/lit/ - Literature

>>12278825
Same position, bump

There is a Tolstoy story about a monk, forgot the name tho.

>>12278837
the one where a guy gets cucked by the tsar and becomes a monk? lol

>>12278866
No his brother becomes high ranking official and he can'. So he becames a monk just because that only thing left.

I really liked the feels I got from watching "Diary of a Country Priest" (pic related).
It doesn't go into his motivations or reasoning for joining the priesthood but it was all around, very aesthetic and feel-provoking.

>>12278866
Woops just googled it and yea he gets cucked in the beginning forgot that part. Father Sergius is the name

>>12278825
The Young Pope

>>12278916
Great series, seen it already.

>>12278825
>>12278836
You should read a bit about what becoming a priest is actually like nowadays
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/gay-catholic-inside-the-seminary-closet/

>>12278825
I Heard the Owl Call My Name
really sweet little story about a man sent to work as a vicar in BC

>>12278836
Becoming a priest is quite difficult, it requires 7 years of study in a seminary, and the life afterwards in a parish is not easy either, especially if you're prone to disliking people.

Becoming a monk is a much quieter, simpler life desu.

>>12278935
An anecdote, and at that, an anecdote told by a homosexual and probably from some degenerated place to begin with.
Nonetheless, if encountered, I would report and expose them at risk of retaliation or even ejection from the program. This isn't a dream of mine so I have nothing to lose. The damage done from removing me for doing what is right would be much more disastrous for the church. I would go on to write to newspapers, websites, sympathetic prelature and factions within the Church, when all is said and done, the result hurting vocations and attendance much more than removing a handful of homosexuals from the seminary which would have gone unnoticed (or even applauded) by the faithful and only would have affected external liberal-secular perceptions of the Church.

>>12278825
This might not be quite what you're looking for.

>>12278991
>Nonetheless, if encountered, I would report and expose them at risk of retaliation or even ejection from the program.
Did you read the entire thing? That's exactly what he did and was expelled.
>I would go on to write to newspapers, websites, sympathetic prelature and factions within the Church
Won't do anything. Secular sources support homosexuality. The source I linked is a conservative, Christian website, and them reporting something like this doesn't affect anything either.

>>12278966
You can still enter seminary with most dioceses in spite of student loan debt. However, you cannot join any monastic order if debts are owed.

>>12278825

Young Stalin

>>12278825
The Power And The Glory is semi-related and based

>>12278904
Though a brilliant film (and book), I don't necessarily think it should make you want to join the priesthood.

>>12278825
Ha, sounds like me and academia

;__;

>>12279107
And yet, it affected you enough to come here and link it. Every action has reverberations.

I would rank priest or monk as the most /lit/ careers.

>>12278825
The Red and The Black.

>>12279820
Looks good

In the Shadow of Altars, if you manage to find it.

>>12278825
this might give you a sense of mission

>>12278825
By Night in Chile, lowkey. Brothers K maybe.

Has anyone stayed in a monestery before? I know a lot of them offer short stays.

>>12278966
I'm an Anglicunt tho. Do the rules change?

>>12278825
pretty much every third born noble son in history

>>12278825
The part of the Promessi Sposi by Manzoni of the nun of Monza

>>12279165
Disagree.

>>12278825
San Manuel Bueno, Martyr is pretty good. Not exactly what you want but close

>>12278836
>>12278825
ay yo why u finna be a prist tho

>>12281543
I'm not.

>>12281543
This, why?

>>12281543
>>12281543
There is nothing else. Too impoverished to continue my education, unfit for military service, cannot find jobs that aren't dozens of miles away willing only to pay peanuts, credit score is beyond repair, have no family and what friends I had have abandoned me over the years, and cannot pack up and move due to having nothing. I'm well spoken, brilliant many say, and every time I want to get into my field of choice, I am nickle and dimed for fees, or am told I lack this or that soft. There are very real barriers to entry to even the most simple of qualifiers from volunteering to research, to almost anything. They don't care about my ability; they care about my résumé. Every time I try to break into anything else beside the most menial of jobs, they view me as an interloper who's here today and gone tomorrow and isn't worth the effort of training. I cannot plead my case with anyone as the usual reaction is skepticism, the thought that someone this well put together is making everything up. You would not believe the number of eye rolls I have gotten from once friends whenever I didn't order lunch or a drink, as if they could not conceive of someone like me not having even a few bucks.

The choice is— become a priest or struggle only to starve for the immediate future. It is that simple. Even life as a seminarian will be immeasurably better as nearly all provide 3 warm full meals a day and a place to stay, some even provide a small stipend. I've discussed my situation before. The dioceses is still interested; the fact that they see potential in me alone makes it a welcoming prospect. Potential is an alien concept in the credential world. I've been employed at length before and do have a track record of being a good reliable worker. I've had enough struggling. I fear even if I made it to where I wanted to be in life with original aspirations, I would be left incredibly bitter and hateful, which is the worst outcome of them all.

