Top products from r/religion
We found 54 product mentions on r/religion. We ranked the 413 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
1. The World's Religions (Plus)
Sentiment score: 4
Number of reviews: 4
Great product!
2. A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Sentiment score: 3
Number of reviews: 3
The New York Times Bestseller
3. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 3
Oxford University Press USA
4. Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years (Get Political Book 5)
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 3
5. What Do You Believe? (Big Questions)
Sentiment score: 3
Number of reviews: 2
Used Book in Good Condition
6. Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them)
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 2
HarperOne
7. The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 2
8. God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 2
HarperOne
10. The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)
Sentiment score: 3
Number of reviews: 2
Oxford University Press, USA
11. The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 2
Great product!
12. ChristoPaganism: An Inclusive Path
Sentiment score: 3
Number of reviews: 2
Used Book in Good Condition
13. The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy ― and Why They Matter
Sentiment score: -1
Number of reviews: 2
Used Book in Good Condition
16. Mysticism: A Study and an Anthology, Third Edition
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 2
17. The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an in Today's English
Sentiment score: 3
Number of reviews: 2
18. 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God (50 series)
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 2
Used Book in Good Condition
Boy was that the wrong question to ask. Wall of text inbound.
Judaism is my least-studied religion, but as I understand it Rabbinic literature is basically all commentary. The Mishnah, Tosefta, various Talmuds etc, they're all commentaries on the Tanakh. Of course, they are so old as to basically need their own commentaries, but there you have it. why_nn_doesnt_study_judaism.jpg
We Christians have a really different view on the 'Old Testament', and inter-commentary is pretty common in our scriptures. The New Testament may come at the end of our Bible, but it's the key to our way of reading the old scriptures as well, so start there. William Barclay was not super-dee-duper orthodox in his views, but he was a good Biblical scholar and I still like his 'Daily Study Bible' New Testament commentary for beginners. Patristics is a study of the development of early Christian orthodox thought, and consists mostly of reading post-NT commentaries by the Church Fathers, but those books are a giant money-sink so I'll let you get into that in your own time. 'Dogmatik' may be a bit heavy, but it's a good summary of our thought on our whole religion, scripture and all.
Islam is tricky, because the Qur'an is taken much more literally than orthodox Christians and Jews treat their scriptures, i.e. it cannot be translated out of Arabic, only interpreted. Maybe one of our Muslim friends can chime in with a better suggestion, but the version of the Qur'an used by my classes (which has some light commentary) is the Oxford World's Classics version. Quran.com can also be pretty useful since you can hover over an Arabic word and get its direct translation.
As far as Buddhism goes, I think the BDK English Tripitaka has some big flaws (it's also way incomplete), but it's pretty academic and a lot of its texts are the only versions available in English. Individual sutras are around, I always appreciate the work of the Sanskrit scholar Red Pine, he's done the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra and maybe some others, from a Japanese Zen perspective. Buddhist scripture is sorta endless.
The only other religious texts I've read extensively are the European esoteric stuff I hope to do my graduate work in, in which case all the texts are weird, and all the commentaries are as weird or weirder. It's religious studies on Hard Mode.
I hope that gives you some places to start! And I hope I haven't scared you off! Good luck!
Elaine Pagels is a great contemporary scholar of Christian religion, and particularly textual and historical explication. Her The Origin of Satan is fascinating, and The Gnostic Gospels is a solid survey of some of the lost branches of early Christian tradition.
Gershom Scholem is one of the last century's great explicators of Judaism and mysticism, particularly the Kabbalah. I doubt there's a book he's written that isn't worth reading, but the best place to start may be his book On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism, particularly the chapter on the relation of mystical experience to community norms.
Speaking of Kabbalah, it's recent popularity speaks poorly of what is an otherwise venerable and serious tradition of symbolism and ethical concern. If you're interested in spiritual literature, it's probably not a bad idea to take a stab at the Zohar. There's an abridged translation by Scholem out in paperback, but you're probably better off with this edition.
