Books with category Thought Provoking Reads
Displaying 16 books

The Sovereignty of God

2022

by Arthur W. Pink

The Sovereignty of God handles a doctrine little understood and heard of infrequently in these days of humanism. This book gives God his proper place of supremacy and is a classic on the subject.

The Genius Mind of an Anti-Vaxxer: Truth Unleashed

2019

by Sharon Storm

You are invited into this true and compelling story of an American Anti-Vaxxer. She lets you into her extraordinary world of thoughts, lifestyle, daily life, social trends, hope, and vaccine research.

This is the first book of its kind. You will get to the last page wanting more, and feeling inspired. An encouraging journey that you don't want to miss out on.

Existentialism is a Humanism

Existentialism Is a Humanism was written to correct common misconceptions about Jean-Paul Sartre's thought. Sartre, the most dominant European intellectual of the post-World War II decades, accepted an invitation to speak on October 29, 1945, at the Club Maintenant in Paris. The unstated objective of his lecture was to expound his philosophy as a form of existentialism, a term much bandied about at the time. Sartre asserted that existentialism was essentially a doctrine for philosophers, though, ironically, he was about to make it accessible to a general audience.

The published text of his lecture quickly became one of the bibles of existentialism and made Sartre an international celebrity. The idea of freedom occupies the center of Sartre’s doctrine. Man, born into an empty, godless universe, is nothing to begin with. He creates his essence—his self, his being—through the choices he freely makes (“existence precedes essence”). Were it not for the contingency of his death, he would never end. Choosing to be this or that is to affirm the value of what we choose. In choosing, therefore, we commit not only ourselves but all of mankind.

This book presents a new English translation of Sartre’s 1945 lecture and his analysis of Camus’s The Stranger, along with a discussion of these works by acclaimed Sartre biographer Annie Cohen-Solal. This edition is a translation of the 1996 French edition, which includes Arlette Elkaïm-Sartre’s introduction and a Q&A with Sartre about his lecture.

A Three Course Meal for the Mind

2016

by Renée Paule

A Three Course Meal for the Mind combines three insightful books into a single volume: On The Other Hand, Just Around The Bend, and Louder Than a Whisper (also available separately). These books chronicle Renée Paule’s philosophical journey of self-reflection. She boldly questions many facets of life that are often taken for granted, unlearning societal conditioning and freeing her mind.

Within these pages, readers will find much to ponder, as the book raises and discusses questions we tend to avoid, particularly in On The Other Hand. This collection serves as 'self-help' in the truest sense, offering no direct answers but encouraging readers to cogitate and draw their own conclusions. Renée maintains that these conclusions are ones we already know but often shy away from.

One standout theme across all three books is the emphasis on personal responsibility: we are responsible for what happens in our world; there is no one else to blame. While the content may challenge your perspectives, it will undoubtedly provoke thought and self-reflection.

Louder Than a Whisper: Clearer Than a Bell

2015

by Renée Paule

Louder Than a Whisper: Clearer Than a Bell challenges the status quo of humanity by inviting us to look at the morass of confusion, despair, and uncertainty that pervade our society. Through a series of heartfelt essays, Renée examines topics such as Pride, Desire, Responsibility, Betrayal, and Loneliness—what are they and how do they affect our lives?

These topics—and many more—delve into the human psyche to places many are reticent to visit, but need to if we are ever to change our world. This journey begins with us, and only through this journey can we discover our true nature. Fear creates the roadblock that prevents us from taking that first bold step to changing our world—fear of the unknown. Our challenge is to overcome that fear, and the inertia that prevents us from getting started.

Bilangan Fu

2014

by Ayu Utami

Yuda, "si iblis", seorang pemanjat tebing dan petaruh yang melecehkan nilai-nilai masyarakat. Parang Jati, "si malaikat", seorang pemuda berjari duabelas yang dibentuk oleh ayah angkatnya untuk menanggung duka dunia. Marja, "si manusia", seorang gadis bertubuh kuda feji dan berjiwa matahari.


Mereka terlibat dalam segitiga cinta yang lembut, di antara pengalaman-pengalaman keras yang berawal dari sebuah kejadian aneh-- orang mati yang bangkit dari kubur-- menuju penyelamatan perbukitan gamping di selatan Jawa.

Di antara semua itu, Bilangan Fu sayup-sayup menyingkapkan diri.