>>12282114
>unfit for military service
How? Mental issues? That's really the only way, unless you don't have any school credentials at all. Military did wonders for my employability. You should work towards that if you're young, it'll give you perspective. I believe, and I suppose your diocese also thinks, that you were put in this position for a reason. If you really genuinely feel the call, I wish you well.

>>12282140
Damaged my arm.

Any books on a man reluctantly becoming a woman to save his girl/family/village/people/nation?

>>12282146
Lying on medical = good
Lying on criminal = bad

They don't have access to medical records you don't give them. I mean, potentially, before Obamacare. I wouldn't know about now, but I still doubt it.

Brothers Karamazov

>>12282146
>>12282146
>>12282152
Damaged permanently and cannot be hid upon scrutiny. I'm somewhat obtuse with the exact nature of the injury. I failed the MEPS physical examination.

>>12282161
>failed meps
Say no more fambly. Check out this kid's channel. He's part of what set me seriously considering religious life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6uHLwdERAA&list=PLIEHvf1_M4UuvOI3qh6DE_BfkuXlKqckG

>>12278825

It is very admirable that you want to go into religious life, anon. I myself am thinking about entering a monastery. I am bit in the same position as you. However, I am a bit worried for your well-being with what I have heard from your posts in this thread. Please don't see this as being like the other experiences of denial. Being a parish priest can be surprisingly isolating if you do not have an exceptionally strong spiritual life. I have realized that I personally need to wait a bit before entering the monastery and grow stronger mentally and spiritually. Given that you have felt the pains of social isolation, I think the blessing of the priesthood could also be a significant challenge. Considering you phrase your interest with "There is nothing else" in a negative sense is a bit worrisome. I would hope to hear "There is nothing else" in a sense that nothing provides you with the spiritual edification. I know what you mean since I too have seen the monastery as simply being a refuge instead of a place of spiritual grandeur.

That being said, I know nothing of your spiritual life. Please don't think of me as belittling you. Rather, it is important that the Church gets young men in its seminaries who are truly committed and love the priesthood, not just see it as a last resort. Perhaps you know all this well. Perhaps you do not. Either way, I hope you understand what I said anon. May God bless us all and I hope you have a Merry Christmas. I will pray for you.

>>12282178
Watched a few things. Not really a fan to be honest, but interesting insight nonetheless. I would consider being what amounts to a resident member of Opus Dei before a Friar though. If you're able to be a friar, you're able to be a monk which I think would be the superior lifestyle.
>>12282220
Exactly why I have not up and joined.

>>12282154
this but also interested in other responses

>>12278825
In "Amadeus", Salieri reluctantly becomes a priest, but that's not the main story.

>>12282220
I should add, social isolation was not itself a complaint did not mean to imply it as such. It was my fixed position in life which caused me to lose my 'successful' friends. I want to make it clear, I do not feel the least bit lonely. The crux of the matter has been poverty, and an inability to pursue what I wanted to. My bitterness isn't against those in my life or even those who I've lost, or even winning the esteem of others, but people, bureaucrats and institutions who do not have the word potential in their vocabulary.

>>12282224
yeh, he's kind of an annoying git and i think secretly gay. but he knows his catechism.

>>12282220
this is a very pure and well spoken post. thank you for helping anon so well.

>>12278825
Le morte amoureuse, Théophile Gautier

>>12282220
You know, you are able to join as an initiate for up to a couple years in most orders before you take your vows. You should join the monetary immediately, explain your intent to grow spiritually and physically. Even if you do not decide to carry on, you'll know specifically what areas you need to grow in. Good luck anon and merry Christmas.

>>12278825
Should I become a priest? I honestly feel like it's one of the few things I could do that would make my life feel fulfilling

>>12282500
r u me

>>12278825
>>12278836
red and the black

>>12278825
I've never read the exorcist, but at least in the movie that was the story of demian karras

It's not specifically about that, but Into Great Silence is a great documentary about trappist monks,

>>12282942
*Carthusian, not trappist.

>>12278920
But he actually did, unknowingly, go into the priesthood for the right reasons.

>>12280215
Anglican here, I had a chat with my parish father and was told that a master of divinity takes 3 years followed by 2 or more years of what he termed clinical placement. after that you can get ordained. i dont know about where you are but in canada we have a major problem with closing churches, my Dioceses is expected to have 81 members in the next 30 years and the Anglican church as a whole in Canada reported deficit for the first time this quarter.( a small one tho only about $1000) so a lot of postiones are not going to be filled. which is just fine.

I’m glad that there is small, friendly, non-larper Christian population on this board where we can have interesting threads like this one.

Merry Christmas to you all

>>12280030
Yes. I've been visiting one off and on over the year, and will be visiting another one next month.

They're really good, and I partially converted because of my experience at one. You're actually very busy during your stay in having meals and following the monks through their divine office schedule. If you're going to go, stay for longer than a week at least.

>>12282220
What up fellow monk-anon. What order are you thinking of? I've been looking at the Cistercians and have been chatting with a vocation director at an abbey.

