/lit/ - Literature

>>17737830
Is there a particular reason you would read something besides the bible?

God's Revelation to the Human Heart by Seraphim Rose

>>17737830
The way of the Pilgrim and The Pilgrim Continues His way

The Philokalia

Sayings of the Desert Fathers

Mere Christianity
Imitation of Christ
Any classic hagiography

>>17737840
>the bible?
I'm going to start the absolute essential parts now but I don't think it's going to put me into the mind of a religious person like another work might.

>>17737830
Read some Dostoyevsky, Cs Luis, and Chesterton

not necessarily a feel good book tho.

>>17737902
Pray before and after reading the bible. Start with the Gospels.

>>17737830
Read Eliade's Sacred and Profane. Not just about christianity but about any form of belief/religion.

>>17737830
I know you dont want to hear this, but the best bools to read in order to grasp Christianity best are: the book of isaih, romans, and hebrews. Kjv preferably

>>17737830
Christ's samurai

>>17737830
Holiness of God by R C Sproul
Knowing God by J I Packer

>>17737830
The Everlasting Man

>>17737830
The Gospel in Brief by Tolstoy would be a good summation from the perspective of a believer and the "warmth" they get from it.

>>17737830
>>17738766

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZiTpgU6sPM

here's an excerpt from the prologue:
I regard Christianity neither as an inclusive divine revelation nor as an historical phenomenon, but as a teaching which gives us the meaning of life. I was led to Christianity neither by theological nor historical investigations but by this-that when I was fifty years old, having asked myself and all the learned men around me what I am and what is the meaning of my life, and received the answer that I am a fortuitous concatenation of atoms and that life has no meaning but is itself an evil, I fell into despair and wanted to put an end to my life; but remembered that formerly in childhood when I believed, life had a meaning for me, and that for the great mass of men about me who believe and are not corrupted by riches life has a meaning; and I doubted the validity of the reply given me by the learned men of my circle and I tried to understand the reply Christianity gives to those who live a real life. And I began to seek Christianity in the Christian teaching that guides such men's lives. I began to study the Christianity which I saw applied in life and to compare that applied Christianity with its source.

>>17738799
>that I am a fortuitous concatenation of atoms and that life has no meaning but is itself an evil, I fell into despair and wanted to put an end to my life; but remembered that formerly in childhood when I believed, life had a meaning for me, and that for the great mass of men about me who believe and are not corrupted by riches life has a meaning
Whoa. I really needed that. I'll be reading this soon.

>>17738766
>>17738799
this dude was a pedo rapist and not a christian

>>17737830
To understand the basis of Christian thought you must first read Plato, Aristotle, and then Plotinus. After them, you should read some St. Augustine and then the Summa by Aquinas. After that, reading the bible and the commentaries of the church fathers is a good next step. reading other Neoplatonic Christian thinkers like Boethius is good too.

>>17737830
I'll admit I haven't read that much, but Confessions of saint Augustine for me

>>17737830
Jesus: A Biography from a Believer - Paul Johnson

>>17737830
>a river runs through it by maclean
>the everlasting man by chesterton
>the sayings of the desert fathers
pic is my comfy shelf
>>17737853
the philokalia is pretty complex for lay people

>>17738104
>Kjv
nobody cares about this except anglos

>>17739282
he said he is not interested in philosophy

>>17739267
huh?

Books on the lives of the saints or writings of the saints.
Say, St.Teresa of Avila autobiography.
After a while it gets obvious that they are what we all are supposed to be.

>>17739282
>why yes I do browse /lit/, how could you tell?

Karen Armstrong's books are good. A history of God and The Bible: the biography are both good books.

>>17739493
>he said he is not interested in philosophy
Too bad for him. Do you want to understand why Christians believe what they do? you'll have to understand the underlying metaphysics.

I’m liking Orthodoxy by Chesterton. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. Development of Doctrine by Newman if you want big boy stuff.

I’m liking Orthodoxy by Chesterton. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. Development of Doctrine by Newman if you want big boy stuff.
Grotius On the Truth of the Christian Religion if you want a case for Christianity.

If you want to feel faith, the Bible itself- Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs, Gospel of John. Maybe Christian poetry like Milton On the Night of Christ’s Nativity. Or attend a high mass or orthodox liturgy.

>>17737840
the bible is old and busted

>>17737830
I made a thread about St Thomas Aquinas but it died in the crib, so you I'll just post some theological stuff in here direct from the thread.

