Religion
Related: About this forumTop 100 Religious Books
Posted: 09/14/2012 8:33 am Updated: 09/14/2012 8:56 am
Books can be life changing. Aside from primary religious texts, many books have shaped our beliefs and influenced our faith. Huff Post Religion asked our community to name one religious book that changed their life.
The flood of responses ranged from classic to modern. Titles ranged well-known authors to no name writers. Our collection is below. Theres C.S. Lewis. Theres Dalai Lama. Theres self-help manuals like The Four Agreements. There are novels of spiritual journeys like The Alchemist. Take a peek.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/top-100-influential-relig_n_1836687.html
Slideshow list at link. Some unusual choices there.
dimbear
(6,271 posts)I'm not saying it's a life changer, more of an eye opener.
Renan, of course, one of the most influential authors on religion of the 19th century. His theological observations may be dated, his life remains instructive.
edit: free on Gutenberg, or, if you like, the French original is there too.
rug
(82,333 posts)Personal recommendations are better than lists.
Goblinmonger
(22,340 posts)Why in the name of all that is sane, though, did they put Atlas Shrugged on there? That is basically unreadable. Why not go with some Bertrand Russell if they want old school atheists?
rug
(82,333 posts)They could have listed the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.
Another one that gave me pause was The Color Purple. Great book but it didn't strike me as religious.
Goblinmonger
(22,340 posts)So was Sound and the Fury. Great stream of consciousness novel that touches on religious stuff, I guess, but only as a backdrop for the Southern Gothic era.
Jim__
(14,077 posts)Wittgenstein's Tractatus? I guess you could say it was the bible of the Vienna Circle.
rug
(82,333 posts)Once again, your erudition astounds me.
My impression is that each book selected either has had an impact of personal religious experience or has broken theological or philosophical ground. It's rare to have a book that does both.