Ok so, I've read Augustine's Confessions and some of Kierkegaard's books. Being an atheist myself, I was very surprised of how beatiful the life of a christian can be, thanks to the christian morality and the austhere peace of a life devoted to faith. I really feel changed after these readings; even though I can't have faith in a religious God, I'm starting to repulse lots of futile desires and I'm replicing stupid hobbies with meditation and reading.
Where I can continue my pursue? I feel like repression and austerity really helps my quest for happines, and loving an unchangable ideal is more rewarding than loving a person. Any other books this kind of life, but from an atheistic POV?
>>431035
Epicrueanism and Stoicism.
Here pal:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z4w8x_H8miK2FuVaOo_Due82cOWOnZFrtnPSC0vlOi4/edit?pref=2&pli=1
>>431048
Meant to say check out Epicetus and Stoicism, the link confused me.
>>431035
I find Kirkeegaard easier to be relevant to atheism rather than Christianity. I doubt very many Christians would be fine with his anti-clergy stance. One can read his work metaphorically or by taking his concept of Faith and applying it to one's own creeds rather than a distant God. If you do this his words make perfect sense.
>>431048
This, pretty much. Stoicism isn't super dense but I'd recommend Seneca -> Aurelius -> Epictetus. Just based old guys talking about what it means to be a good person and to stop pussyfooting and actually live up to your principles.
Check out A Guide for the Perplexed. Modern introduction into mysticism and spiritual discipline with a focus on debunking scientism's epistemic assumptions about the truth value of our inner experiences. Sounds dry but the author is very passionate about and personal development and self-actualization
I'd also recommend Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. Bunch of quick and snappy Zen stories about not sweating the small stuff and staying on your shit
I just wish I could believe in God
>>431048
>>431067
>>431073
Thanks! Will check it out Stoicism, I already read something from Epicurus.
>>431069
Yeah agreed. Really digged his stuff a lot. But even so, I loved also Augustine's Confessions. Really beatiful, the book made me regret to be unable to have faith in any kind of God.
P.S: If you have any other similar christian stuff that should be checked out, let me know. I'm really liking it. Should I read summa teologica?
>>431035
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Daniel, the Book of Job, the New Testament
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus, and the Discourses of Epictetus
>>431115
Read Thomas Merton. One of the most eloquent Christians of the past century.
Bimp
>>431048
This is heavily biased to epicurean philosophy, and you can see why when you look at who compiled it
Practically all of the Stoics were theists.
>>431035
>son, I am dissapoint.
>>433824
Father, you're a faggot
>>433818
They were more like agnostics or apethic towards religion. Part of the stoic philosophy is you are not supposed to dwell on whether a God exists. Live a proper life. If God is good than he will reward you. If God is evil you will want to ignore him. If there is no God you had the benefit of living a proper life.
>>433910
I think this is a distinctly Aurelian brand of stoicism. Epictetus talks about God a lot, and indeed, our confidence and integrity stems directly from the fact we are children of the Logos. That's the ground he builds his whole ethics on.
I like the Aurelius was smart enough to at least entertain he could be wrong. Even Epictetus never manages to sound like a preacher. They were all pretty sober about it all
>>433910
Wrong. A major part of Stoicism is acting in accordance the way of the universe and God. You seem to be confusing Stoicism with Epicureanism.
'In accord with this ontology, the Stoics, like the Epicureans, make God a corporeal entity, though not (as with the Epicureans) one made of everyday matter. But while the Epicureans think the gods are too busy being blessed and happy to be bothered with the governance of the universe (Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus 123–4), the Stoic God is immanent throughout the whole of creation and directs its development down to the smallest detail. God is identical with one of the two ungenerated and indestructible first principles (archai) of the universe.'
Read Plutarch's Lives. Read the Everyman Edition, it is important to read the lives in the proper ordering and pairs.
>>431035
go read the easterners.
I know it may sound bit like a cliché, but it seems right down your alley
>>431035
There's this essay called "The Philosophical Jesus" by Frederic Lenoir but it's in French. It's a pretty good commentary and summary of the philosophical nature of the gospels, and Christianity in general.
>>431035
Tactitus's writings on germania weren't outright moralist, but tacitus himself was a moralist and you get a real sense of "look at these noble savages. We Romans have forgotten our roots"
