Reddit reviews The Seven Storey Mountain

You might want him to read The Seven Storey Mountain. It's an autobiography about an atheist converting to Catholicism and then becoming a Trappist monk. It's written beautifully, and I found that the main character, even though this was written years ago, still remains relatable.

Sounds to me like his Catholicism isn't real, it's just another label he awarded himself.

Blow his mind and get him to read some Thomas Merton, Daniel and Philip Berrigan, Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero, among others.

Seven Story Mountain is one of the most powerful books ever written and flys in the face of the brand of not really catholic BS the SD is spewing.

It's from his autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain

Definitely!

For philosophy and general Aquinas, you have to read Aquinas - A beginners guide by Edward Feser. We recommend this one a lot around here. The first couple chapters can be a bit dense if you have little philosophy background, but trudge through it and the rest of the book will immensely improve your understanding of the Catholic view of God its the basic underlying philosophy.

For a treatise on the Catholic understanding of the synergy of faith and reason, check out Fides et Ratio by Pope St. John Paul II. It is a bit dry, but it's short-ish.

Ok something more fun and autobiographical, I think Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain is a very enjoyable read and a modern Confessions (St. Augustine). He writes so well and is extremely bright. This book nurtured by newly found faith more spiritually than intellectually, which was really what I needed (and need more of!).

There are some great writers in the Catholic blogosphere that have helped me understand things better too. My favorite is the website for America Magazine, the official U.S. Jesuit magazine. They post a lot of really good and thought-provoking articles. The next is Marc Barnes Bad Catholic, who is a younger writer that understands Catholic life in the modern culture. Edward Feser's blog is really great for new atheist smackdowns and Thomist critiques of everything. He's a bit polemical at times though.

That should get you started.

Check out this podcast from Bishop Robert Barron. Catholicism is deeply philosophical and rational.

I'm not sure what you mean about the genesis of homosexuality. What do you mean by it being a product of sin vs. nature? Catholics don't believe that character defects are caused by personal sin, and we believe that all of nature is corrupted (see: death, disease, misery).

You should read some teleological philosophy. It's where the "natural law" comes from.

Edit: try reading "The Seven Story Mountain" maybe.

Two books I'd recommend to you... "Seven Story Mountain" and "Confessions". Both are classics, written by young men about their experiences with the emptiness that comes from following the world. The first is from the 20th century. The latter is from the 4th.

Three of my favorite Catholic books:

Flannery O'Connor - The Complete Stories

Walker Percy - The Message in the Bottle: How Queer Man Is, How Queer Language Is, and What One Has to Do With the Other

Joseph Ratzinger - Introduction to Christianity

edit--A fourth,

Thomas Merton - Seven Storey Mountain

These suggestions don't fall under apologetic literature like the other suggestions but I like Kierkegaard's thoughts and Thomas Merton.

You may want to read Merton's Seven Storey Mountain, which is about how he became a Trappist monk.

http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Storey-Mountain-Thomas-Merton/dp/0156010860

A link about becoming a Trappist monk:

http://www.spencerabbey.org/becoming.html

PS: These are the guys who, among other things, make jam. I've visited, and they don't actually wear monk's outfits when working on the farm, in case you were wondering.

Well, I'm a Catholic. My Nephew is Converting to Islam, he is a big reader. While talking to him in addition to the Quran (which I own and have read, the Maulana Muhammad Ali translation) he had many books by Islamic thinkers. That kid makes me proud and he is only seventeen.

In fact, we just came from visiting him and he could not eat with us because he is fasting for Ramadan. We Muslims and Catholics are ancient Churches so we welcome each other. I'm not encouraging you to Convert to Catholicism because I feel Islam is a Holy Church on it's own and it would be going from one Holy Church to another but you would be welcome to our Church if you did.

Avoid authors like Scott Hahn, (Or any Calvinist Protestant Convert Author discussing Catholicism) they are what I call Calvinist Converts. But the book to read to understand the path of a Catholic is Thomas Merton's Seven Story Mountain.

https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Storey-Mountain-Thomas-Merton/dp/0156010860/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526774555&sr=8-1&keywords=seven+story+mountain+thomas+merton

We as Muslims and Catholics share the Lord's Prayer, here is an article written by a Muslim on the subject:
http://aboutislam.net/reading-islam/understanding-islam/lords-prayer-leads-islam/



Here's an article I found that shows some things we have in common:

http://mvslim.com/8-religious-beliefs-that-catholics-and-muslims-share-with-each-other/


You will find Cradle Catholics (Catholics born in the religion not converting from another religion) will be very welcoming to you. So, any time a Catholic is a jerk ask them, "are you a Convert."

Reply and I'd love to have a deeper conversation.

Blessed be to God.