/lit/ - Literature

>>22491739
They're all valuable, why wouldn't they be?

>>22491746
If they had value they'd have an explicitly christian message in them.

>>22491739
considering the founding church fathers were influenced by non-Christian works I would say so LOL.

>>22491739
>Is there any value to non-christian books?
Only if they're edifying and aid your salvation.

>>22491762
God didn't say you can't enjoy what life gives too, we are to grow in Christ and learn every day, but we are allowed pleasures in what he's given us. I enjoy books written by others, and though I may not agree with them or cringe heavily at some nonsense, the prose is lovely in some books.

>>22491758
Just ignore their nonsense then, they still can have value, for example in areas unrelated to Christianity. I've always found that even garbage like the Quran has some neat tidbits of natural theology and that some atheist philosophers have had useful ideas despite all their errors.

>>22491783
If you're experiencing (actual transcendental) beauty then you are being edified.

>>22491797
True beauty is impossible without God.

>>22491848
True, and that means God is present in “non-Christian” literature

>>22491739
Try reading Boethius.

>>22492423
I'd rather not read any heretics, sorry.

You should read literature that opposes Christianity to strengthen and prove your faith. It will also help you to evangelize when nonbelievers bring up those arguments (which they never will because 99% of atheists are perpetually locked into "sky daddy" tier arguments).

>>22492427
How is he a heretic?

>>22491739
Yes, see Tolkien.

>>22492427
You don’t even go to church

>>22491739
Is their any value in Christianity I've not seen any

>>22492437
Have you looked?

>>22492437
ultimate purpose

>>22492447
I don't need purpose.

>>22492451
What do you do all day

>>22492433
If he isn't a christian, he's a heretic.
>>22492436
Being baptized is more important. I'm in communion with the church.

>>22492459
that's not what heretic means

>>22492460
Uuuuh... It's literally the definition of it...

>>22492484
A heretic is someone who professes to be Christian while denying essential doctrine
a non-Christian would be a infidel

>>22492484
>One who having made a profession of Christian belief, deliberately and pertinaciously refuses to believe one or more of the articles of faith "determined by the authority of the universal church."

>>22492488
You're being pedantic.

>>22492508
its sort of important

>>22491739
christianity being the bottom of the barrel of religions, yeah it's pretty sure any non-christian books are worth a read to any christian

on the other hand, what christian books are most worth reading? im interested

>>22493039
theology? history? fiction?

>>22493045
theology
my understanding of christianity is surface level, but the faith has always appealed to me

>>22493057
don't want to sound cliche, but I'd suggest reading at least the New Testament before anything else. Otherwise I'd just be shoving my own branch of Christianity onto you.
If it makes it any easier, I'd at least suggest reading Luke, Acts, Romans and James and developing a doctrine of soteriology (salvation) to give yourself something of a foundation. Try to discern the best way to reconcile the teachings of Paul and James.

>>22493065
understood, thanks anon! ill get started on that first

>>22491758
Are you going to abandon Christianized greek philosophy then?

>>22491739
Please do the world of literature a favor and abstain from reading non-christian books. Your kikeworshipping mind won't be able to glimpse anything of value from them. Just keep reading Da Holee Bewk.

>>22492983
Why is Christianity the bottom of the barrel of religions?

>>22491739
only wherever they end up referring to the truth.
that is to say, whenever they write about correct things.
because truth is Christianity, we're basically saying the same thing.

>>22493076
adding my recommended order and tips
Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, John, Epistles, OT, Revelation.
Use Biblehub to compare translations, look for commentary, and all around help you with complicated verses/passages.
always search and look at several sources when solving a doubt (and never leave doubts unanswered!), so you don't fall into any trap. use your critical thinking.

as for books, as the other anon said, start getting through the Bible first. i'd get the Gospels down before delving into anything outside of it.
i say one can learn infinitely much by reading and studying his Bible. I learn something new every time i go over a passage i've already read many other times.

i think books on the lives of saints would be very nice to kindle your faith more afterwards, since you're interested.
i've recently found a very nice channel, and it looks good.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOVB-6st9TU

also here's a chart for later.

>>22494077
and here's the second.

>>22492437
There is absolutely no value in any of the Abrahamic traditions except maybe some obscure Gnostic schools that have died out.
Mandaeans are also a bit interesting.
Also, the more you look into the Nicene creed, the more you will seriously consider Europeans as an inferior race, since they willingly adopted that garbage (though in the case of some Teutons and Sami it was forcefully imposed on them).

>>22492508
No, you are

>>22492983
stfu muhammad your prophet will laments in hell.

>>22494077
havent dive in it yet but for historical/biographical book it might be interesting to add "the acts of the christian martyrs" also referred to as "acts of the martyrs" it tells the story of many of the early martyrs/saints (probably not all that accurate and somewhat romanticized in some ways but i cant really know) and it could be good to read since we dont know if we are to ever face martyrdom ourselves.

>>22494151
Why are Abrahamic religions devoid of value? What IS of value?