>>12283513
Can I ask what that experience was?

>>12283439
England lad. After falling for several years the decline seems to have levelled off for now and some parts of the country are actually on the rise. Aside from that is there a different path you follow depending on whether your high or low church? I'm /lit/ so you don't need to ask my liturgical preferences

>>12283583
Bit long, so forgive me:

I had gone to the abbey because the month prior because I discovered Thomas Merton's autobiography accidentally, laying in a free-book pile in the basement of a college chapel. I read it, and it hit home for me like nothing else. There's that moment towards the later portion of his autobiography where he's walking around downtown Louisville after visiting gethsemani and notices how everyone is walking around as "though they were doing something important," realizing that a life outside the walls of his future abbey would lead to nothing but chaos. That jived with me real hard, because I had had a similar realization at a mall just a few months prior.

During compline, on my first night of the monastery, I sat among all the other guests in the chapel. We sat in the back while the monks gathered ahead of us. We were covered in darkness. The very moment they began to sing I began to weep profusely. I've lost jobs. Pretty girls have broken my heart. I've been to too many funerals. Yet never before had I encountered such weeping. And I continued to sob. And sob. And sob. And sob even until the services closed and everyone left, leaving me in the dark, alone with my hot, wet cheeks of youthful flesh.

Because you see anon, I realized what the monks were doing. They were calling out to the heavens to intercede in our world. As when a blind, newly born kitten cries out to their mother for milk, unable to feed itself, the monks were calling out in the darkness for their maker to come meet them. In a world that is broken and filled with pain, the monks were calling for the coming of the only one who can save us all: God. This was the most honest human action I had ever seen.

>>12283630
mr jive-with-me-real-hard, don't think you'd know honesty if it descended from heaven to chastise you

>>12283630
I expected something cringey like you see in the YouTube comments of those stupid ‘Atheist vs Christian’ debates but your post touched my soul anon.

I wish you good luck in your future endeavours.

>>12283463
Merry Christmas anon

>>12283621
I'm glad to hear that, I hope we see that everywhere, it certainly made me get more involved in my local church.
Roger Scruton is a real blessing in terms of Anglican knowledge, theology and history.

>>12283520
I am another anon, but I am also going through vocation. So far I feel that Lord calls me to be a Discalced Carmelite

>>12282114
>I'm well spoken, brilliant many say
Ha!

http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/joseph.htm

>>12283513
Partially? Are you an atheist? I'm an atheist but really unsatisfied with the material world. Also after reading Brothers Karamazov, I felt more interested in the monk lifestyle.

>>12283864
Provided you were a baptized catholic, I think most monestaries would admit an atheist as an initiate provided he adhered to the rules and did not have a closed heart so to speak. The ones following the tradition of Bruno expressly forbade such those following the rule of Benedict should permit it, depending of course on the monastery.

>>12283883
I wasn't baptized as one because my stupid grandmas were brainwashed into becoming Jehova Witnesses and so my parents never grew up as Catholics. My heart would remain closed to believe in God and the Bible literally, there's no way around that however I do like Jesus and the spiritual approach to life if such thing is even possible as an atheist. I also really despise the Catholic church. I have visited numeral cathedrals and they seemed so ostentatious with all that gold, most likely that Jesus would object to that. For that reason, I'm glad that I wasn't baptized and part of the Catholic church.

>>12284015
They might let you join still for a trial period. I'd contact them and express interest.

>>12283630
Really beautiful post anon

Especially the part about weeping

>>12283630
>leaving me in the dark, alone with my hot, wet cheeks of youthful flesh.
Lol'd. Trying a bit too hard there, anon.

>had gay sex once
>if wanted to become a priest would have to confess it
>would either be turned away or recruited into one of those ominous sex cabals
feels bad man

>>12283630
This was so good I thought it was a quote whenever I first read it.

>>12278825
Sven Delblanc (Swedish author) wrote this book called Samuels bok(Samuel's book). I haven't read it(in finnish) but the first 50 pages. Its about something like op asked. a priest struggling with himself in rural sweden, something like that-

>>12284104
You should also confess that you spend your time posting on a white nationalist anime porn forum.

>>12284104
Do not join. The church is already filled with too many people like this, which is why it is in such decline.

>>12284128
One of the reasons the modern priesthood exists is to give a vocation to gays, bozo.

>>12284140
No, it isn't, retard. The reason it exists is to continue the Apostolic succession of the Holy, Roman Catholic Church. Homosexuals should not be admitted into any vocation.

>>12283708
I was lucky enough to get his book 'Our Church' for Christmas, looking forward to the read.

>>12284154
>Homosexuals should not be admitted into any vocation.

How very Christian.

>>12284166
Very Christian indeed.

>>12284174
>Some saint said something
Doesn't determine any doctrinal or canonical matters. I doubt you could find five living bishops on the face of the planet that would agree with that.

>>12278904
You got a torrent file for the movie, anon?

