Can Christians read Plato?

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Read Plato. It has, implicitly, the recommendation of the apostle Paul.
 
Pieman333272 said:
Catholics may read whatever they please. Hove no worries about it.
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While I don’t know the specifics of Plato and can’t speak to that case, I can say that Catholics may not read things which may damage their faith, chastity or morals. Unless you are firmly aware what the Church teaches and what is not acceptable to Christians, you should not be reading things which denigrate the Church, or promote paganism or the occult, or are morally objectionable such as pornography.

I think what you meant to say is, that there is no specific “list of banned books” as there was in the past. Given the explosion of popular media and the ability of anyone to publish anything, Catholics are expected to use their own good judgement, as well as submit to the pastoral advice of their priest and bishops, when selecting reading or entertainment material.

On that note, I would advise the OP to consult your pastor or confessor for advice on whether you should read Plato.
 
Plato is definitely someone to read. Indeed, he helped lead Augustine to Christianity and his natural theology, as well as his ethics, were essential to Christianity (read Catholicism) developing it’s own rational theology.

It is no accident that classical philosophy came about when it did. Providence is a special thing, and the compatibilities of Christian theology with Platonic philosophy are quite striking. I would recommend reading Augustine, as he locates the weaknesses of Platonic philosophy quite astutely as regards Christian theology (start with the Confessions, not too difficult).

Of course, Thomas adopts much of Platonic philosophy as well.

By all means read Plato. In fact, as a Catholic I recommend reading him.
 
Elizium23 said:
On that note, I would advise the OP to consult your pastor or confessor for advice on whether you should read Plato.
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Should the OP consult his or her pastor with regard to what kind of cereal to eat for breakfast, as well? 😊
 
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