What Books Have Changed Your Faith...

Sunny

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... or strengthened your belief?
Your must-read books on faith?
 

Haich

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For me A book called 'diseases of the heart' by Ibn Taymmiah really resonated with me. It taught me how we're all searching for truth and that sense of wandering is a sign that God is real and wants us to come back to Him. It does have a lot of Islamic references but in general it details the issues of our spirituality and how our hearts fluctuate and need to be governed in order to fulfill a peaceful state of being
 

Sunny

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"The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios" by Dionysios Farasiotis
When I was non-confessional Christian I've found a translation of this book online with many mistakes. And I've read it in original.
I was impressed by this book. A very topical issue about youth, searching for truth, mistakes and spiritual experience, yoga, gurus, occult techniques and orthodoxy.
This powerful memoir tells the story of a Greek youth who, out of a desire to know the truth empirically, began to experiment in yoga, hypnotism, and various occult techniques. Eventually drawn back to the Faith of his forefathers Orthodox Christianity he visited the ancient monastic republic of Mount Athos in his native Greece, where he was brought to a knowledge of the Truth of Jesus Christ by the saintly Elder Paisios (1924 1994). Nevertheless, believing he had only found part of the truth on the Holy Mountain, he chose to give the same opportunity to Hindu yogis that he had given to Elder Paisios and other Orthodox monks. Thus, at the age of twenty-five, he embarked on a trip to India, where he undertook his search in the ashrams of three famous gurus, one of whom was worshipped as a god.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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For me A book called 'diseases of the heart' by Ibn Taymmiah really resonated with me. It taught me how we're all searching for truth and that sense of wandering is a sign that God is real and wants us to come back to Him. It does have a lot of Islamic references but in general it details the issues of our spirituality and how our hearts fluctuate and need to be governed in order to fulfill a peaceful state of being
Perhaps in a similar direction, CS Lewis's 'Pilgrims Regress', he tells his own story in allegory from 'Churchianity', through Atheism to real faith...
 

Lady

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@Sunny
You are Greek? How does your language compare with the Greek used in the New Testament?
 

Sunny

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@Sunny
You are Greek? How does your language compare with the Greek used in the New Testament?
No, I'm Russian. I can't read Greek, it's different from Russian.
I've read the book in Russian translation first, then in English.

I see now my mistake - I suppose, it should be not "in original', but "in English"
 

Red Sky at Morning

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I have read one or two interesting books in the last few years, and each one has made a change in me... "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality" by Peter Schazero (I think) was worth reading. It took the pattern of the Psalms to encourage you to get real with God...

I spent some time immersed in trying to understand the counter message to the Gospel presented by the New Age but tracing back through Greek, Phonecian, Egyptian and Sumarian cultures and found "Forbidden Secrets of the Labarinth" by Mark A Flynn a really enlightening read (and one that blows the popular 'Truth' movements pet YouTube film 'Zeitgeist' to pieces btw)

I stretched by understanding of the spiritual reading "The Unseen Realm" by Michael S Heiser (wow).

More recently, I took on the challenge of liberal German Higher Criticism of the Bible which I had always rejected but had also avoided, and finally was able to understand its claims and reject it entirely, as I deepened my confidence in the Bible as truly presenting the accurately recorded account of Jesus by reading "The Case for Christ" by Lee Stobel and "Cold Case Christianity" by J Warner Wallace.

It seems that the deeper I dig, the more treasure I find...
 
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Red Sky at Morning

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No, I'm Russian. I can't read Greek, it's different from Russian.
I've read the book in Russian translation first, then in English.

I see now my mistake - I suppose, it should be not "in original', but "in English"
Привет солнечный
 

Red Sky at Morning

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Book of Enoch/Book of Jasher...

For me, both helped paint a better picture on some things in the bible that seemed to be incomplete (fallen angels for one example)..
Book of Enoch/Book of Jasher...

For me, both helped paint a better picture on some things in the bible that seemed to be incomplete (fallen angels for one example)..
Me too! I followed it up with reading 'Thats What the Old Ones Say" by Chief Joseph Riverwind. So much in the legends of the Lacota indians corroborates the narrative of the Bible!
 
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After reading Quran (English translation), and knowing that the religion of all the Prophets is one, I read OT and NT again in a new light. It was eye and heart opening and confirmed for me that Islam is God's true religion- strngthening my new found faith even more.
Other books along those lines for me were 'The Bible the Quran and Science' from Dr Maurice Bucaille, 'Beyond Mere Christianity- CS Lewis and the betrayal of Christianity' by Brandon Toropov, and 'Prophet Muhammad the Last Messenger in the Bible' by Kais Al Kalby.

Favorite Verse/Chapter/passage:
Quran: All of it and especially Surah Al Asr, Yusuf, Rahman, Hadid, Furqan and the haa meem Surahs
OT: Proverbs
NT: any verse that affirms God's Oneness and Jesus' humility and submision to God.
 

Lady

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@Red Sky at Morning
I read a Kindle sampling of That's What the Old Ones Say by Chief Riverwind. It is because 1/2 of my family is 1/2 Native American. I have checked out his website, also. He is a Native American Christian with Jewish ancestry. Isn't that quite the combo?
I find it fascinating how he has included some Jewish aspects of worship in his Christian practice.
So, the whole book by Riverwind is worth the read?
 

Red Sky at Morning

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@Red Sky at Morning
I read a Kindle sampling of That's What the Old Ones Say by Chief Riverwind. It is because 1/2 of my family is 1/2 Native American. I have checked out his website, also. He is a Native American Christian with Jewish ancestry. Isn't that quite the combo?
I find it fascinating how he has included some Jewish aspects of worship in his Christian practice.
So, the whole book by Riverwind is worth the read?
It blew me away. God can reach anyone willing to seek him. Some of their most ancient stories tie in with the Creator God and him sending his Son...

How did American Indians, pre-Columbus pick up on this!?
 

Lady

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No book holds a candle to the Book of books-the Bible, of course, but early in my journey toward faith, I read
(Идиот Федора Достоевского) and in English: The Idiot, by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
The story made me weep and I fell in love with the Prince Myshkin because of his character similarities to Christ. It was a life-changer for me and led me on the road to becoming a born-again Christian.

@Sunny, was that a good translation from Google or not?
 

Lady

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It blew me away. God can reach anyone willing to seek him. Some of their most ancient stories tie in with the Creator God and him sending his Son...

How did American Indians, pre-Columbus pick up on this!?
Also...pre-missionary!
Riverwind claims Jewish heritage, which means that his TRIBE shares that, I believe. So...connect the dots. They could be from one of Noah's sons who traveled to the North American continent. There are some who think this.
 
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