>>12284174
People who are weak in the faith latch on to things like this. They enjoy seeing sins (invariably those from which they do not suffer) being condemned in the harshest possible terms. They possess a certain type of prideful mania which strives for strictness and manifests itself in hateful behavior. Such is the state of the majority of Catholic posters on /lit/.

>>12284184
>I doubt you could find five living bishops on the face of the planet that would agree with that.
So popularity and consensus are the arbiters of right and wrong?

Saint Paul, makes it abundantly clear that homosexual clergy is forbidden in the epistles to Timothy and to Titus.
>[1] A faithful saying: if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. [2] It behoveth therefore a bishop to be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, prudent, of good behaviour, chaste, given to hospitality, a teacher, [3] Not given to wine, no striker, but modest, not quarrelsome, not covetous, but [4] One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all chastity. [5] But if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?
>For a bishop must be without crime, as the steward of God: not proud, not subject to anger, not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre: [8] But given to hospitality, gentle, sober, just, holy, continent
The decline of the Church and the abuse scandal of today is the result of relaxed standards, and abandoning traditional doctrine in favor of platitudes and ambiguities.

>>12284209
But a saint said this, right? So let's look at that and preempt the objection. The saint is speaking from a place of holiness. The saint hates sin because he or she is holy. And hating sin means most that they hate themselves. That they recognize with far greater acuity the sin present in themselves. They recognize that they are a worse sinner than any sodomite. Along with St. Paul they can accurately state that they are the chief of sinners. Is this your own position, >>12284174? Do you feel this way about yourself, that the homosexual that you condemn is a holier man than you are? Don't even pretend that you do. What you feel is pride, the opposite of saintliness, which brings one low through humility. The way up is the way down, so to speak.

>>12284222
In reality the abuse scandal is caused by forbidding priests to marry, which causes people who have no normal sexual outlet within society to pursue the priesthood. There's no doctrinal reason for this restriction; it is a malleable canonical rule that can be changed at any point.

>>12284195
No. Hopefully someone can. I'm on a slow, data-capped connection, otherwise I would (assuming it's in the public domain of course).

A Happy and Blessed Christmas to all.

>>12278825
San Manuel Bueno Mártir, don't remember the translated title right now

>>12284195
magnet:?xt=urn:btih:ff25d666e31913e5dda74fa2d7e73497b3cb1b3b&dn=Diary.of.a.country.priest.1951.dvdrip_%5B2.18%5D_%5Bteko+%5D&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.leechers-paradise.org%3A6969&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Fzer0day.ch%3A1337&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Fopen.demonii.com%3A1337&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.coppersurfer.tk%3A6969&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Fexodus.desync.com%3A6969

Merry Christmas, Y'll.

>>12282114
so you think the catholic church can just bail you out of your problems?

>>12283630
I would ram my dick between those wet cheeks of youthful flesh if you know what I mean

>>12285419
Coldness of heart, the post.

>all these people ITT wanting to join a monastery or a seminary just to escape their miserable lives

I feel like you faggots have missed the entire point

>>12285450
I think you missed the point. They conceded the very criticism you are levying.

>>12285450
That is part of the point

>>12278825
homers odyssey

odysseus after reclaiming his kingdom has to carry an oar inland until someone mistakes it for a winnowing fan.he essentially becomes a priest of poseidon.

you can always turn to homer for most anything that matters in life

>>12278825
i wanna become a monk but then i can't shitpost on 4chan :/

>>12285590
If you can write on your own online blog then surely you can also shitpost

https://monkallover.blogspot.com/

>>12283864
I'm more of a Christian deist for now. I was non-religious, and am working on building up my spiritual life. I accept that an honest analysis of the human condition leads one to something more spiritual.

>>12286078
Oh, hey, you (and others in a similar position)
I grew up completely without religion, my parents said something like letting me chose when I grow up but without any indoctrination I ended up accepting all religions as interesting historical and cultural elements but I lack the concept of divinity as a single official true way. Like, people adoring FDR or Christ sound more or less the same to me, even worse when comparing christianity with other religions.

What made you think that the best way to develop a spiritual life was the christian method? Did you consider different christ cult variants before picking? How did you weight them out? Why not judaism or the Q'ran if they share their root?
Not baiting.... I feel I have to let people know before they get mad.

>>12280215
Become Catholic. More formalized and structured. You also get way more resources and choices
And the theological differences tend to the Catholic side, anyway

>>12286131
I sympthaisze. I also grew up non-religious. Went to Sunday school as a teenager, but did nothing after that. Vaguely believed in God, but didn't do anything about it.

Certainly there are many other faiths you can use to gain access to the spiritual. Thomas Merton looked into Buddhism a lot and found similarities in his monastic life and the one of the Buddhist monk. Simone Weil (another Christian mystic) looked into the Bhagavad Gita and found truth in it. I actually admire Islamic piety.

So why Christianity? Because, to me, only Judaism and Christianity have any sort of useful intellectualism. This is especially true in Catholicism. It is a type of faith where you are actively encouraged to take your mind to its absolute limit before you make "the leap". I enjoy having access to that aspect of Christianity if I need it. Plus, I find Christianity to be the most challenging religion available in terms of how much it reveals all of your weaknesses. Christ sets a standard that is unreachable, yet highly desirable.

