The best Theology books: Reddit reviews

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

In regards to the Catholic version of Christianity (what I’m familiar with) there are some realistic and historically credible events and ideas to hold onto. Especially when looking for foils in the Gospels it’s hard to poke too many holes. There’s some real credibility between the Synoptics and the Acts of the Apostles. specifically in regards to authorship it all comes together to add needed credibility to what are otherwise unbelievable events. Read this book if you’re interested in this topic, it’s really informative: https://www.amazon.com/Case-Christ-Journalists-Personal-Investigation/dp/0310339308

This isn’t super relevant though. What’s import is helping Fiverr Jesus. Also “bonus levels” lol.

Edited to better clarify my point :)

> Is this a good book for a lay person for an introduction to the origins of yahweh / the major monotheistic religions?

No.

> By “good” I mean is it held in good/ high regard among scholars?

I'm fairly certain that it is not.

You'd be better off reading The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel & Michael Heiser's work on the Divine Council.

EDIT: grammar

The ancient Semitic pantheon (which included 70 sons of El, including Baal) was widely believed in across the region. What made Judaism unique was its eventual push toward monotheism, although traces of the old pantheon are still in the Hebrew Bible.

Mark Smith has put out some good scholarship on the topic:

https://www.amazon.com/Early-History-God-Biblical-Resource/dp/080283972X

Asherah was originally a wife of the father God El, although later Yahweh was brought in (possibly from contact with Edom) and El and Yahweh were eventually merged.

This interesting convergence tends to be brought up in apologetic literature but I haven't seen it from church leaders. The Deuteronomic Reforms removed "pagan" altars and gods from Hebrew worship, including the worship of Asherah. Is it the LDS position that those reforms were correct? Incorrect? Somewhere in between? There isn't an official position as far as I know, but if Asherah is to be associated with Heavenly Mother it might be necessary to take one.

It's an interesting area of LDS theology that hasn't really been explored much.

Don’t be a moron. There is plenty of proof and rigorous philosophy underlying classical theism and plenty of weak arguments in defense of materialism and naturalism. Catholics aren’t “bible only” Christians either and have no issue with extraterrestrial life, so you only reveal your ignorance here. Like a moron.

Adults also read books that challenge their view. So maybe give that a try instead of being of being a...you know.

Carry this, and a copy of:
https://www.amazon.com/Bullshit-Harry-G-Frankfurt/dp/0691122946/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=on+bullshit&qid=1623075526&sr=8-1

"Liars at least acknowledge that it matters what is true. By virtue of this, Frankfurt writes, bullshit is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are."

This is a philosophical take on it from Harry Frankfurt. There's also a tribute collection of philosophical essays on the topic.

https://www.amazon.com/Bullshit-Harry-G-Frankfurt/dp/0691122946

It isn't really empowering him though. On Bullshit makes the argument there's a clear difference between bullshit and lies, where the latter has a clear truth-value that the speaker is trying to convince you against, but the dichotomy between "truth" and "lie" is immaterial to the former. That is to say, Donald Trump does not lie (in the sense of purposely trying to convince us of untrue things that he knows are untrue) but he does bullshit (in that he does not care whether or not what he says is true).

But in this framework, what is truly damning about Trump is that he believes his bullshit -- that is, he may honestly think whatever is coming out of his mouth at any instance is really true. Most bullshitters are aware when something they've said is bullshit and are also aware when other people attempt to bullshit them, because there remains an implicit unreality about bullshit. To believe your own bullshit, however, means that you have entirely bought into the unreality you yourself weave -- which makes you blind to the world of objective facts and reality, that is, of truth and lies.

The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities of Ancient Israel by Mark S. Smith is a fantastic book with (too many?) references that really paints the picture of Judeo-Christian God as just another iron age mythology, no different than any other.

Edit: link

I want truth. That's my quest.

And if you are on a truth quest, I would encourage you to check out is God a moral monster by Paul Copan.

Down a bit I made some comments about God being the only one who can define morality.

https://www.amazon.com/God-Moral-Monster-Making-Testament/dp/0801072751

Here is a great book discussing 5 unique proofs for the existence of God. Feel free to read and review it and come back with questions.

If you expect the existence of the Creator of everything to be proved "without a shadow of a doubt, that would convince the entire world population" in a reddit comment, then you either don't understand how proofs work or you severely underestimate the stubbornness of man.

But this is, again, all besides the point of your original question "Do you believe religion is still important in today's world".

Actually, I thought similar to you but after reading On Bullshit I think “bullshit” should be considered a distinct practice from lying.

A key differentiator is that, when bullshitting, the truth itself doesn’t matter. A person bullshitting doesn’t stop to consider if what they are saying is the truth or not. Where as with lying, the truth is still being acknowledged as something with import or meaning, it’s just being intentional obfuscated or avoided.

Baia baia... el periódico Excelsior era el último lugar en el que esperaba leer una referencia al filósofo Harry G. Frankfurt y a su ensayo sobre el bullshit.

