Is anyone interested in a book club?

[cbayer]

This has been briefly discussed in the religion group. I think it might work here and I am willing to help lead it.

My biggest drawback is that I must be able to download the book, as I have no access to a bookstore, let alone one with books in a language I can read.

So, if you are interested, list 4 or 5 books that you would suggest we consider. I would say it's wide open - fiction or non-fiction, current or classic.

[Htom Sirveaux]

1. I'm definitely interested.

I do have a question though: do you think the books should be religion/spirituality-related?

[cbayer]

3. I have no opinion about this. What do you think?

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

5. I suppose I can think of a few.

C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity is a favorite of mine, as is Thomas Merton, especially Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, which taught me much about Christian mysticism; and Zen and the Birds of Appetite, which introduced me to Zen.

A short story we might start with is "Those Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin. It's online at http://harelbarzilai.org/words/omelas.txt and has a significant moral question at its center.

Give me a bit of time, and I can come up with others.

[cbayer]

6. I like the idea of exploring different religious traditions

and also like the idea of discussing moral dilemmas.

Let's get some more input and then consider starting with something short like the Le Guin piece.

That would give us an idea of how interested people might be.

My two favorite reads are The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (fiction) and It's Easier Than you Think by Sylvia Boorstein (Buddhism).

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

2. I'm interested as well.

I think they should be at least plausibly linkable to religion.

[cbayer]

4. Could you come up with a brief list of those you

would like?

I think if we all do this, we could see if there are some we have in common.

[el_bryanto]

7. The Godless Constitution would be well worth reading if people haven't read it.

And I'd also like to read Mark Noll’s America’s God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln. I tend to be mostly interested in History myself.

Bryant

[okasha]

8. Another dcience fiction classic is

Walter Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz. There's also Elixabeth Cunningham's Mary Magdalen tetralogy, and any number of good books out there by Spong, Tabor et alia. A bio of St Francis might be a good place to start, since it would touch at least indirectly on current figures and issues.

[kentauros]

9. While I did read "A Canticle for Leibowitz"

I thought the radio play was better. Same for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

[okasha]

11. I didn't know there was s radio play.

The first section includes my favorite line in all science fiction:"Bless me, Father. I ate a lizard."

[kentauros]

12. I hadn't heard of the book when I heard the radio play

on a local public radio station. And I didn't get a copy of the book until many years later. I liked it, but I do tend to like audio and visual versions better than most people that love the books more

Oh, and look what I found!

A Canticle for Liebowitz (on the Internet Archive)

It's the same series I had heard; I recognized it from the first ring of the bells at the beginning

[okasha]

13. Thanks!

I'll give it a listen first chance.

[kentauros]

14. You won't be sorry!

It's a well-produced series

[kentauros]

10. Just don't invite Oprah

Go to the 6-minute mark to see the relevant part: