. If responded to would introduce an entirely new and benign basis for human history.
Jim Rich - [e-mail]

[Bethel1]

01:18 PM on 12/29/2011

Most accurate Bible: New World Translation.

In order to understand the bible, it must be studied with preconceived ideas or notions. For instance, the teaching of the Trinity is not a bible teaching. It's a teaching from outside sources that try to make sense of God and Jesus. In order to figure out if the Trinity is a true teaching or a false one, you have to read the bible without the trinity in mind.

If you want to know if Hell is a place of fire and torment with Satan and pitch forks, then you have to read the bible without that viewpoint to get the correct answer.

This bible was accurately translated- not from the King James, but from Greek/Hebrew manuscripts. If you were to use the KJV, you would never know that God's name is Jehovah. It was taken out of the KJV over 6,000 times and replaced with titles such as Lord, God and Almighty.

[warloch2]

03:29 PM on 12/21/2011

The Book of Mormon.

http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng
:-)

[El Saltine]

10:52 AM on 12/20/2011

At first I thought the Billy Graham book was titled Nursing Home.

[dsnybea56]

01:39 PM on 10/06/2012

I thought it said "Ghenna is my home". For he fornicated with the Political System his whole life. Ghenna is not a burning hell, Gods choice in the long run, because he could have been mentally ill. Jesus said my Kingdom is no part of this world, because he was going back up to heaven to be with his father (dispels trinty doctrine). So if Old man Billy thought he was going to heaven like Jesus, he should have been out in the door to door preaching work, like Matt.24:14 says not looking for his own followers.

[gemmax]

08:56 AM on 12/18/2011

I've wanted to visit Jerusalem for so long. I probably will never have that opportunity, so I study all I can about the history of the city and the area. If anyone has recommendations for any other books on the city, I would like to know. I'm basically interested in the history and archaeology of the city as well as current life in the city. I just purchased 'Jerusalem'.

[GoogleAlphaPublishing]

04:47 PM on 12/17/2011

I'm rereading Right Is Might by Wetherill.

[I Make Stuff]

02:11 PM on 12/17/2011

Anything the Dalai Lama writes is a must read, his wisdom is so profound.

[sageparadox]

01:47 PM on 12/17/2011

How come the Boomer Bible never makes these list.

1. At the beginning the begging there was nothing but a big ball of gases.
2 For a long time it just sat there in the nothingness, getting hotter and hotter.
3 Then it exploded.
4 The explosion created the stars, which were burning bubbles of the first big ball of gases.
5 The stars threw out chunks of debris that cooled and became planets.
6 The planets spun round and became round.

[joe5591]

04:54 PM on 12/17/2011

Because that book is in the science section of the bookstore. It may be a good read, but it is not religion (nor is religion science).

[sageparadox]

09:03 PM on 12/17/2011

Actually I would put the Boomers Bible under comedy. Personally I am to choose a big of fiction to follow I will go with the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy.

[eric14]

06:51 PM on 12/17/2011

In the beginning it was small, really small.

[sageparadox]

09:04 PM on 12/17/2011

This is true.

[HST]

04:03 AM on 12/17/2011

Buddha's Brain by Rick Hanson.


God can be found within every living thing.

[enfant terrible]

06:16 PM on 12/19/2011

do you include conservatives?

[HST]

12:00 AM on 12/20/2011

Yes, God is just buried a lot more deeper with them.

[WESmith]

12:18 AM on 12/17/2011

This is supposedly a Religion Article, but it instantly becomes a political issue between the Left and the Right. Religion is just a pawn, just like We The People are in this war for control over the people. "Screw We The People" is the mantra of both the Left and the Right. Neither the Left nor the Right respects the US Constitution nor "Separation of Curch and State." Their responses? "Who me?"

[George Schmitt]

11:36 PM on 12/16/2011

What a bunch of religiously deluded people.

[WESmith]

11:57 PM on 12/16/2011

Huffpost? Everyone is religious is what they are interested in.

[joe5591]

04:54 PM on 12/17/2011

You may want to try reading some of these books.

[nogods]

07:55 PM on 12/16/2011

Hey, if atheism is supposed to be a religion the list should include at least two atheist testaments and a picture of the inside of an atheist church..

[George Schmitt]

11:41 PM on 12/16/2011

Atheist testaments: You are on your own. Leave others alone. Which picture of a "christian church" would you show?

[WESmith]

12:01 AM on 12/17/2011

I've read thousands of atheists testaments on Huffpost this month.
What does an atheist church look like?
I imagine there are thousands of different looking atheist churches.
These churches are probably as different from each other as any other religion.

[Tabasco]

04:13 PM on 12/16/2011

"The End of Faith" - Sam Harris

__________?! (insert any holy book). We don't need no steeenking __________! (ditto)

[WESmith]

06:20 PM on 12/16/2011

We need to end our faith in Political Parties. It is obvious that they don't Represent We The People, but their own agenda. But they each have their religious followers who believe in their saviors and attack anyone who has a different savior.

[H P]

09:32 AM on 12/19/2011

well said Wes, f&f

[TheWM]

03:38 PM on 12/16/2011

They say atheism is a religion, but do they put any of our books on the best list? Nooooooo... Apparently there are second-class religions to them.

[Tabasco]

04:20 PM on 12/16/2011

It's only a religion if it's pursued with absolutism. Though I know more of that ilk in religious (and GOP) circles, I know of a few athiests who fit the same pattern.

That's why communism.... a committed anti-religion doctrine, turned into a religion in most of its incarnations. It required unquestioning faith, loyalty and fear.

[WESmith]

06:26 PM on 12/16/2011

That would be the Democratic and Republican parties. They have both followed Communism down the aisle.
We need to find a political party that doesn't cross that "Separation of Church and State" line. The Democratic party is in first place, followed closely by the Republican party.
But it such good rhetoric to distract their zealous followers with unimportant issues. What if we had Representatives that actually Represented We The People and did what we asked?

[Toutlaguerre]

07:22 AM on 12/17/2011

Some atheists would dare say it is not a religion or even a belief system, but a state of being. I have heard it said and seen it down in black and white.

[TheWM]

10:44 AM on 12/17/2011

I'm an atheist and I don't think atheism is a religion. I was making fun of those who do, including some frequent HP authors. I cope with frustration by mocking.

[thebearclaw007]

10:39 AM on 12/16/2011

I've found that the only book worth reading is the Bible.

[ZenGardner]

11:26 AM on 12/16/2011

What a boring existence...

[thebearclaw007]

11:39 AM on 12/16/2011

That appears to be comment that would come from a spiritually and emotionally underdeveloped individual.

[TheWM]

03:36 PM on 12/16/2011

I've found that your posts are not worth reading, and I'm going to stop now.

[thebearclaw007]

10:38 AM on 12/17/2011

Enjoy your day!