Wow...just went to Amazon.com and read the back covers of Towing Jehovah and Blameless in Abbadon...wow talk about sacrilage!
I may just have to order them.
What books have shaped your affected you?
by Eyebrow 39 Replies latest jw friends
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agentseven
The easy answer is anything written by Ray Franz. ;)
But there are two books which, collectively, form a sort of pseudo-bible for me personally. What's interesting is that the two authors have very different outlooks, and yet both are well-respected scientists who muse about the origins of the universe and the role of God in it - coming (obviously) to very different conclusions (or lack thereof, as the case may be):
"The Demon-Haunted World - Science as a Candle in the Dark" by Carl Sagan
"A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking
I can't recommend these books enough. Really. I mean it. Just for kicks, I'll paste two short quotes from these books below. I think you'll find them amusing. If you like them, by all means, get the books!
[Sagan]
"The Dragon In My Garage'A fire-breathing dragon lives in my garage.'
Suppose I seriously make such an assertion to you. Surely you'd want to check it out, see for yourself. There have been innumerable stories of dragons over the centuries, but no real evidence. What an opportunity!
'Show me', you say, and I lead you to my garage. You look inside and see a ladder, empty paint cans, an old tricycle - but no dragon
'Where's the dragon,' you ask.
'Oh, she's right here,' I reply, waving vaguely. 'I neglected to mention that she's an invisible dragon.'
You propose spreading flour on the floor of the garage to capture the dragon's footprints. 'Good idea', I say, 'but this dragon floats in the air.' Then you'll use an infrared sensor to detect the invisible fire. 'Good idea, but the invisible fire is also heatless,' I say.
You'll spray-paint the dragon and make her visible. 'Good idea, except she's an incorporeal dragon and the paint won't stick!'
And so on. I counter every physical test you propose with a special explanation of why it won't work.
Now what is the difference between an invisible, incorporeal, floating dragon who spits heatless fire and no dragon at all? If there's no way to disprove my contention, no conceivable experiment that would count against it, what does it mean to say that my dragon exists? You're inability to invalidate my hypothesis is not at all the same thing as proving it true. Claims that cannot be tested, assertions immune to disproof are veridically worthless, whatever value they may have in inspiring us or in exciting our sense of wonder. What I'm asking you to do comes down to believing, in the absence of evidence, on my say-so."
[Hawking]
"Our Picture Of The UniverseA well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: 'What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise.' The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, 'What is the tortoise standing on?'
'You're very clever, young man, very clever,' said the old lady.
'But it's turtles all the way down!'
Most people would find the picture of our universe as an infinite tower of tortoises rather ridiculous, but why do we think we know better? What do we know about the universe, and how do we know it? Where did the universe come from, and where is it going? Did the universe have a beginning, and if so, what happened before then? What is the nature of time? Will it ever come to an end? Recent breakthroughs in physics, made possible in part by fantastic new technologies, suggest answers to some of these longstanding questions. Someday these answers may seem as obvious to us as the earth orbiting the sun - or perhaps as ridiculous as a tower of tortoises. Only time (whatever that may be) will tell."
A7
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Julie
Eight Places to Beat a Man and Not Leave a Mark by U.R. Gonnagetit
Julie -
VeniceIT
ok so some of mine have already been mentioned.
In grade school I LOVED Nancy Drew. Showed me how to be more observant and think your way through things. (and detectives never age)
Pride & Prejudice is a BIG favorite. I love the language and the wit, and it taught me that EVERYONE needs a good setting down no matter how rich or snobby There are some GREAT lines in there!!!!
Far Pavilions--showed me Africa along with the rest of M.M. Kay's books which I've read all of them. It's a very LONG and intense book about human struggle and courage. I loved it!!!!
The Bible of course.
C of C helped change my life forever.
ohh 'A tree Grows in Brooklyn' I read that in grade school and it stuck with me for years. I think it was the first book that really made me cry.
'Travels' by Michael Crichton. (Mulan Read it will ya). It's non fiction and like his journal. I found it fascinating, because not only does he travel to great places, but it's more a journey into his self understanding. I loved it, some of it was hysterical like his first day on 'rounds' at the hospital. hmm I read it as a JW I should read it again now.
'Exodus' by Leon Uris. WOW incredible book! It blew me away. I had some weird dreams with this one. The stuggle that the people went through, the horror that one man can put on another. The strength of people that when faced with sure disaster, the fight in the face of it, and prevail. It shows you how strong we humans really are, and sometimes, how much just a smile or a touch can mean to someone. (envisioning the main guy as Paul Newman didn't hurt any )
hmmmmmmm.... I've done a lot of reading, the rest mainly in action, espionage, medical thrillers like, Robin Cook, Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, Micheal Crichton, Richard Preston. I've read a few David Baldacci books too.