But mostly, here's the trick: you don't need to have everything figured out before you make the first leap. Just take it. Jump. You'll be a beginner just like everyone else was at some point.

>>12278935
Unironically makes me want to kill myself
Holy fuck, is nowhere comfortable for people who don’t believe in promiscuity and sin? Can’t I even trust in God to give me peace?

>>12286254
I didn't even go to sunday school or any kind of mass, so please consider that the myth aspect of christianity seems as logical as scientology. Obviously if you add everything bad christianity did it can still be seen as a possitive force in history and the other one is a scam. I'm talking about the particularities, for example the concept of afterlife sounds as intuitive as taking out bad souls from you with metal dildos.

This is sincerely a big hurdle because I can apreicate Aquinas but I fail to make the initial compromise that he's talking about his god. I haven't heard of decent modern christian philosophers but I'm sure american TV and Petersonfags make that difficult.

I still think I've slowly developed a spiritual life in a personal way, probably not too different from people deeply religious who don't have access to a priest for example. I'm not prideful about this, I don't call myself an iconoclast while looking at my fedora collection, you know? But I sort of wish I could get that connection other people get, even if it's just as an intellectual process and not a fully spiritual one.

>>12286264
Start new priesthood. Have gatekeeping.

>>12286337
Because I can’t accept things as they are? I feel vain and childish, and I fear I’ll put my burdens on God

>>12286264
>people who don’t believe in promiscuity and sin
like, you don't think it exists?
how can you be a christian and not believe in sin? what did christ die for then? shits and giggles?

>>12286354
Who don’t dedicate themselves to it. But again, it’s childish to hold people to high standards. Expecting them not to sin is what you said, expecting His sacrifice to be futile

>>12278935
most of the catholics are degenerate and liberal these days

>>12286349
1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
God has already accepted all of your burdens. Don't you know that? He is your Father and He loves you. He wants you to rely on Him, that He may make you strong enough to survive this terrible world. That's not an excuse to not do all you can, but know that you can do little apart from God.
Maybe God wants you to help others who feel as you do. Maybe He wants you to make a place for them.

>>12286309
Understandable, anon. I'm working may up as well. It takes time, and effort. It's not easy and it never will be.

Remember that Christianity has multiple components. The Bible. Basic theology. Jesus. Prayer. It's very overwhelming at first. Prepare for that.

Many great Christian writers and such also didn't make a full conversion until later in life. Merton was ~25. Weil was maybe in her 20s. St. Augustine was also young before converting.

What I *do* actively recommend is analyzing how your enviorment affects your understanding of divinity. How the media you consume and your culture can affect your outlook on religion. Think of how sin can distance you from what you want. And also prepare to "settle in" for the ride. if you're honest, you'll be in this for the long-haul.

Start with religious memoirs, too. They've been helpful to me because you'll realize your struggles have been had before. Thomas Merton & Henri Nouwen are good.

>>12278825
How the fuck are there actual christians on 4chan? I always thought that every single christfag was someone larping as a christfag. It doesn’t make sense that you would associate yourself with this sinful shithole of a website if you sincerely believed in following the word of God

>>12286429
Jesus, whores, tax collectors

>>12283520
Honestly, the main thing holding me back from just joining a monastery right now is that the amount of orders and monasteries is a bit overwhelming. All of them are interesting but I'm always worried I would commit to what isn't the best for me.
If only there was a Catholic Mt. Athos. The lack of a centralized holy place for western monasticism is rather sad. :(

>>12283630
Funny enough, there is a monk in the Coptic Church that lives in the Egyptian desert at this very moment that had almost the same story. He was an atheist that had deaths in his family, read the autobiography of Thomas Merton, and found peace in God afterwards. Maybe look up Father Lazarus from Egypt on YouTube.

>>12286309
I wish the best for you anon. Keep a pure heart and so long as you seek, you shall find.

>>12286429
No doubt all these closet cases will carry on the fine tradition of the Catholic clergy.

>>12286419
>Start with religious memoirs, too. They've been helpful to me because you'll realize your struggles have been had before. Thomas Merton & Henri Nouwen are good.
this is a really solid rec I hadn't considered at all, thanks.
I wish this was mentioned more in christianity threads, maybe it is and I just missed it.

>>12286429
do you think priests shy away from criminals or search out for them? if anything it makes complete sense for a few of them to be here.

You also have the classic american christ wacko that can't see how weird they look to everyone else, including other christians. That happens with everything so no biggie.

>>12286429
I think that you expect christfags to be paragons of stoicism.
They simply come here for the freedom of discussion and silliness that this place allows for

>>12286429
I get downvoted on reddit.

>>12286686
you get downvoted here too

>>12286692
I get based and redpills here.

>>12286708
intellectual downotes, yes

>>12286711
Cringe and bluepilled

>>12286711
Based and redpilled

>>12286429
Where the heck else are we supposed to go? /r/books and are /r/literature garbage.

