Books to turn me into a believer

[Anonymous No.13963298]

Are there any books that can convince an atheist to believe in God and become religious? I lost my faith at age 14 and became an edgy anti-theist, but I now have lots of respect for the great religions of the world.

I also desperately want to become religious again. It really doesn't matter what religion, I just want to believe in a God and believe there's more than just this life here on earth. It doesn't even matter to me if it's real or not, I just want to believe it.

I've heard of atheists converting to religion but I just can't understand how. Last year I began going to church twice a week and joined a Bible study. I sang hymns, I read the Bible, I took communion, I prayed daily I did everything a Christian would do, but I couldn't make myself believe. Every time I prayed I couldn't convince myself that I was doing anything more than just speaking to myself.

Any books that have the potential to make me believe in God? One guy told me Mere Christianity by Lewis, but that just seemed like it was aimed at people who already believe.

[Anonymous No.13963305]

>>13963298
All right, let's try to work through each issue.

Forget the Christian bit for now. Do you believe there is a creator of the universe? Let's start with that.

[Anonymous No.13963340]

>>13963305
I think it's possible there is a creator to the universe. I'm not smart enough to decide what I think about the Big Bang theory, but the way I see it, if that theory is true, that itself could have been sparked by come powerful creator.

[Anonymous No.13963373]

>>13963298
>It doesn't even matter to me if it's real or not, I just want to believe it.
>Every time I prayed I couldn't convince myself that I was doing anything more than just speaking to myself.
Sounds to me like it matters a great deal if it's real or not. But maybe the first important question is, why do you want to believe?

[Anonymous No.13963384]

Dostoevsky, Computer Science Lewis, Kierkegaard

[Anonymous No.13963391]

>>13963340
All right, consider this.

When have you ever seen an act of destruction result in creation? Sure, things can be rebuilt or something can be made with what is left. But the act itself never directly results in something productive.

Now imagine not only how complex the universe is, but that all its rules culminate in being able to create life, which ultimately results in consciousness.

Not only did the beginning of the universe result in something coherent, but in this most magnificent and intricate, incredible work of design.

Language is completely insufficient to express how unlikely all this arises by chance.

[« Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ » !mxvabIoSIE No.13963396]

>>13963298
Any heavy book, dropped from a great height upon your head.

[Anonymous No.13963402]

>>13963396

[Anonymous No.13963403]

>>13963298
Bible

[Anonymous No.13963405]

>>13963298
I was a pretty staunch atheist, but pic related was the first book to make me consider once again the possibility of there being a God. It's a good read.

[Anonymous No.13963413]

>>13963298
This book.

[Anonymous No.13963417]

>>13963391
>When have you ever seen an act of destruction result in creation?
Depending on what you mean by "destruction," demolition is used all the time as a form of creation. Hell, Mount Rushmore was carved with TNT. If by destruction you mean something more like "intent to destroy," then you're just begging the question, by taking an "intent for there to be a universe" (and therefore assuming God) as the premise of your argument.

>chance
Chance is a really weird thing that people have a heinously bad grasp of. But no matter how you shake it, chance can only be understood for things with which we have prior experience, like flipping coins and radioactive decay. The creation of the universe (or the universe coming into being) is something with which we cannot have experience, so there's no coherent way to talk about it in terms of probability.

[Anonymous No.13964740]

>>13963298
Gravity's Rainbow and Apostol Calc

[Anonymous No.13964840]

kierkegaard, pascal, william james, the cloud of unknowing, pseudo-dionysius and a healthy dose of suffering in your life. why do you want to believe it in the first place, can i ask?

christianity is nothing about going to church, bible study, singing hymns, or anything like that. you have to believe it first before doing that stuff, and I mean really believe it, it has to possess you, it has to become part of your being. i think kierkegaard and william james in particular are good as they tend to focus on this very individual aspect of christanity, and the religious experience that follows. christian mystics e.g. the cloud of unknowing + pseudo dionysius are also helpful for this. you have to read a lot and meditate on the infinite immanent possibilities that can emanate from belief in god - kierkegaard will do this for you, pascal will do this for you, christian mystics will especially do this for you. there is a book called "saving god" by mark johnston that was recommended by one of my lecturers, i haven't read it but that might appeal to you as well

[Anonymous No.13966014]

>>13963405
>[to] consider once again the possibility of there being a God.
The things is that most atheists (at least agnostic atheists) don't discard the possibility of there being a god. However, assuming that there's irrefutable proof of a god, what's the possibility of being the god the different religious texts talk about? For all we know the entire universe might just be a baby god's kindergaten project.
>>13963298
Look into faith and books that discuss it. That's what most believers cite anyway for their belief in a god.

[Anonymous No.13966060]

>>13966014
>However, assuming that there's irrefutable proof of a god, what's the possibility of being the god the different religious texts talk about? For all we know the entire universe might just be a baby god's kindergaten project.
Read Plato and Aquinas

[Anonymous No.13966097]

>>13963298
Hard way anon is follow one of /sci meme chart on maths.
Once you go in balls deep enough , the very essence of God appears.
Tho it may not be that of the desert tribe god youre looking for.