That comes, incidentally, from a series of books issued by a Catholic publisher, Paulist Press, under the name Classics of Western Spirituality, which is generally excellent. So far as I know, it's the only press currently printing some truly classic historical texts, so their catalog is worth browsing. They're particularly good, as you might suspect, on early Christian texts -- I don't know where else you'd go for something like Carthusian Spirituality -- but they also have Sufist, Judaic and non-mainline texts. In particular, I'd say pick up the Pseudo Dionysus.
While we're on the subject of early Christian writers, there's The Desert Fathers, The Cloud of Unknowing, Revelations of Divine Love -- the last of which is a notable early example of feminine Christian spirituality.
On the more modern end, there's Simone Weil, the tragic Marxist-cum-Catholic. I'd recommend either Waiting for God or Letters to a Priest]. While we're talking about modern Christian theology, we should note three of the most important names of the 20th century: Paul Tillich, Rudolf Otto, and Tielhard de Chardin. The books to start with, respectively, are Dynamics of Faith, The Idea of the Holy, and The Divine Milieu.
Shifting away from Christianity, another major name in 20th century theology is Martin Buber, the Jewish German mystic. His I and Thou is the most generally applicable and was widely influential in existential circles, but he also wrote widely on issues of Jewish identity.
More in the mainstream of Jewish tradition, there's the Talmud, although the sheer size of the writings that full under that name are the sort of thing that scholars give their lives over to. For our purposes, something like Abraham Cohen's Everyman's Talmud will generally suffice.
And finally, I just recently bought The Three Pillars of Zen, which is widely held to be the best practical introduction to the topic available in English. There are a bewildering amount of books on the subject, but without some sort of framework for understanding their relation to the historical traditions, it can be nearly impossible to sort out which are worth while.
EDIT: Forgot linking by reference isn't working; fixed with inline links.
That's great you are open to learning and interested in broadening your world view. That's a great first step. There are a lot of great books about religion and philosophy. You should start where you are most interested but it can be helpful to get a high-level overview with books like:
Basically giving you an idea of different religions around the world and how they differ but also how they are similar. Also the internet is a great resource. Start reading about different religious and philosophical beliefs even on Wikipedia as an easy way to get started. Anyhow, best of luck with everything.
Exploring the world's many religions is a fun and enriching activity. I'll tell you what I tell everyone who makes this post here:
First, you should start out by perusing one or both of the following websites - [BBC Religions] (http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/) and [Harvard University's Pluralism Project] (http://pluralism.org/religions/). Both of these sites offer high-quality, scholarly yet accessible introductions to most of the world's major traditions. These sites alone can keep you occupied for days.
Once you're ready to jump into books, you have two options. Your first option is to find a book that offers an overview of what's called "comparative religions." The classic is Huston Smith's [The World's Religions] (https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Religions-Plus-Huston-Smith/dp/0061660183/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536540983&sr=8-2&keywords=huston+smith+the+world%27s+religions). There are others that are newer and probably more up-to-date, but this is a beloved book for a reason, and won't disappoint.
Your other option is to dig into one particular tradition that you've identified as of special interest from your internet search. If you go that route, which has its advantages and disadvantages, I'd encourage you to do some research online (including on the tradition's individual subreddit) to see what books are recommended. If you have specific questions on this, I may be able to help as well.
Hope this was helpful - good luck!
