/theology/

Diary of st. Faustina
Interior of a Castle
The New Testament

>>8673716
Thanks Anon.

>>8673711

the consolation of philosophy by boethius

it was tremendously influential in the medieval ages

Some books on some aspects of theology and easy to read are:
Mere christianity by C.S. Lewis and
Reasonable faith by William Lane Craig

The didache is one of the most influential in the whole history of the christian church.

Two books more oriented on living the good life and also very influential are:
Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard and
The imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis

Another obvious recommendation would be the bible along with some biblical commentaries. My favorites are written by:
Matthew henry
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown
William Barclay (very good one!)

Those are my quick recommendations, since you don't say much about your background (whether you're catholic/protestant/atheist/other). What you might want to read later on depend on your background, and what you want to learn.

>>8673783
WLC writes shit tier apologetics.
It's liberal in conception, Christianity is just an optional axiom in his work, much like it is for Kant. The Kalam Cosmological argument is awful. He's dismissive of everything that's not analytical, but doesn't draw from the best it has to offer.
Lewis is also very questionable, but decent only if you are already a believer who is not well read in theology and philosophy.

>>8673711

Try The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State, by F. Engels

>>8673789
Since when are we afraid of the questionable and shitty? Honestly, I have never ever in my life come to find an author with whom I agree completely in everything. I think you would agree with me on this. But dismissing something for this reason is not good IMHO.

But the point is well taken. I actually recommended those books because they are opposing to each other (and hence incompatible) and also because they're easy to read and introduce yourself to this topics. But of course every book (specially about religion) should be read carefully, critically and with skepticism.

Also, recommend some books worth reading, please!

>>8673832
Reading Craig is a waste of time. We are not talking about not reading apologetics, it's just about avoiding bad philosophy, his arguments are simply bad, there is no reason to take him over Feser, Copleston or Ratzinger or original philosophy like Anscombe, Geach, MacIntyre or let alone Augustine, Aquinas, John of the Cross etc.

The Rule of St. Benedict.
The Conferences of Cassian.
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers.
The City of God (by St. Augustine)
The Life of St. Anthony (by St. Athanasius).
The Lives of the Saints (by Alban Butler)

Read the ancient liturgies (the old Roman rite, the Byzantine divine liturgy, etc.).
e.g.
http://sacred-texts.com/chr/lmass/ord.htm
http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/liturgy
I think reading these are the quickest way of getting the essence of the religion, apart from actually attending these rites themselves.

>Wherefore, O Lord, we thy servants, as also thy holy people, calling to mind the blessed passion of the same Christ thy Son our Lord, and also his rising up from hell, and his glorious ascension into heaven, do offer unto thy most excellent majesty, of thine own gifts bestowed upon us, a pure victim, a holy victim, a spotless victim, the holy Bread of eternal life, and the Chalice of everlasting salvation.

and

>O Holy God, Who is resting among the holy ones, praised by the Seraphim with the thrice-holy voice, glorified by the Cherubim, and worshiped by every celestial power, You have brought all things into being out of nothing. You have created man according to Your image and likeness and adorned him with all the gifts of Your grace. You give wisdom and understanding to the one who asks, and You overlook not the sinner, but have set repentance as the way of salvation. You have granted us, Your humble and unworthy servants, to stand even at this hour before the glory of Your holy Altar of sacrifice and to offer to You due worship and praise.

Also three works of St. Dionysius: the Mystical Theology, the Divine Names, and the Celestial Hierarchy.

>Supernal Triad, Deity above all essence, knowledge and goodness; Guide of Christians to Divine Wisdom; direct our path to the ultimate summit of your mystical knowledge, most incomprehensible, most luminous and most exalted, where the pure, absolute and immutable mysteries of theology are veiled in the dazzling obscurity of the secret Silence, outshining all brilliance with the intensity of their Darkness, and surcharging our blinded intellects with the utterly impalpable and invisible fairness of glories surpassing all beauty.

http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/VolumeII/MysticalTheology.html

>>8673853
Also, I recommend The Ladder of Divine Ascent (by St. John Climacus), The Little Flowers of St. Francis, The Golden Legend (medieval lives of the saints)

Of course, the Confessions of St. Augustine.

Also, the Roman Catechism (aka the Catechism of the Council of Trent), the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma (by Ludwig Ott).

Also, I recommend Plato generally, and the Golden Sayings of Epictetus (the Stoic).

>>8673711
>What are some books both philosophical and fictional that help with the understanding of religion?

Take a look into comparitive religion and some of the behaviors that follow it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disconfirmed_expectancy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Prophecy_Fails

>>8673711
>What are some books both philosophical and fictional that help with the understanding of religion?

Dont ask lit as all you are going to get is nothing but Christian theology and nothing else which whilst helpful in some ways will mislead if you done in isolation.

>>8673840
Well, thanks for these recommendations. Will definitely check some of them out!