Religion is either the blessing or the bane of human existence -- depending on how you look at it.
If you're looking for a site that gives you a fairly broad overview of many different faiths, try here:
Facets of Religion
Christianity:
My favorite historian, Edward Gibbon, wrote two beautifully sarcastic chapters in "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" on the origins of Christianity. They should be required reading for all Christians, so that they can see how their beliefs might be perceived by someone looking at them from a slightly different perspective:
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire: Chapter 15
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire: Chapter 16
The following websites, however, are a tad more orthodox.
You'll find out more than you probably want to know about Christian theology at one of the most amazing sites on the entire Web:
Hall of Church History
If you're looking for Christian Classics, look no further:
Christian Classics
If you want the Catholic perspective, try:
The Holy See
These sites could be called "Catholics -- And How They Got That Way":
Early Church Fathers
Two Thousand Years of Catholic Writings
This is my favorite Christian text. Even an unregenerate atheist reads this work in total awe of one of the most powerful minds that ever lived:
The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas
Judaism
This is a good introductory page on Judaism:
WorldWide JewishWeb
You got questions? Ask:
Judaism 101
After the Summa of Thomas Aquinas, one of the most interesting religious texts. You only get a taste of it here, but it may inspire you to shell out for the (beautiful but very expensive) Steinsaltz edition:
A Page of Talmud
If you want still more info:
Judaism Reading List
Islam
Islam might be the most misunderstood and mischaracterized faith in the world. Gibbon describes the origins of Islam in his "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" (Chapter 50) with considerably more respect than he shows towards Christianity in the same book (Chapters 15-16).
I think that every American should at least try reading "The Koran," which is the sacred text for Muslims worldwide (and the only religious text I know about that purports to be written directly by God).
I own the Penguin translation by N. J. Dawood, but I've also heard good things about the A. J. Arberry translation, which is available in paperback.
This is a good introductory site on Islam:
The Islam Page
For a good all-around introduction to "The Koran," try:
About the Quran
If you want to search for something specific:
The Koran
Buddhism
If you're interested in Buddhism on the web, this is a pretty good place to start:
Essentials of Buddhism
If you'd like to read up on the subject, check out:
Buddhist Texts
Confucius
If you get the chance, try "The Analects" of Master Kung, otherwise known as Confucius. He says some pretty pithy things, including one statement that he (or his editors) liked enough to include in "The Analects" twice.
That statement is: "I have yet to meet a man who loved virtue as much as he loved sex."
Here's a good introductory site:
The Master Confucius
If you'd like to check out some texts, try:
Confucius
Taoism
Another book I really like (and own several translations of) is the "Tao Te Ching" by Lao-Tse.
Three sites:
Taoism Information Page
The Tao by Lao-tse
Taoism - Tao Te Ching Translations
(My favorite older translation is by Richard Wilhelm -- my favorite recent one is by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English.)
And Now For Something Completely Different
If, on the other hand, you want to hear from the (not-so-loyal) opposition, try:
The Satanic Network
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