CONSCIOUSNESS AS AN ONTOLOGICAL PRIMITIVE: THE EXISTENCE OF GOD(S)
THE NATURE/RISE OF CONSCIOUSNESS: THE INTERFERENCE FROM GOD(S)
TELEOLOGY OF MIND AND BODY: THE PLAN OF GOD(S)
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: DIRECT EXPERIENCES OF GOD(S)
POLYTHEISM: MORE THAN ONE GOD
SOME References
1- Mind/Body Dualism, SEP
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dualism/#MinBod
2- About of Consciousness http://wiki.objectivismonline.net/Axiom_of_Consciousness
3- Ontological Argument for Idealism by Bernardo Kastrup
4 to 7- Skepticism and Content Externalism https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/skepticism-content-externalism/
8- Making Medicines
http://broughttolife.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/themes/treatments/medicines
9- Powering a Generation
https://americanhistory.si.edu/powering/generate/gnmain.htm
10- How to Practice Self Regulation
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-you-can-practice-self-regulation-4163536
11- Cognitive Appraisal
https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-1-4419-1005-9_1115
12- Placebos Without Deception
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0015591
13- Framework of the UPR
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0392192107076869
14- Modern Humans Take the World
https://www.thoughtco.com/upper-paleolithic-modern-humans-173073
15- UP Technology, Art, Culture
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/world-history-beginnings/origin-humans-early-societies/a/paleolithic-culture-and-technology
16- Hierarchy of Needs
https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
17- The Electrical Patterns of Life
http://www.wrf.org/men-women-medicine/dr-harold-s-burr.php
18- Harold Burr's Biofields
http://www.energymed.org/hbank/handouts/harold_burr_biofields.htm
19- Electromagnetics of Life (PDF)
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://journals.sfu.ca/seemj/index.php/seemj/article/download/401/362&ved=2ahUKEwjv6Mm9xe_kAhW_CTQIHSjDCd8QFjAHegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw0xWf76krbzIG2DWHWuOP4q&cshid=1569537305106
20- Phi of Religion https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Religion-Introduction-William-Rowe/dp/0495007250
21- Special Pleading
https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/163/Special-Pleading
(courtesy of /u/lightnlng):
Check what you like from this list of Resources. I recommend starting with the Quran and a biography of prophet Muhammad (pbuh). If you want books, these ones are popular:
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Introduction book to Islam:
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Some popular videos on YouTube:
So, reading the Bible is somewhat of a chore. If you're just reading it to say you've done so, or give yourself a brief glimpse of what it has, you can look here to get an idea of what each version offers. Some versions are more "modern" and use current language and syntax. They're easier to read but may include translations of words or phrases that may not be as accurate as others. On the other hand, some versions go to great lengths to be as accurate as possible and lose some readability because of it.
Once you've decided, you can go here to read a lot of those versions - or multiple versions at once. You can also find apps that do similar things - sword-reader, or something to that effect, and probably others.
There are also places like this that are geared towards atheists. They're often snarky, though, so take it with a grain of salt.
I think, and agree with weeglos, that you're better off reading something like this or this to get an idea of what it's about and the changes that have been made (and why).
One World, Many Religions: The Ways We Worship, by Mary Pope Osborne – Survey of all the world’s religions from children’s perspectives, geared for 9-12 year olds.
Buller, Laura (2005). A Faith Like Mine. New York, NY: DK. Includes Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Sikhism in detail, with bits on Zoroastrianism, Shinto, Taoism, Jainism and Baha’i, for ages 9-12.
DK Publishing (2011). What Do You Believe? New York, NY: DK. Includes all of the largest faiths, many smaller religious, plus ancient philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato, as well as modern thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Kant, and Sartre.
The Little Book of Hindu Deities: From the Goddess of Wealth to the Sacred Cow, by Sanjay Patel – This is actually not a children’s book, but came highly recommended
Demi (2005). Jesus. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Zen Shorts, by Jon Muth – Introduction to Zen principles by a giant panda, targeted to children 9-12
DK Publishing (2011). What Do You Believe? New York, NY: DK. Includes all of the largest faiths, many smaller religious, plus ancient philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato, as well as modern thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Kant, and Sartre.
The Elephant Prince: The Story of Ganesh, by Amy Novesky – Beautifully illustrated tale of Ganesh, Hindu deity.