Para los interesados, Frankfurt escribió un ensayo corto (vendido en Amazon México como un mini-libro de 60 páginas con pasta dura de la buena) llamado On Bullshit en el que se hace la distinción filosófica entre el significado del término bullshit y su diferencia con la mentira promedio. Si les interesa profundizar en la distinción que menciona Leo Zuckermann, recomiendo el libro (cuesta menos de 100 pesos, se lee de un solo golpe en una hora y media máximo, y hasta ayuda a inflar tu número de libros leídos al año):

https://www.amazon.com.mx/Bullshit-Harry-G-Frankfurt/dp/0691122946

Ninja Edit: Estoy descubriendo que también está disponible en español en paquete con otro escrito acerca de la verdad, pero sale mas caro:

https://www.amazon.com.mx/Sobre-charlataner%C3%ADa-Bullshit-verdad-ebook/dp/B00E5NP3DM/

This may not be a direct response to your question, but hopefully it will be helpful. I read this book several (like 8-10) years ago and found it helpful and accessible to a lay audience:

"Is God a Moral Monster"? by Paul Copan

I can't say for sure that it's as good as I thought it was back then, but maybe someone in here has a more recent recollection of it or a similar work.

If I remember correctly, he addresses the issue from several perspectives, such as the genre of the text being more hyperbolic than literal, the notice given to the Caananites to evacuate prior to individual conquests, and yes, I believe he addresses the issue of God's will in multiple senses (which seems to be the core of your question).

Really relevant book on the philosophical significance.
https://www.amazon.com/Bullshit-Harry-G-Frankfurt/dp/0691122946/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=on+bullshit&qid=1625252585&sr=8-1

He's not a liar. A liar tells falsehoods, so there is some connection to truth.

A bullshit artist just says what pops in to his head, and if contradicted just says the next thing. So being wrong isn't possible because he's already moved on to the next thing.

This is a fascinating book to read: The Early History of God: : Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel by Mark S. Smith. Excellent scholarly work showing YHWH's pre-Jewish roots as a Canaanite deity.

In it we also learn how little we know about the role of Asherah. While there is a snippet of info about Asherah as YHWH's consort, and we know that something called an Asherah Pole existed, there is almost no knowledge of her role in the ancient Israelite religion. She doesn't appear to have been worshipped, and I don't believe we know much about what she represented.

Worth a read - I recommend it for all.

https://www.amazon.com/God-Moral-Monster-Making-Testament/dp/0801072751

This is a complex question, please have a look at this book which tackles this topic in depth.

https://youtu.be/NW2dgvRi8lA

Also a video directly addressing the topic.

What's different about Trump is that he's not even a liar -- that implies some awareness of what is true. He's a bullshit artist, as in Harry Frankfurt's book, On Bullshit (highly recommended https://www.amazon.com/Bullshit-Harry-G-Frankfurt/dp/0691122946). It doesn't matter if a statement is true or false. He'll say anything he wants to regardless of truthfulness. His supporters love that he does that and hate when he's called out on it. The point is it's supposed to become true by his saying it.

Just another example of how the study of physics was to many scientists a pathway into the Divine. I think you would really enjoy the book I mentioned above by Antony Flew, There is a God

He does address some of the issues related to physics and the mathematics of the universe. I think he also touches on the classical debate about the nature of math that Galileo explored.

Thanks, I'm glad I'm not in that mess any longer, either.

You might also find this book interesting:

https://www.amazon.com/Early-History-God-Biblical-Resource/dp/080283972X

I use the Amazon links because you usually get a free preview on those links.

No. Just think logically for a moment. According to a strict empricialism, what are the possible reasons that an event may defy the laws of nature?

1. We do not understand the laws of nature. In which case, by study and experimentation, we can show that there is a flaw in our understanding of the laws of nature that clarifies the behaviour.
2. Artifice. The event is a fake but in which case a reasonable explanation can be found. Further, there should be physical evidence that agrees with this explanation.

For the sake of argument, what if neither of these explains the event? Then the next logical step is to question the premises of the approach. Which ones? Well, the universe might not be intelligible. If it is not, then science does not work because an unintelligible universe implies we cannot understand nature. This is counter to our experience, so it is likely false. That leaves the assumption there is nothing beyond what is natural and testable. What if that assumption is faulty? This would add a third option, the supernatural.

As far as why not Vishnu and why not more than one god, there are good logical reasons for that. But if you do not accept there is a possibility of a god, then it won't do any good to go into them. Fesser has a book that explains it quite logically why there is One God and its the Christian god. https://www.amazon.com/Five-Proofs-Existence-Edward-Feser/

Personally, at the end of the day it comes down to who you say Jesus is. Look into Lewis's trilemma. he was either a liar, insane, or exactly who he said he was. If he was who he said was, the rest follows logically. The problem is the other two options appear highly irrational.

If this is your goal, than these are the books you are looking for:

https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Interrupted-Revealing-Hidden-Contradictions/dp/0061173940/ https://www.amazon.com/Misquoting-Jesus-Story-Behind-Changed-ebook/dp/B000SEGJF8/

From one of the Amazon reviews:

>Ehrman shows how nearly all mainstream divinity schools and seminaries actually teach the origins of the bible with accuracy and using the historical-critical method, but the ministers and theologians coming out of these schools never teach what they learn to their students and/or congregations. Thus, ignorance about the bible in the layperson makes way for unquestioning faith in the bible.