Ven
"Injustice will continue until those who are not affected by it are as outraged as those who are."
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Eyebrow
Julie,
Does that book come with instructional photos? -
Mulan
I should say 'ditto' to Venice's post. Dang, we've read a lot of the same books!!
I LOVED Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. Maybe because my cousin was dying, and so was Morrie, but it really touched me.
Combatting Cult Mind Control, by Steven Hassan
Seat of the Soul, by Gary Zukav
Life Strategies, by Phil McGraw
The Road Less Traveled (big help to me 6 years ago)
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, John Gray
Dare to Win, by Mark Victor Hansen
Raising a Giant, by Robert CrispAll those are non-fiction. I can't think of any fiction that have molded me, except The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, showing the futility of religion in a missionary family.
Marilyn (a.k.a. Mulan)
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princecharmant
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Love in a Time of Cholera
Of Love and Other Demons
---- all fiction, by Gabriel Garcia MarquezThe Bible -- still a great book
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You Know
Amazingly only one person even mentioned the Bible! I think that is very telling. The Scriptures are right on the mark when they describe the apostate as "disowning the owner that bought them." It is obvious that that is exactly what you have done. / You Know
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Seeker4
Tons of the books here brought back memories for me. I think Francois, Mommie Dark and Mulan have similar reading tastes to mine.
But of those books that have really been an influence in my life as simply opposed to books I like as books (quite different thoughts):
Read tons of Aldous Huxley when I was young. Taught me to think and question, and to appreciate the intellect and new ideas.
In the last ten years the writings of Ken Wilber have taken Huxley's place as those giving me a sense of my own personal worldview and philosophy. Wilber's "A Brief History of Everything," and "A Theory of Everything," especially, along with his journal "One Taste."
Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and "Lila." Same reason as Wilber's. They really help answer the age old Witness lament -"But if we leave the WTS, where will we go and what will we belive."
Colin Wilson's "The Outsider," as it helped me understand myself and that I was not alone with how I saw things, and what might be seen as madness in some is probabaly something quite opposite.
The Tao Te Ching - very, very definitely. The BEST spiritual guide, and what a "sacred" book should really be - clear, simple, wise, timeless AND no claims of "divine inspiration or infallibility." Also - can be read COVER TO COVER in an HOUR!!!!! Jehovah - take notice!!
Paul Shephard's "The Tender Carnivore." More understanding of how humanity got where we are.
Somerset Maugham's "The Razor's Edge." About a REAL spiritual search, and nothing to do with the rules for being spiritual I was taught as a Witness.
Thomas Merton's "The Seven Story Mountain." Same thing as Maugham's.
A book on the Bible and science by the science writer for The Boston Globe whose name escapes me right now. Showed me as I was leaving the Witnesses what I'd been trying to avoid for the previous ten years - the Bible simply collapses as a literal text under the weight of science.
Paul Rezendes "The Wild Within." With Shephard's book helped me to understand where we may need to go in the future.
Erica Jong's biography of Henry Miller "The Devil at Large," mainly because is showed me how a truly great writer and naturally spiritual person lives and works.
Paul Hawken's works, especially "The Ecology of Commerce." What I can do to make this a better world, and what's not working in this one.
Elaine Pagel's "The Gnostic Gosples," and "History of Satan." Opened my eyes to what the Bible really is, and what Christianity really is.
The Bible - especially Genesis chapters 1-20, as the reading convinced me that the book is myth and uninspired myth at that.
Barbara Harrizon Grazzuti's "The Kingdom and the Glory." Her turmoil with being a Witness, and then her decision to leave, stuck so many chords of sympathy with me. She led the way for many of us. And she's just one of the best writer's around.Also - thanks for mentioning so many other good books. Headed out to pick up some LeGuin and Heinlein shortly. Isn't it interesting how science fiction seems to be the area where fiction writing that deals with IDEAS and how to live is best expressed?
Any others want to comment on WHY some of the books they mentioned were important in shaping their lives?
S4
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thewiz
Since I have known nothing else I would defintely have to say, anything by the WTBS. You didnt' say for good or bad. Everything no doubt gets filtered through that. Hey I weakly gave up on my hope of becoming a cardiologist because of them.
The bible (the one with Ge. - Rev. with no Apochripha)
Jaws -along with the movie, scarred me outta the water at the height of my diving hobby
Les Misrables -unabriged -Victor Hugo
1984 and Animal Farm. -George Orwell
Want religious imagery, try just about anything Hawthorne -excellent
The Tell Tale heart -by Edger Allen Poe
Crisis of Conscience -Raymond Franz
the Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses -by ????
Juggs magazine
many more