Pengarang menamai nafas novelnya "spiritualisme kritis". Yaitu, yang mengangkat wacana spiritual-- keagamaan, kebatinan, maupun mistik-- ke dalam kerangka yang menghormatinya sekaligus bersikap kritis kepadanya, yang mengangkat wacana keberimanan, tanpa terjebak dalam dakwah hitam dan putih. Novel ini adalah manifesto Ayu Utami tentang sebuah sikap yang dianggap perlu diutamakan di zaman ini: sikap religius ataupun spiritual, yang kritis.

The Myth of Sisyphus

2013

by Albert Camus

The Myth of Sisyphus is a profound and moving philosophical statement by Albert Camus. In this work, Camus poses the fundamental question: Is life worth living?

If human existence holds no significance, what can keep us from suicide? As Camus argues, if there is no God to give meaning to our lives, humans must take on that purpose themselves. This is our "absurd" task, like Sisyphus forever rolling his rock up a hill, as the inevitability of death constantly overshadows us.

Written during the bleakest days of the Second World War, The Myth of Sisyphus argues for an acceptance of reality that encompasses revolt, passion, and, above all, liberty. This volume contains several other essays, including lyrical evocations of the sunlit cities of Algiers and Oran, the settings of his great novels The Outsider and The Plague.

Camus' writings are hymns to the physical world and the elemental pleasures of living, encouraging us to embrace life even in the face of its absurdity.

Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived

2012

by Rob Bell

Millions of Christians have struggled with how to reconcile God's love and God's judgment: Has God created billions of people over thousands of years only to select a few to go to heaven and everyone else to suffer forever in hell? Is this acceptable to God? How is this "good news"?

Troubling questions—so troubling that many have lost their faith because of them. Others only whisper the questions to themselves, fearing or being taught that they might lose their faith and their church if they ask them out loud. But what if these questions trouble us for good reason?

What if the story of heaven and hell we have been taught is not, in fact, what the Bible teaches? What if what Jesus meant by heaven, hell, and salvation are very different from how we have come to understand them? What if it is God who wants us to face these questions?

Author, pastor, and innovative teacher Rob Bell presents a deeply biblical vision for rediscovering a richer, grander, truer, and more spiritually satisfying way of understanding heaven, hell, God, Jesus, salvation, and repentance. The result is the discovery that the "good news" is much, much better than we ever imagined.

Beatrice and Virgil

2010

by Yann Martel

Beatrice and Virgil is a captivating tale that intertwines the lives of a donkey named Beatrice and a monkey named Virgil. It also follows the extraordinary journey of a man named Henry.

The story begins with a mysterious parcel and ends in a place that will make you rethink one of the most significant events of the twentieth century. Once you finish reading, it is impossible to forget.

Fate takes many forms, and for Henry, it arrives in the shape of a letter from an elderly taxidermist. This letter poses a puzzle he cannot resist. As Henry delves deeper into the world of this strange and calculating man, he becomes increasingly involved with the lives of Beatrice and Virgil, embarking on an epic journey with them.

With the spirit and originality that made Life of Pi so beloved, this brilliant novel takes the reader on a haunting odyssey. Along the way, Martel poses profound questions about life, art, truth, and deception.

Letters from the Earth: Uncensored Writings

2009

by Mark Twain

Letters from the Earth is one of Mark Twain's posthumously published works, written during a difficult time in his life. Twain was deep in debt and had lost his wife and one of his daughters. The book consists of a series of short stories, many of which deal with God and Christianity. Twain penned a series of letters from the point-of-view of a dejected angel on Earth.


This title story consists of letters written by the archangel Satan to archangels, Gabriel and Michael, about his observations on the curious proceedings of earthly life and the nature of man's religions. By analyzing the idea of heaven and God that is widely accepted by believers, Twain is able to take the silliness that is present and study it with the common sense that is absent. It's not so much an attack as a cold dissection.


Other short stories in the book include a bedtime story about a family of cats Twain wrote for his daughters, and an essay explaining why an anaconda is morally superior to Man. Twain's writings in Letters From the Earth find him at perhaps his most quizzical and questioning state ever.

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

2006

by David Hume

Philosopher David Hume was considered one of the most important figures in the age of Scottish enlightenment. In An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Hume discusses the weakness that humans have in their abilities to comprehend the world around them, what is referred to in the title as human understanding.

This work, now commonly required reading in philosophy classes, exposed a broad audience to philosophy when it was first published. A great introduction to the philosophy of David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and the ideas within it are as intriguing today as when they were first written.