[Anonymous No.13966106]

>>13966060
"BRO READ AQUINAS BRO READ AQUINAS OMG AQUINAASS!! YAAAS!!"

Legitimately, only pseuds shill Aquinas. EVERYTHING he wrote was for a fucking Christian audience. Please explain how his works which are essentially just answering questions like "Are wet dreams a sin" would be good for an atheist.

[Anonymous No.13966164]

>>13963298
wow this is real sad

the human experience is truly a tragedy

when ure mentally retarded ... lmao

[Anonymous No.13966167]

>>13963298
>Books to turn me into a believer
Absolutely none, you don't get to seek God, anyone telling you otherwise is only elevating man and not glorifying God. There is no willing yourself into belief in the Christian God. If it is to God's glory that you are converted and convicted in your sin then He will accomplish that in totality to His purposes.
>I took communion
Uh oh, you stupid idiot! You just got wafer'd! Send this "tool of evangelism" to 10 of your friends to consider the implications of 1 Corinthians 11:27

[Anonymous No.13966181]

Read the contemplatives like Thomas Merton, Simone Weil, Henri Nouwen, or the Cloud of Unknowing.

Or read things about Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age.

[Anonymous No.13966187]

>>13963298
Intro to Quantum Mechanics

[Anonymous No.13966217]

>>13963298
I dont know if you can rationalize your way to a genuine spiritual belief.

[Anonymous No.13966221]

>>13963298
read Shankara

[Anonymous No.13966742]

>>13966097
Oh yeah, increasingly self-referential abstract systems are a great way to assess whether something actually exists or not.

>>13966187
Nothing about QM is indicative of a god.

>>13963298
Well, you're not edgy anymore so that's good. Can't you just respect the benefits religion can provide and incorporate them into your life without needing to believe to woo-woo? You can still particpate in ritual and community, live by a moral code... If you're uncomfortable hiding your lack of faith around believers, you could take a more personal approach and just pay ritual homage to the unknown, whatever that may be.

If you're fearing death, or lack meaning, there are philosophical ways to resolve these issues that don't require faith. Statistically, it is very likely that there is life elsewhere given the vast scale of our universe, with an estimated 2 trillion (trillion!) entire galaxies -in the observable universe alone-. While the Fermi paradox does suggest some significant limiting factors on technology/frequency of life/proliferation of intelligent life, I don't think it constitutes strong evidence that life isn't out there.

I would suggest you learn to appreciate that some things will remain mysterious, even if you don't favour romantic narratives about them. Furthermore, respect the beauty and profundity of life as it is... No, it's not all roses, but it is amazing nonetheless. You already possess the capacity to enjoy being alive, you don't to justify your existence or understand the mysteries of the universe to exercise that capacity.

[Anonymous No.13967378]

>>13966221
>>13963298
You are God, anon. You don't need prayer or worship - simply access the depths of your own nature.

[Anonymous No.13967405]

>>13963298
The Bible, ESV

[Anonymous No.13968752]

>>13963298
>believer
Don't blindly believe when you can KNOW
Read Matrix III vol.1 by Valdamar Valerian. You are God experiencing itself in a lower dimension of consciousness

[Anonymous No.13968945]

>>13966167
>Absolutely none, you don't get to seek God, anyone telling you otherwise is only elevating man and not glorifying God. There is no willing yourself into belief in the Christian God. If it is to God's glory that you are converted and convicted in your sin then He will accomplish that in totality to His purposes.
I needed that. Thank you. Please pray for me.

[Anonymous No.13968962]

>>13963298
We're post-religion, dude. You can reclaim faith in a higher power and life after death, but organized religions themselves literally all have cult-like origins, except for I guess Buddhism which isn't really a religion

[Anonymous No.13968969]

Why not make your own belief system? You can start with an established religion and mix it with all sorts of elements you feel are necessary. That's the path I've taken, and I couldn't be happier

[Anonymous No.13969327]

>>13966167
>>13968945
Why would God need mortals for glorification? How could that even work?

[Anonymous No.13969347]

>>13968962
>>13968969
Based and based. I'd rather a society of individuals who have taken the time to reflect on reality from their own individual vantage, and all reaching a plethora of opinions in the wake of said rumination, than one segregated into a handful of religious cults and the drones they've recruited to spread their dogmas all considering themselves enlightened proportional to their obedience. Even if it resulted in people thinking differently than myself, and contrary to my views, I'd still rather it be that way. Buddhism is based though, and the Buddha is few among religious figures who didn't fall into such a category.

[Anonymous No.13969474]

>>13963298
Nikoy kazantsahky (or smth like that, very hard to remember name) - last temptation.
I'm not a believer myself, but that is great book, showing Jesus as ordinary human, afraid of his destiny to day and wanting to normal