Myth and Ritual in Christianity by Alan Watts

[rlg94086]

Thomas Merton sounds like an excellent choice for my husband, thank you for mentioning him. In particular the titles Zen and the Birds of Appetite and after some time Thoughts in Solitude.

I love this excerpt from No Man is an Island: “The truth I must love in my brother is God Himself, living in Him.” That’s really beautiful.

I’ve also marked The Good Heart: A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus by The Dalai Lama.

I’m not going to go overboard though, I’ll just stick to Myth and Ritual in Christianity, and Tao: The Watercourse Way by Alan Watts for now.

I’ve found more suggestions that I expected! Thanks!

Absolutely! Merton is the next step - stick with Watts for now. If he likes Christianity with from an Eastern Philosophy enthusiast, then he will be ready for Eastern Philosophy from a Catholic perspective.

 

[Yuhan]

Another of Alan Watts’s books on the subject of Christianity is “Behold The Spirit,” a book published earlier than “Myth And Ritual.” This book deals more with Catholic doctrine than with ritual and in it Watts shows why faith cannot be brought about by an act of will. Despite the good intentions of friends, spouses, clergy, etc., a true conversion of the heart is something that must come from the Holy Spirit. Of course a friend, spouse, or even a book might by an agent of the Holy Spirit, but this is something that absolutely cannot be forced. If you enjoy talking to people about God, religion, spiritual matters, etc., that’s fine and you shouldn’t desist simply because you think someone may be offended by it. But if someone flatly doesn’t want to talk about religion it’s best just to back off.

What I like about writers like Alan Watts is that they help elicit an intelligent conversation about religion. When you can mediate your discussion through an intelligent and clearly written text, it helps to elevate and give direction to the conversation. In both “Myth and Ritual,” and also in “Behold The Spirit” Watts addresses many of the questions and issues that arise for modern day Christians. If you can encourage your spouse to read books like these, I think it will help you to have a dialogue where you aren’t both defending yourselves. Instead, you are discussing the book, not your own personal positions.

Go for it! Really, Alan Watts is an amazing writer! Even though these books were written more than fifty years ago, they speak to religious issues very pertinent to our troubled times.

 

[BeeSweet]

Another of Alan Watts’s books on the subject of Christianity is “Behold The Spirit,” a book published earlier than “Myth And Ritual.” This book deals more with Catholic doctrine than with ritual and in it Watts shows why faith cannot be brought about by an act of will. Despite the good intentions of friends, spouses, clergy, etc., a true conversion of the heart is something that must come from the Holy Spirit. Of course a friend, spouse, or even a book might by an agent of the Holy Spirit, but this is something that absolutely cannot be forced. If you enjoy talking to people about God, religion, spiritual matters, etc., that’s fine and you shouldn’t desist simply because you think someone may be offended by it. But if someone flatly doesn’t want to talk about religion it’s best just to back off.

What I like about writers like Alan Watts is that they help elicit an intelligent conversation about religion. When you can mediate your discussion through an intelligent and clearly written text, it helps to elevate and give direction to the conversation. In both “Myth and Ritual,” and also in “Behold The Spirit” Watts addresses many of the questions and issues that arise for modern day Christians. If you can encourage your spouse to read books like these, I think it will help you to have a dialogue where you aren’t both defending yourselves. Instead, you are discussing the book, not your own personal positions.

Go for it! Really, Alan Watts is an amazing writer! Even though these books were written more than fifty years ago, they speak to religious issues very pertinent to our troubled times.

Great! Behold the Spirit has now been added to my gift list as well. I seem to have memory of my husband having a copy of this one from long ago. I believe he said something about not being able to get into it though. He discovered Alan Watts when he was a teenager, while rebelling against his Christian upbringing. I think at the time this title was just not where he was at spiritually. It could be exactly where he is now though.

I know without a doubt that when he sees the books, and the name of his old friend Alan Watts, he’s going to be thrilled!

I am so thankful for the replies I’ve received here.