Demi (2003). Muhammad. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books
By the way you may also like the NRSV Oxford Annotated Study Bible it's pretty much the standard Bible used in academia and contains tons of information about translation choices, maps, information about cultural references, etc. I study religion at a secular state run university and this is the standard Bible that all the religion professors recommend.
You might also find The Book of Moses from The Pearl of Great Price an interesting read if you are into creation story stuff. It's from the Mormon canon: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/moses/2?lang=eng
My favorite Christianity-related creation story though is On the Origin of the World
Read the Qur'an with a commentary.
A really, really, really good place to start is "The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an in Today's English" by Yahiya Emerick". Written by an American Muslim for Americans with no background knowledge on Islam at all. It's really, really, really well done, and the best for people going in blind.
Yusuf Ali's translation and commentary is the standard, and the new Study Qur'an is wonderfully done and also recommended - but the notes may be a bit too specialist in tone. Pick it up in a book store and read a bit of it to see.
But yes, reading it front to back is perfectly fine. I have suggested maybe starting at "Joseph", as it's the only traditional style narrative in the whole book, and you skip the first 8 or 9 chapters that are a bit heavier in legalistic and ritualistic stuff, which some find challenging without any aides.
Do you want to become a theist (start believing in one or more gods) or just find a community and set of rituals? I think you can have either one without the other, depending on what your goals are. There are things like the Unitarian church as well as Sunday Assembly (essentially church for atheists).
For me personally, I didn't feel like I had found purpose in life until after I became an atheist and had to discover for myself what I found important in life. Having a family also helps provide purpose :)
That all said, I really enjoyed the textbook we used in my World Religions course in college (note, I linked to the "smile" version of the Amazon link, which is a small way you can have 'purpose' by having Amazon contribute a portion of a purchase price to a charity of your choice)
What 'God' are you looking for, and for what purpose?
In order to find the divine, you may need a realization of what it actually is in your life. That may simply mean an altruistic ideal, or a deep yearning to understand the mystery of life itself. These things, of course, are not 'God', but can help one to obtain a better understanding of spirituality.
Also, I would reccomend this book. It has helped me immensely in my contemplation of spirituality and divinity in life.
Not sure if this fits under your definition of "world religions" but Mormonism is currently undergoing an interesting, scholarly reassessment of its history. Mormons have a pretty unique and (if I may say so myself) fascinating cosmology that you may enjoy learning about. If you're interested I would start by reading Bushman's Rough Stone Rolling.
First of all, can I just say how much I love giving and receiving book recommendations? I was a religious studies major in college (and was even a T.A. in the World Religions class) so, this is right up my alley. So, I'm just going to take a seat in front of my book cases...
General:
Christianity:
Judaism:
Islam:
Buddhism:
Taoism:
Atheism:
ChristoPaganism would probably work well for you. From what I understand they tend to worship Mary as a goddess, and many believe in a larger divine feminine. A view like yours would mix well with Paganism as well. This book is a good starting place.
https://www.amazon.com/ChristoPaganism-Inclusive-Path-Joyce-Higginbotham/dp/0738714674/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542960161&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=christo-pagan+an+inclusive+path
[I would definitely recommend this version of the Bible.] (http://www.amazon.ca/Little-Rock-Catholic-Study-Bible-NABRE/dp/0814636489/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414062377&sr=8-1&keywords=the+little+rock+catholic+study+bible) - ridiculously scholarly, but written for the layman. It's amazing. Just amazing.
[And this version of the Qur'an.] (http://www.amazon.ca/Meaning-Holy-Quran-Todays-English/dp/1450549535/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414062405&sr=8-1&keywords=the+meaning+of+the+holy+quran+in+todays+english) - Very scholarly, written by an American convert for Americans with little knowledge of Islamic history or Arab culture. Ridiculously informative. The layout could be better, but this is a great starting point.
The Yusuf Ali Translation of the Quran is the best. I think it best preseves the spirit of the original arabic.
