What book have you read that most challenged your religious beliefs? (Besides a holy-book)?

Question

Open to everyone. For myself (Xian) I love Thomas Paine's Age of Reason. I don't agree with most of it, and even have planned to publish a rebuttal if I get around to it..... but I still think it is the best attack on Christianity as a whole and it really makes Dawkins look like a first grader. Its sad when I could probably give a better attack on Christianity than modern Atheists can, but nevermind that.

Answer 1

Pilgrim's Progress....

John Bunyan

It strengthened me.......and challenged me to be a better Christian.

Answer 2

Don't laugh at me but it was the Big Book for Alcohol Anonymous. In the book itself, it doesn't necessarily say you need to believe in God to 'recover', just that you need a Higher Power. It goes on about being agnostic, etc. but I had some serious challenges with that stuff. I struggle with it because it basically says it's 'OK' to be agnostic as long as you have a Higher Power which I find to be a bit confusing. I'm really serious about the program for many reasons but I've run into problems with turning myself over to the 'caring' hands of the Higher Power since I don't believe in one that can take care of me. Most people in AA seem to have some belief in a Higher Power (Christian or not) and they tell me I NEED to pray to it which is very difficult for me. I'm still trying to work through this issue. It's the first time in my life where I was forced to think about these things rather than pondering at my leisure.

Answer 3

I would say that as a kid, the first books that got me thinking were books about Buddhism (not necessarily their religious texts). They taught me that "faith" is an almost useless and counterproductive line or thought... for what good is a belief if I really don't KNOW it?

Please tell me, what problems do you have with Dawkins? I have yet to here an intelligent critique of his book.


EDIT: Well, thanks for writing to me in private. It says a lot about you that you would condemn Dawkins' book without having read all of it. From what you have written to me (in our private communication) you also misunderstand Dawkins. And, as I pointed out in your last question, you are unaware of the fields of cognitive and neuro-science.

Still, I thank you for your questions. I will write more to you in private, later.

Answer 4

Although I am not religious, I would have to say The Da Vinci Code. It challenged me to learn more and since reading it a few months back, I have been grabbing up books that have similar interests, fiction and non-fiction alike.

Answer 5

Daddy's Little Girl

By: Mary Higgins Clark

Answer 6

"The Nag Hammadi Library": A collection of 52 documents from the early Jesus movement found berried in the sands of Egypt.. Close behind would be two books by Dr. Morton Smith: "The Secret Gospel "sub title The Hidden Gospel of Mark and "Jesus The Magician.."

Answer 7

I try to stay away from books that challenge my beliefs. I think it is best to be kept in the dark about things like religion because, in the end, nobody really knows anything...

Answer 8

I was challenged by the DA Vinci Code until I realized that most art historians, Biblical scholars and historians thought he was full of crap. It still makes you think though. No, I guess it doesn't. But what if it did.

Answer 9

I ahve read a bible study aide by Jeehovah's Witnesses caleld"What Does the bible Really teach"? I like it because it shows thnigs that the bible actually teaches scripture wise v.s. what christendom churches teach , it really opened my eyes. too many topics to disscuss here, but the local Kingdom hall has that yellow book.

Answer 10

Curious George.

Answer 11

Voltaire. I was already on the path to atheism when I read his philosophies and condemnation of organised religion and his criticisms were so lucid and rational that they made me a comitted disbeliever in the idea of a personal God.