> How is the universe evidence of god?

In many ways. Former Atheist and professor Dr. Feser explains 5 ways here in his book :

https://www.amazon.com/Five-Proofs-Existence-Edward-Feser/dp/1621641333

The bottom line is that Jesus really lived, died, and rose from the dead. You don't want to convert just because your boyfriend is a Christian. You want to investigate if the claims of Christ are true, and convert once you are satisfied that they are. I would recommend a book by Lee Strobel called The Case for Christ. And of course, I would recommend that you read the Gospels in the Bible, starting perhaps with the Gospel of John. Blessings on your journey!

It's a bad historical explanation, though.

The Christian and Jewish gloss is that they were always monotheistic, but strayed.

The historical reality is that they were polytheistic, and only gradually moved towards monolatry and eventually monotheism.

This book covers a lot of what scholars believe the history is: https://www.amazon.com/Early-History-God-Biblical-Resource/dp/080283972X

If you like youtube, I listen to Bart on my way to work. https://m.youtube.com/user/bartdehrman

He gives good solid facts about history and religion. He would be a good source to go to

His “Jesus Interrupted” book might also be good for you. Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061173940/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_uzCNFb4QFVTWQ

The reason I suggest not bringing up Dawkins and Hitchens with very religious family is because of the view a lot of religious people have of them. (But I love listening to their debates)

> Deuteronomy 16:21 just came up in my reading. Awesome.

I love it! I love seeing the connections and getting a peek behind the curtain to get a sense of what things would have meant to the original audience!

Another on-topic book that is on my wishlist is The Early History of God by Mark Smith.

For getting your feet wet in OT scholarship, the go-to references are Friedman's "Who Wrote the Bible?" (did I see someone else recommend that one?) and Kugel's "How To Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture Then and Now". Those are the only general topic books that come to mind. Scrolling through my Amazon order history, everything else seems pretty specific . . . and random. Let me know if there is a specific area you are interested in

I cannot stress enough how fantastic the Yale lectures I linked to before are. If you can sit through those 24 lectures, you will have all the background you need to explore whatever area catches your eye.

As an aside, since you say you are in an exploration phase with your faith. I would double recommend James Kugel's book above. In the epilogue he comments that he is often asked how he is able to remain a devout Orthodox Jew knowing what he knows about biblical history. He says he reads the bible as the record of an ancient people trying to understand their god and to make sense of their place in the world, and to him it doesn't matter if the stories are true because he understands they are a product of their culture. (I'm tired, does that sound preachy?)

I highly recommend you try 'Lost Christianities' (Amazon URL) by Bart Ehrman. Prof. Ehrman is a renowned scholar of the new testament and in this text he describes the theological beliefs and history of the earliest christian communities, with a special focus on the competing gospels, epistles, and history of the very early christian communities whose beliefs did not end up making it into the mainstream christian tradition later on. This book was eye opening and set me on a path of serious discovery and interest in scholarship of early Christianity and late antiquity.

God can be proven to exist by reason or experience.

There are many reasons. But some of the best articulated and defended can be found here:

https://www.amazon.com/Five-Proofs-Existence-Edward-Feser/dp/1621641333

If you buy it, please take your time. These arguments will need to be digested to be understood. Challenge it throughout but think through it honestly. I believe you will find the reality of God inescapable.

As for an experience of God, you will have to enter prayer. In entering prayer you open yourself to God. If you pursue that channel honestly God will call you in the way that will be best for you.

Good luck to you.

I recommend you pick up a copy of this book: https://www.amazon.com/Early-History-God-Biblical-Resource/dp/080283972X

It goes through vast amounts of historical evidence, as well as textual analysis of the Bible and other works, to show that the early history of Israelite religion is polytheism.

This is the consensus view of historians.

The Israelites were Canaanites, and it makes sense that they would have Canaanite religious views.

> There are multiple core ideas in eastern philosophy that have uncanny similarities of recent findings in various other sciences. The Tao Te Ching for example describes everything we perceive as an "emergent phenomenon" of a higher reality. It starts by making clear that it will use a new, unloaded word for that higher reality (the Tao) and explicitly denies any knowledge about the nature of this higher reality.

As do all of the Gnostics, and most of the Neoplatonists. Ismaili Islam believes this, as do certain forms of Protestantism. I mean hell I can just start listing western religions that believe this, or even just mention Kant, Schopenhauer, Schelling etc etc.

What you are describing is not particular to Eastern Philosophy, and is a kind of naive intro level obsession with the cool strange Eastern Philosophers. This is not to attack your interest but the stuff you are mentioning is not "Eastern" in any coherent sense. We see it even in Aztec Philosophy were all of reality is an expression of the eternal and ever changing Teotl.

> Is there anybody from the philosophical department who is working on this, since Alan Watts?

David Bentley Hart's https://www.amazon.co.uk/Experience-God-Being-Consciousness-Bliss/dp/0300166842 is probably a good place to look as he is quite informed on the things you are interested in, i.e. Eastern Philosophy, Neuroscience and Philosophy of Mind.