This site is good it allows you to easily switch between translations
http://al-quran.info/#home
As for Tafsirs (commentary) I think the Tafir al Mizan is the best Shia Tafsir.
https://almizan.org/
But since you want something similar to a spoon-feeding I think you should check out the Study Quran. I've heard praise of it but I haven't read it myself.
>Edit: any recommendations for the most "unbiased" versions?
You might consider the New Oxford Annotated Bible. Here’s a bit from the blurb:
>For over 50 years students, professors, clergy, and general readers have relied on The New Oxford Annotated Bible as an unparalleled authority in Study Bibles. This fifth edition of the Annotated remains the best way to study and understand the Bible at home or in the classroom. This thoroughly revised and substantially updated edition contains the best scholarship informed by recent discoveries and anchored in the solid Study Bible tradition.
You might also consider The Study Qur’an. A bit from its blurb:
>Drawn from a wide range of traditional Islamic commentaries, including Sunni and Shia sources, and from legal, theological, and mystical texts, The Study Quran conveys the enduring spiritual power of the Quran and offers a thorough scholarly understanding of this holy text.
Jesus Interrupted is a fantastic book that explores the actual history of the bible. It goes over how they've dated each book, how ideas have evolved over time, and what can or can't be considered accurate.
I highly, highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the bible as a historical document as well as anyone who wants to know how christianity has grown and evolved over time.
The Case for God and The Bible: A Biography by Karen Armstrong are both good. The God Delusion is a simple breakdown and explanation of most major religious claims. Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World by the Dalai Llama is an interesting book on ethics. The Koran: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Cook is 150 funny and insightful pages on Islam. Under the Banner of Heaven is a shocking and fascinating account of fundamentalist Mormonism. The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan discusses religion, and Cosmos and Pale Blue Dot are my secular versions of holy books. And of course given the occasion, I can't leave out God is Not Great.
I recommend avoiding authors like Lee Strobel and Deepak Chopra. Both are essentially liars for their causes, either inventing evidence, or deliberately being incredibly misleading in how they use terms. Popularity in those cases definitely doesn't indicate quality.
While I don't consider it to be a cult, the history of Mormonism is extremely interesting, as is the life of it's founder, Joseph Smith.
A good book written by a member of the church is called "Rough Stone Rolling." Another great one by a non mormon is called "No Man Knows My History"
This book won't answer every question you might possibly have on the nuances between the "Abrahamic" Faiths, but it is a great introduction:
http://www.amazon.com/God-Is-Not-One-Religions/dp/0061571288/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369104390&sr=8-1&keywords=Prothero+God+is+not+One
This is backwards thinking. Lack of evidence against something in no way is evidence for it, and in some cases can even be the opposite (lack of bigfoot skeletons is evidence towards them not existing, for example). Prove there is no X, and suppose that it's reasonable to accept X if it remains unproven but not disproven, is a way to think that leads to accepting false beliefs.
Let's apply the methodology to other ideas. Prove that fairies don't exist. Prove that the flying spaghetti monster doesn't exist. Prove that Zeus doesn't exist. Prove that socialism is bad. Prove that capitalism is bad.
The burden of proof is on the person with the positive claim... that these things exist, or that we should switch to X system, or whatever.
God does not exist is a positive claim, as is that claim that a god exists. The default position should be, if you want to believe as many true things and also not believe as many false things as you can, to not accept either claim until given sufficient evidence.
To the OP, have you read 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God? It's an excellent list of reasons people have to believe in a god.
Interesting how all your statements change from "no" to some form of acknowledgment. Whatever...
If you want some more fun facts you can read this book by a Jew who hates Israel: https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-History-Religion-Thousand-Political-ebook/dp/B00GGOEL4A/
Cheers
Weeeell, it's quite hard to explain it all in a post on reddit. First of all, Buddhist does not consider Buddha to become or transform into a god.
My advice is to read some book about it. For instance Buddha by Karen Armstrong. It's about the person Buddha rather than his teachings. http://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Penguin-Lives-Biographies-Armstrong/dp/0143034367
Good luck!
