Holy Books or just books? (ritual, Torah, beliefs, scriptures)

[Melody]

With the ruckus in the news about the supposed flushing of the Qu'ran down a toilet by U.S. soldiers and now the Israelis, I'm curious how you all view your book of scriptures or holy book...assuming you have one.

While I think it's disgusting that someone would be deliberately disrespectful of someone's beliefs (i.e. flushing a Qu'ran), I don't see that the book itself is "holy". I feel the same way about the Bible. It's just a book and is not inherently holy. It sits on a bookshelf or side table in my home. I don't do any ritual preparations or handle it in a certain way. I hesitate to mention for fear of being stoned, but I've also been known to float in the pool with the Bible propped open on my stomach.

Your views?

[Druidus]

Just books. But I treat books religiously anyway. With care and devotion do I read them, careful not to damage them in any way.

[ThisShouldMakeSense]

Originally Posted by Druidus

Just books. But I treat books religiously anyway. With care and devotion do I read them, careful not to damage them in any way.

Ditto, just books. Although the Bible for instance says to 'handle the word of God aright', it means the message, not to abuse the message, not the book itself. i know a lot of religious people treat the actual book as holy. my relatives for example won't put the Qu'ran on the floor. something to do with feet they said. (don't quote me on that tho.)
so yeah, it is just a book. however, it doesn't mean that you can do whatever you like with it (if you respect it, anyway), just like you wouldn't flush your phone book down the toilet. not that it'd fit...

[Jaymes]

I think books are just books. The words in them can be wonderful and teach great things, but when you get down to it it's just ink on tree pulp.

I'm going to stick my neck out and hazard a guess that it was not anger at the Quran being flushed, but the beliefs being disrespected.

[Terrywoodenpic]

If you look on the tabes at jumble sales and the back room of second hand book stores.
You will fid numerous bibles that people don't know what to do with. Most at the end of the day get slung with the rubbish.
Is this disrespectful or just practical
It is certainly a shame.

Terry
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Blessed are the pure of heart, They shall behold their God

[jewscout]

To me the Torah is a living breathing entity that i can always turn to for guidance and inspiration

[ftisse]

hi guys,

please respect other religiouns beliefs

Mosilims believe the Quaran as aholy book


Moslims believe their Quaran AS AHOLY QURAN .


so if you please be polite with their beliefs.



thanks alot.

[Fluffy]

Well I'd be ****** if someone flushed my Book of Shadows down the loo... its the only copy there is!

But no, I don't feel that this book or any other is holy. If there was only one copy of the Bible left then it would be very holy indeed. The holiness gets diluted as it gets reprinted though.

[michel]

Originally Posted by jewscout

To me the Torah is a living breathing entity that i can always turn to for guidance and inspiration

If, as you have said before, the explanation for not writing the 'o' in G-d, I would have imagined you to be particularly upset by the thought of the desecration of any Bible.


"First the legal side: The Torah exhorts us to destroy idolatry, and from here we learn the injunction not to erase the name of God. (see Deuteronomy 12:3-4)

The question is whether this applies only to Hebrew names of G-d, or to the English word "G-d" as well. The common rabbinic opinion is that "G-d" written in any language other than Hebrew, has no holiness and can be erased. (see Shach Y.D. 179:11, and Mishneh Brura 85:10)

There is still the other issue of giving the Name proper respect. This means not taking Torah material into the bathroom, and not throwing it out with the rest of the garbage. Instead, you should bring the printed material to the synagogue and place it in a box called "Geniza" (a.k.a. "Sheimos"). This box is used to discard unusable holy objects -- including Torah scrolls that have become old and invalid, old Tefillin and Tzitzit, and papers that contain words of Torah.

When the box is full, it is taken to be buried. Now what about spelling the English name "G-d"? Even though it does not technically have "holiness," some people go beyond the letter of the law and show extra respect, by spelling G-d with a dash. "

From http://www.aish.com/rabbi/ATR_browse.asp?l=g&offset=11

[Jaymes]

Originally Posted by Fluffy

Well I'd be ****** if someone flushed my Book of Shadows down the loo... its the only copy there is!

But no, I don't feel that this book or any other is holy. If there was only one copy of the Bible left then it would be very holy indeed. The holiness gets diluted as it gets reprinted though.

Why do you feel the holiness gets diluted? If it's holy in one book, shouldn't the words be just as holy in a billion?