Plus, /lit/ is really the only place I visit. This board is pretty SFW.

>>12286309
His arguments get frightfully close to a Christian God. Omniscient, omnipotent, all-loving (panphilic?), transcendent of course, but he extends that into arguments for a triune Uncaused Cause and the necessity of incarnation for the salvation of man.
Try Edward Feser or William Lane Craig for modern Christian philosophers.

>>12284154
>He doesn't know that half the clergy is secretly gay

>>12287148
try /his/

MW by Tezuka !!

>>12278825
>139 replies
>no 'my diary desu'
for shame

>>12287167
>Edward Feser
How is 'The Last Superstition' anyway? It's been on my kindle for years and I still haven't read it.

>>12287390
He's pretty funny. See: https://thomasaquinas.edu/news/lecture-dr-edward-feser-what-we-owe-new-atheists

>Again, though, this makes the title of my talk a bit puzzling. What could we possibly owe to a group of thinkers as intellectually and morally dubious as the New Atheists (other than a few cheap laughs at their expense)? To see the answer, let’s consider an analogy drawn from a cultural artifact from the early 1980s, whose theological potential I think remains untapped. I’m speaking, naturally, of Rocky III, that classic of boxing cinema starring Sylvester Stallone in the title role and Mr. T as challenger Clubber Lang. I trust you’ve seen the movie. Our hero Rocky Balboa — a Catholic, it is worth noting — is portrayed as a man who has, by this second sequel, at last reached the top of his sport. No longer the somewhat punch-drunk and perpetually bruised lovable lug of the first two movies, Rocky is handsome, tanned, well-coiffed, well-dressed, rich and famous, universally loved. And he’s certainly earned all these good things. Yet he’s also become soft and complacent. He’s gotten used to domestic life, and to wealth and the creature comforts it provides. He doesn’t fight the strongest challengers to his title as heavyweight champ. He trains only halfheartedly, and not even in a real gym but in a hotel ballroom surrounded by fawning admirers. He doesn’t listen to his crusty old trainer Mickey — played by Burgess Meredith — who warns him that he’s lost his edge.

>>12286131
>What made you think that the best way to develop a spiritual life was the christian method? Did you consider different christ cult variants before picking?
The other anon pretty much answered for me as well. So why not judaism? Due to Christianity, and the messiah that was promissed. Why not Islam? Have you read the Q'ran? It is a poorly written, politicized bible knock-off. And the historical context in which it was written, makes that even clearer.

If you search for love and light to enter your life, you will find Christ. Merry Christmas lad.

>>12287490
I read that as
>Merry Christmas dad

>>12287390
Haven't actually read his books, I need to get those. His blog is good, at least. I'd recommend 5 Proofs or Scholastic Metaphysics, though, as the New Atheism he responds to in Last Superstition isn't that interesting a position aside from its current regrettable popularity.

This thread really hit close to home. Some of these replies are literally me at this point.

Finished PoliSci but felt that any sort of career in academia will make me nothing more than a mouthpiece of a certain ideology or certain institution without any spiritual fulfillment. Currently wage slaving for enrollment in Theology and hopefully my own church in the future.

God bless and god speed Anons, may you find peace with Christ and his message!

>>12288754
The thread and most of the replies are the complete opposite of what you are writing. They are considering religious life as a last resort and are quite reluctant about it. You in contrast have plenty of other choices. Not to be rude, but having your "own church" is hardly a sacrifice either; you can marry, have children, etc, and most importantly, can always walk away from it without consequence. Not so with the priesthood, which makes joining for lack of other opportunities a real conundrum.

I for one find it a fascinating dilemma and hope more books can be posted on it.

>>12283708
>>12283621
>>12283439
God I hate Anglicans

>>12283630

>>12289382
They are heretics.

Any books on priests who are actually atheist yet at the same time do not act immorally?

>>12290235
Or films.

>>12278966
Start your own church and ordain yourself, nigga

>>12278935
>anti-catholic propaganda from the united states of israel

Friendly reminder that Hollywood will never make a movie or documentary about all the Jewish sex abusers it has, pedophiles in NGOs, public schools, etc.

>>12290235
John Dominic Crossan is a retired Catholic Priest who is basically a deist. He believes in Christian morals and God but not the resurrection.

How the fuck has nobody mentioned The Confessions of Saint Augustine? He didn't join because of lack of other opportunities I guess but he was literally forced to become a bishop by the church hierarchy when he wanted nothing to do with it.

>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46687275

This woman came pretty much close to living the life that so many of those here aspire to.

> hermit-like existence in a caravan
>hosted unscripted BBC shows from galleries across the world
>In 1950 Sister Wendy's order sent her to Oxford University, where she lodged in a convent, and was awarded a Congratulatory First Class degree in English literature.
>After obtaining permission to study art in the 1980s - largely through books and postcard reproductions of the great works obtained from galleries
>In 1991 the BBC commissioned her to present a television documentary on the National Gallery in London.
>Dressed in black nun's habit, Sister Wendy stood in front of paintings, and without script or autocue discussed them to the camera.