For your Bible studies I suggest the following.
Mere Christianity is a great read. As far as a biography where he steps through his journey, I'm not sure he ever wrote anything quite like that.
Edit: Perhaps this might help
A History of God by Karen Armstrong is a great book to learn a little about the "big 3" Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
http://www.amazon.com/History-God-000-Year-Judaism-Christianity/dp/0345384563/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Oh, also there's a very interesting book called 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in God.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1591025672/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_1NzYBbN5B4KY4
It puts many issues into a clear cut form.
I have quite a few, and this has been consistently the best: https://www.amazon.com/New-Oxford-Annotated-Bible-Apocrypha/dp/0195289609/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495511539&sr=8-1&keywords=new+oxford+annotated+bible+with+apocrypha
> Interesting how all your statements change from "no" to some form of acknowledgment
It's just in your head mate.
> If you want some more fun facts you can read this book by a Jew who hates Israel: https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-History-Religion-Thousand-Political-ebook/dp/B00GGOEL4A/
And then? Am I enlightened and want to destroy Israel too?
Whether or not this particular article is sensationalistic fear-mongering, witch-mania and superstitious fervor are endemic to the human condition. I recommend reading the book The Demon-Haunted World.
Read this.
The World's Religions by Huston Smith:
http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Religions-Plus-Huston-Smith/dp/0061660183/ref=la_B000APX9CG_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367371571&sr=1-1
Here is the mobile version of your link
A balanced view only can be developed by hearing both sides.
Timothy Keller - The Reason for God - Believing in an Age of Skepticism (chapter summaries)
C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity
J. Warner Wallace - Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels
Alvin Plantinga - Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism
Francis S. Collins - The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
Craig A. Evans - Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels
You can find longer list over at christianapologetics or at Kindle Deals in Christianity, Christian Worldview, and Apologetics
bethinking.org exists to help you make sense of the big questions about life.
The Biologos Foundation Ressource Finder
The Veritas Forum Talks
Zionism is basically an implementation of Mein Kampf for jews. In other words, it supports a racist nation. Now I have no particular opinion on racism. I am not racist, but I have no problem with racists. If a group of jews or whites want to establish a nation, that is fine with me. I just hate hypocrisy. White nationalists are at least honest about what they want, but unfortunately for them, they are quite stupid. Judaism is the most successful racist movement and they aren't stupid, but they are dishonest.
These 2 books, both written by jews, give both sides of Zionism, for and against:
https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-State-Struggle-Israels-Soul/dp/0465029027/
https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-History-Religion-Thousand-Political-ebook/dp/B00GGOEL4A/
It means animals if you believe it does. Animals have feelings and can suffer just as much as any human. If you think that we are not "murdering" animals in slaughterhouses, you are sorely mistaken. Being abused, in pain, emotionally distraught and tortured, and then MURDERED is just that, murder. In the garden of Eden Adam and Eve were vegans, it was only after they were expelled that the idea even came about. Noah was a vegetarian until after the flood, at which time, God gave him PERMISSION to eat animals, but that is not the same thing as commanding them to.
If Adam and Eve were God's ideal vision of humanity in the beginning, why would you not strive to be that? There are BILLIONS of non-human animals murdered every YEAR, just in the US alone, and I'm sure a lot of that is wasted. Lives taken and then thrown away and not even used. Why cause suffering if you do not have to? Most human-animals do not NEED to eat meat/dairy, so why bother?
http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Lives-Animals-Scientist-Explores/dp/1577316290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462727585&sr=8-1&keywords=the+emotional+lives+of+animals
This book really opened my eyes when I was 15. If you believe the commandment includes non-human animals, it is your belief. You cannot make others believe it, but they cannot make you NOT believe it. If God is love we should extend that to all beings and stop abusing the Earth and our fellow Earthlings the way we do. If you have seen footage from inside factory farms there is no other way to call it, other than torture and murder.