>>22492454
I’m not him but I’d imagine the same thing people did for thousands of years before Christianity was a thing. “Ultimate purpose” is not unique to Christianity, I wouldn’t even say it’s unique to religion at all. In nature our “ultimate purpose” is to procreate and further our tribe and species, however now that man has removed himself from nature, we seek some strange lofty noetic purpose that isn’t tangible or grounded in reality. Gods, heavenly realms, divine punishment, none of this is observable yet we insist on living as slaves to these concepts. Not that these can’t be real, but living life in strict superstitious accordance with them is not living at all.

>>22494842
this whole post has a ton of problems. I'll only name 3
1- anon never said ultimate purpose is unique to Christianity, that would be silly. And to say "I never said anon said that" renders your statement irrelevant then
2- anon said "I don't need purpose" which is what prompted the "what do you do all day" inquiry. I feel your response would have been better directed towards the former post, as your "not living at all" assertion would seem more sensible IMO directed towards someone that explicitly stated they live without a purpose
3- who gets to decide what "living" is? if its you, then who made you god? if every person decides for themself then why criticize religious/superstitious people in the first place?

>>22494077
Where's Meister Eckhart?

>>22494842
I see it the other way around. All of the truly religious people I've met have greeted me with smiles and cheer, whereas I've only seen depression and angst in people without faith. A religious man will offer to help me, but I can't depend on an atheist for anything. The religious woman is grateful for life and for her family, and rejoices in nurturing her children and providing them with the best meals she can, whereas the irreligious woman will curse the day she conceived them. When I was in a rut, it wasn't an atheist who helped me out of it, it was the Christian guy in a polo who smiled all the time who I always thought was a fucking weirdo. Another time it was a Muslim friend, but none of my friends who held contempt for religion or even just a mild dislike ever reached out to me.

>>22494618
haven't heard either. eh, could be good.
>>22494919
going into mysticism from the get go isn't really the best idea.

>>22491739
Non-Christian literature is inherently more valuable than Christian literature

>>22495853
forgot to say that you should also add "on the trinity" to the picture.

>>22491739

Idk man now that I'm really understanding Christianity I have a hard time finding solid value in anything that doesn't orient to God. Everything else is just vanity.

>>22491739
>>>/pol/

>>22496069
How did you get to the point where you started really understanding Christianity?

>>22491758
This is the brainwashing that keeps the Christian business machine going.

Go read "One Country Under God" and learn something. Jesus had some great messages but today's Christianity is 99% business.

>>22494776
>Why are Abrahamic religions devoid of value
Because they point to the truth as being external from one's mind. Basically, they neither point to the "truth within" nor as being based on an individual's capacity for insight.
>What IS of value?
Solitude in natural scenery, meditation, contemplation, and wisdom. These all lead to tacitly apprehending one's true nature.

>>22496110
>Because they point to the truth as being external from one's mind. Basically, they neither point to the "truth within" nor as being based on an individual's capacity for insight.
you are a fucking hylic if you dont believe there is an objective truth,but not surprising coming from a tranny.
ywnbaw

>>22496177
It's an objective truth pertaining to one's true nature that is primarily formeless and experiential.

>>22496086

Deep existential crisis caused by getting older and realizing I needed to fix myself. Started mindfulness therapy, seeing that I am not the same as my thoughts or feelings. That set me off on a quest to discover who or what I really am. Basically I understood that the "me" with all my thoughts and desires was my ego.

Went down the philosophy rabbit hole and got into Taoism and idealism. Came to realize that physical reality isn't real, and that Materialism is false. But that kept raising more metaphysics questions.

Then I had an ethics crisis where my wife wanted to do IVF but I felt like something about it was wrong. I couldn't escape the moral anxiety. For the first time in my life I had to actually explore ethics and make a meaningful ethics decision. I realized that I had no grounding for determining what matters.

In searching for an answer to my moral anxiety I found that Catholicism described and accounted for it best. Started watching YouTube videos of Father Barron and Father Schmidt and it was eye openings. I came to merge my idealism metaphysics with understanding that God is real and what that entails.

So I was able to ground myself in a foundational God and have something higher than my own ego to listen to. Deep meditation and prayer helper. I yearned for truth and one time while praying with Gregorian chants I had a God experience that was crazy. I felt like a spiritual sun was shining on me, so bright I couldn't look directly at it, but I couldn't look away. I was filled with fear and awe. Genuine fear and awe. I felt lifted up and could barely breathe. Smiling and crying it was so intense. Like I said, like looking at a sun is my closest metaphor. A spiritual sun.

Anyways I became Catholic and now my life is way better, my anxiety is gone, I am at peace, I am grounded, I finally understand that my life is not about me. I am now oriented towards God instead of my own ego. My ego doesn't serve itself anymore. That's what I needed to understand.

>>22496854
>>>/lgbt/

>>22491739
Basil the Great - Address to Young Men on the Right Use of Greek Literature

https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/basil_litterature01.htm

>>22491739
Julian Augustus (pbuh) believed Christians should neither read nor teach non-Christian philosophy and literature. I encourage you to leave us behind and go into the desert, like those insufferable self-righteous Burning Man types.