Narration of the Five Ways is by me btw

Five Ways: https://www.newadvent.org/summa/1002.htm
Five Ways Recitation(not great since I have speech issues and recited from my copy of the ST, but it was the best I could do): https://voca.ro/19jwCLQ98KgD
>Prima Pars, Question 2, Article 3

Contentions to the Five Ways:
Contemporary Objections
>Objections to the First Way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkG-MlZqjRg& [Embed]
>Objections to the Third Way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jsMYzACy2I [Embed]
>Majesty of Reason - For Objections in general
https://www.youtube.com/c/MajestyofReason/videos
>From Bertrand Russell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppBxkTTGoRQ [Embed]
>From Immanuel Kant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqrRl-1UT70& [Embed]
>From David Hume
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF6GVgZgiWA [Embed]

>>17739567
>pic
Whenever a saint says something like that, their idea of unholiness is sleeping around as a teenager or stealing a pear. Dumb petty shit like that. I want to see a serial killer or despicable torturing motherfucker turn a new leaf before I take a quote like "If God can work through me He can work through anyone." seriously.

>>17737909
Pretty good really, sad thing is that it was supposed to be only a part of a larger book

Kierkegaard's books are what consistently move me the most

>>17740785
>Kierkegaard's books are what consistently move me the most
I'm reading Fear and Trembling but I think i'm getting filtered. I see how he portrays Abraham's experience as something agonizing and how the act of faith is something super ethical, and how he divides people into three tiers. But a lot of it just seems like poetic rambling about the experience of faith

>>17740858
Keep in mind that Kierk viewed himself as a knight of infinite resignation. He is constructing and defending his idealized vision of faith as derived from the binding of isaac and its implications. It all probably hits hardest when you empathize with his desperate desire for that kind of faith

>>17740902
>knight of infinite resignation.
I'm not sure I understand this concept. This is the first time i've read kirkegaard and he's only mention the term a couple of times. Can you elaborate?

Gravity and Grace. It's an incredible whitepill regardless of your beliefs.

>>17740938
He should have had a passage describing it, it's specific to Fear and Trembling. It's someone who knows what the right thing to do is, and will take that step accepting the consequences. They are resigned to suffer for God, where a knight of faith has such surety in their actions that there is no resignation at all, they have perfect faith in the outcome

>>17737830
Besides the Bible, St. Augustine's Confessions is a good start. I feel like Justin Martyr also wrote some stuff that might be useful if your looking for more experiential stuff but the name escapes me. I've also seen CS Lewis thrown around so that might also be worth a look. Hymns also work as well. I particularly recommend Gregorgian chants.

>>17737830
>Any good books on Christianity?
Remi Brague - Law of God
Ratzinger - Introduction to christianity
Augustine - Confessions
Augustine - Civitas Dei
John Henry Newman - Apologia pro vita sua

>>17737830
Lots of people shilling the Bible but I have literally never found it even remotely inspiring. On the other hand, that Catherine of Siena thread some anon posted yesterday was really something else. I wouldn't have been able to understand her a year ago, but when I read anon's extracts, even if I didn't agree with everything, I could feel a certain level of spiritual kinship with her.
>>17739267
Take your meds.

>>17739282
Agree 100% with this.

>>17740674
Then don't take it seriously nobody is forcing your will. But it is a serious and true thing.

>>17739336
Especially if you feel some revulsion at your actions and a desire to be better

>>17740674
>literally describes St. Paul
c'mon bruv

>>17742054
For me it was the part where he says he wants to be better but later like literally today I have stolen from my parents I do feel bad but also I don’t stop I know how I life is wrong and I will change but not nowww

>>17740674
> despicable torturing motherfucker turn a new leaf
So Paul then

>>17737830
Confessions by st Augustine

Waddell's Desert Fathers
C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity (and The Screwtape Letters, and the Space trilogy too, and even Narnia.. just CS Lewis in general)

Listening to this song was one of the first times I ever realized what it means for God to care so much about his creation that he dies for its sins. For me Christianity is a lot more open ended than it is for some other Christians, I think God created us for genuine freedom, and not as mere creatures entirely dependent on His grace. That makes Christ's sacrifice and suffering very significant for me because God has every reason to despise us and regret His creation but he suffered and died for it, to give us another chance, to give us another resource to fulfill our destiny and become worthy of creation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRvMx8uWaX4

>>17742134
>>17742058
I stand corrected, thank you anons

>>17737830

>>17742721
Hymns are absolutely a fantastic way to get that warm fuzzy christian feeling. Johnny Cash actually really softened me to Christ.
https://youtu.be/wVDMtxDLJks
This is my favorite hymn. Really tragic story behind it too. Guy went blind so his wife left him and his life just fell apart. He wrote this to God

>>17738068
Fuck off christnigger. Im not interested in worshipping some kike on a stick

>>17739282
Lol, 99.9% of Christians haven't read all those works. They are not necessary for Christianity as it's actually practised

God is Red by a chinese dude I forget the name of (author isnt christian, but interviewed many of them). About christians in china who have to hide their practice bc they dont want to be part of a ccp church