Any books on man reluctantly becoming religious? I always considered myself hard fedora-tipper, but I found myself leaning towards Christianity lately, as my plans for life didn't quite come to a fruition and I feel helpless, and there is always this thought of a God in the back of my head, which grow stronger by the day. It's like this shit is wired into us, as a cope mechanism to get on with the cruelty of uncompromising and uncontrollable fate.

>>12290566
I don't know of any, anon. Maybe check out William James' Varieties of Religious Experience. I believe he covered the phenomenon of being born again.

>>12290566
"Suffering draws and forces men to God, whether they like it or not."
- Henry Suso

>>12290566
Confessions

>>12278825
morte d'urban by JF Powers. A comic novel about an american priest. From the early 60s.

>>12290566
your diary after you read augustine and kierkegaard

>>12290519
Where the fuck in the confessions was this said? Augustine came to terms with his iniquity and cultivated himself to the level of priesthood at his own will and preference

>>12290566
>sees that he’s coping
>help me cope harder!

>>12292050
Cringe

Like the other posters on this thread, I too want to become a priest. But it's not as a last resort. I'm entering my first year of university and planning on becoming a lawyer, but these last few years there's the appeal of being a priest to me. I don't know if it's just the fact that I'm a pretty religious person or the lifestyle that surrounds being a priest that appeals to me. I'm currently reading Confessions and it is strengthening my desire of becoming a priest.

>>12290439
Not very christ like of you

>>12290566
>>12292050

I used to think it was a cope, but when I began to fast, pray, and actually try take it seriously, and I realized the hedonism I partook in before was the true cope. To truly believe, confess your sins, do penance, and amend your life, while always being aware of the finality of life and your actions is not a pleasurable thing. It is deeply satisfying and uniquely human, as anon described but it was certainly not any happy lie I told myself. Boomer Protestantism would probably fit the cope description since its once saved always saved, but those who truly believe the Catholic faith I do not believe fall under such a category.
I think 4chan as a conglomerate tends to say anything it is unaccustomed with as being a cope. (I am not accusing you necessarily) Ironically, calling things a cope is a cope in of itself in that way. I used to always justify despondency with saying the alternatives were just "copes" when in reality that was just a lie I told myself to feel happy. I knew from the few spiritual experiences I had that I was missing something in my life and I constantly tried to push it way. That, for me at least, was the cope.

>>12282220
Based.
>>12283767
>>12286448
One of the reasons I am glad to be Orthodox

I found my calling in the medical profession; I don't see myself doing anything else with my life. I might have idealised it too much and be a bit naive, but I'd ultimately want to be a family doctor of sorts in a small town.

>>12284015
>jesus would object to that
He's the same God that designed this tabernacle:

The most recent study of Hebrew weights by R. B. Y. Scott (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, London and New York 1962, sect. 35) reckons the talent at about 64 lbs. (29 kg.) and the sanctuary shekel 1/3 oz. or 9.7 gr. According to this calculation there would be some 1,900 lbs. of gold, 6,437 lbs. of silver, and 4,522 lbs. of bronze.

Adorning your church should never be the first objective, but there is no reason to avoid it outright either

>>12283812
big vote for this one

>>12278825
just gonna plug this again because i think you'd really enjoy it OP
"Mark Brian, a young vicar, is sent to the First Nations village of Kingcome in British Columbia, home to people of the Dzawa̱da̱'enux̱w tribe of the Kwakwaka'wakw nation. His bishop sends him, knowing that Mark is suffering from an unnamed, fatal disease, in order to learn life's hard lessons in the time left to him. Mark is unaware of his terminal illness and his bishop does not tell him. "

God Bless every poster in this nice thread

>>12285267
already brought up, but yes it is very good. also
>cant remember the english
come bro, this is easy as fuck. Saint Manuel (the) Good, Martyr.

>>12278825
Anything about Erasmus. He had *a lot* of things to say when he was basically enslaved into the priestly order.
>Publically badmouths monks
>Publically badmouths priests
>Publically stated that the pope is going to burn in hell
>Literally too intelligent to silence
>Wouldn't accept bribes from anyone
He's actually why I got into Latin

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/260980/praise-of-folly-by-desiderius-erasmus/9780140446081/

>>12292648
bless u

I would recommend reading biographies of the Neomartyrs. Most of the people in here appear to be Catholic/Anglican but that shouldn't be an issue.

>>12292648
Thank you and God bless you too good anon.

>>12290519
That is not in confessions

>>12292549
You say there's no reason to not adorned it but what would be a good reason to adornate it at all? The donations could be put to better use. Catholic church just stinks of materialism

>>12286448
Sadly, centres of Western Monasticism have been destroyed or dealt damaging blows. Cluny Abbey, the Abbey of St. Victor, Lérins Abbey, Lindisfarne, Monte Cassino, etc. all have very little influence today as they once did.

