Sedecrem

It has been 2 years since the compilation of the eye-opening reading list thread which is still a sticky to this forum. I thought we should create a new thread to update this, after all there have been a lot of books written since this time.

Personally I would like to begin by adding the following:

The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins

and

The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice, Christopher Hitchens

Would there be any interest in starting up such a thread and/or do you have any suggestions?

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MirrorsrorriM

in a way, Christopher Hutchins is motivated by the exact same kind of animalistic, beastial aggression that Christians are. He wants to demoralize and crush the spirit of his percieved enemies, to take away their lollipop, make them cry and conquer them intellectually, not because he believes he is enlightening them, but because he is contesting them, as beasts are wont to do.

Christians are just more dishonest about it, or more clever, however you look at it. They want to fool you into believing something that isn't real so they can take advantage of you. Christopher Hutchins wants to make you believe something so you will kill yourself, because life has no meaning, or he is combating the moral/sexual shame religious people are trying to impose on him, for nefarious reasons ( or good reasons, however you want to see it).

Basicly, any idiot who pretends to know something you don't is probably an asshole and for you to buy their book means you just got fucked out of $20 dollars, so they are 'right' and you end up being 'wrong'.

MuadDib

There is a fine line between criticism and cynicism. Hitchens doesn't cross that line where some posters in this forum do. But back to the point of this thread.

You may need to just email amonkie to update the sticky if this thread doesn't take off, but I do like the idea of maybe doing an update every so often. I had kind of hoped that was going to happen when my thread was sticky-ed in the first place. Anyway, in the spirit of the endeavor I'll go ahead and add the following:

1) The Complete Poetry and Prose of William Blake; edited by David V. Erdman

and

2) Paradise Lost; by John Milton

Though the latter was a reread from high school it had a real lasting impact on me this time. Both works are very humanistic and self affirming if you approach them from the correct angle. Kinda like Hitchens, I suppose.

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Dennis

In Good Company; by James Martin, S.J.

Of all the spiritual books that I have read, I found this to be the most honest and poignant portrayals of discernment and the religious life.

Crack

I couldn't help but laugh at the title of this book.

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Ourcrazymodern?

The Sex Contract

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