>>12294044

>You say there's no reason to not adorned it but what would be a good reason to adornate it at all? The donations could be put to better use.

I have been informed by my fellow Catholics on previous occasions that the reason for so much adornments is because the Church is the Body of Christ, and so we glorify him by adorning His Body. It isn’t our priority, as the previous anon explained, but there is no reason why we shouldn’t.

I believe we can gleam this from the Gospel According to Mark 14:3-5. ‘And when he was in Bethania, in the house of Simon the leper, and was at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of precious spikenard: and breaking the alabaster box, she poured it out upon his head. [4] Now there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said: Why was this waste of the ointment made? [5] For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and given to the poor. And they murmured against her.’ The Lord Jesus responds in Mark 14:6, ‘[6] But Jesus said: Let her alone, why do you molest her? She hath wrought a good work upon me.’

>Catholic church just stinks of materialism.

Well, I think if you took a gander at the Orthodox Church you would have a similar reaction, they’re rather decorative.

>>12294044
Protestantism inspires nothing and is dead on the inside, much like their churches. They criticize Catholics for so called ostentatious materialism in their cathedrals but forget that this not only venerated God, but inspired countless people to draw their hearts and souls upward instead of around them.

Putting donations to so-called better use is a harmful mentality as it makes individuals feel as if their donations to charitable causes and so forth makes them a "good person" to compensate for their inability to serve others in their own lives. Protestants seldom give money to anyone, except perhaps as a loan (often expecting interest!). Everyone has friends, family and neighbors that are suffering, but protestants, turn a blind eye, and say 'not my problem' and yet, to a "Mission" in some third-world country they donate $150 a month, as if that compensates for walking over the Lazaruses in their life every day. It is hypocrisy, and also is an act of making you feel powerful, as though it is you, and not God's grace that made this all possible.
You need to look up to God instead of making yourself God.

>>12289340
You don't know shit man, sorry to say it but you have made a huge set of assumptions regarding anon's wishes to become part of the priesthood. Even if it may seem there's plenty of life choices to pick from, there's only really few of choices to make in life, as specially the ones that define your role in the universe and as when all others have failed to give you any meaning in life.

For me it's either returning home only to reinforce my parent's idea about me being a loser, as well as a coward, or making a life for myself either in the private sector or academia. Both have failed and i sure as hell don't plan on backpedaling.

The only thing keeping me going was the idea that there is always more to life than the banal, menial things that surround us. That idea i have found it's logical conclusion in Christianity, and in the idea of becoming a priest.

>>12294126
He explicitly stated he wanted to start his own Church as opposed to wanting to become a priest. Your own experience and intent differs substantially from his. The larger point was that becoming a priest is a much more difficult of a decision than setting about to get a MDiv and starting one's own church.

>>12294162
I'm the anon you originally replied to. Building a church might sound hard but ultimately it's not impossible if you crowdfund finances from the community as well as your own pocket. Granted first i'd want to build a small wooden church from my own means but generally funding isn't an issue when it comes to funding orthodox churches

>>12294108
What a shitty LARP post. Are you a fucking WASP or something?

What's the veredict for monks and priests shitposting on 4chan? yay or nay

>>12294314
Monks should not be allowed to use the internet, period.
Only way I can see a priest on here is if he disabled images.

>>12278825
So you’re an incel and you figured you might as well make it a virtue. An inversion of values. Smart

>>12294360
No man is an incel

>>12294360
Incel is the polar opposite. Their condition is by definition involuntary.

The crime of padre amaro by Eça de Queirós

>>12294318
Monks already use smartphones in monasteries, why the fuck wouldn't they be allowed to use the internet?

>>12292395
>But it's not as a last resort.
I'm one of the previous posters, and it's not a last resort for me either. Anyway, I wish you luck, and pray that you will succeed.

Beneath the Wheel by Hesse has the main character join a school that leads to becoming a priest only out of social and scholarly obligation

I want to be a Deacon in my little parish. The good thing is I can keep my secular profession while serving the Church, the bad thing is I have to get married first and women here are ultra feminists (Orthodox deacons and priests have to get married before Ordination, it's prohibited afterwards).

>>12294579
Shit-tier monestaries permit it. Good monasteries forbid internet and cellphone usage.
Strict Observance, more hermetical orders (Carmelite, Camaldolese ) and of course the Carthusians all strictly forbid it and rightly so.

>>12278935
Sounds like the stories my flaming ex-priest friend used to tell.

>>12294655
>>12294536
>>12291563
>>12290482
>>12287310
>>12284119
>>12282291
>>12282237
>>12282555
>>12281343
>>12279820
>>12279157
>>12278940
Thanks, I'll look into these. Other suggestions are still appreciated.

>>12283630
fuck off with your self-important bullshit

>>12296698
thank you for the contribution

>>12295308
Sounds like confirmation bias from being a wretched sodomite whose only interest in the priesthood was use it as a cloak for his wretched acts as so great a many have since Vatican II. I shall become pope one day and expel all homosexuals out of the church.