Life After Life: The Investigation of a Phenomenon - Survival of Bodily Death

Life After Life is the groundbreaking, bestselling classic that revolutionized the way we think about death and the afterlife. Originally published in 1975, this pioneering study by Raymond Moody explores the experiences of one hundred individuals who encountered 'clinical death' and were subsequently revived.

The book delves into their fascinating stories, revealing common themes such as the bright light, the tunnel, and the presence of loved ones waiting on the other side. These concepts have since become cultural memes, shaping countless readers' notions about the end of life and what may lie beyond.

Join the father of the modern Near Death Experience movement as he uncovers these profound and thought-provoking experiences, offering insights that continue to inspire and intrigue readers worldwide.

The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity

2000

by Lee Strobel

Was God telling the truth when he said, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart"? In his #1 bestseller The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel examined the claims of Christ, reaching the hard-won verdict that Jesus is God's unique son. In The Case for Faith, Strobel turns his skills to the most persistent emotional objections to belief—the eight "heart barriers" to faith.

This compelling and thought-provoking book on the Christian faith includes two all-new chapters, a current list of recommended resources for further study, and a new discussion guide. It's for those who may be feeling attracted to Jesus but who are faced with difficult questions standing squarely in their path. For Christians, it will deepen their convictions and give them fresh confidence in defending their faith to skeptical friends, or during the hardest of times, when they have to defend their faith to themselves in moments of doubt.

Explore the tough questions:

  • "Since evil and suffering exist, a loving God cannot"
  • "Since miracles contradict science, they cannot be true"
  • "Evolution explains life, so God isn't needed"
  • "God isn't worthy of worship if he kills innocent children"
  • "It's offensive to claim Jesus is the only way to God"
  • "A loving God would never torture people in hell"
  • "Church history is littered with oppression and violence"
  • "I still have doubts, so I can't be a Christian"

Also available: The Case for Faith Spanish edition, kids' edition, and student edition. Plus, be sure to check out Lee Strobel's entire collection of Case for... books: The Case for Christ, The Case for a Creator, The Case for Grace, and more!

The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness

While imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken one day from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS. Haunted by the crimes in which he had participated, the soldier wanted to confess to—and obtain absolution from—a Jew. Faced with the choice between compassion and justice, silence and truth, Wiesenthal said nothing.

But even years after the war had ended, he wondered: Had he done the right thing? What would you have done in his place?

In this important book, fifty-three distinguished men and women respond to Wiesenthal's questions. They are theologians, political leaders, writers, jurists, psychiatrists, human rights activists, Holocaust survivors, and victims of attempted genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, China, and Tibet. Their responses, as varied as their experiences of the world, remind us that Wiesenthal's questions are not limited to events of the past.

Often surprising, always thought-provoking, The Sunflower will challenge you to define your beliefs about justice, compassion, and responsibility.

Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus

Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus is a thought-provoking novel by Orson Scott Card that deftly intertwines a compelling portrait of Christopher Columbus with the intriguing tale of a future scientist. This scientist believes she possesses the ability to alter human history, transforming it from a saga of bloodshed and brutality into a world brimming with hope and healing.

As the narrative unfolds, readers are taken on a journey that explores the power of scientific innovation. The novel opens a window to the past, allowing researchers to send an individual onto a slightly different path, leading to unexpected repercussions for both the present and future.

Pastwatch is a masterful blend of historical reimagination and speculative science fiction, challenging readers to ponder the profound impact of individual actions on the course of history.

النباهة والاستحمار (الآثار الكاملة، #13(

1984

by Ali Shariati

بين طيات هذا الكتاب سلسلة خطابات ألقاها الدكتور علي شريعتي في قاعة "حسينية الإرشاد" بطهران سجلت على أشرطة، ثم نقلت كتابة على الورق، بدون تغيير أو تطويل أو تقصير أو تقديم أو تأخير، فجمعت دفتي كتاب سمي النباهة الاستحمار.

وفي هذا الكتاب يقول الدكتور علي شريعتي: إنه لمن سوء الحظ أن لا ندرك ما يراد بنا، فيصرفوننا عما ينبغي أن نفكر فيه من مصير مجتمعنا أو أفكر فيه أنا من مصيري كإنسان، إلى أن نفكر في أشياء نحسبها راقية جداً وعظيمة ومشرِّفة، فيصيبون الهدف دون أن نشعر!

ومن أجل هذا قلت في مكان آخر: "إذا لم تكن حاضر الذهن في "الموقف" فكن أينما أردت، المهم أنك لم تحضر الموقف، فكن أينما شئت: واقفاً للصلاة أم جالساً للخمرة، كلاهما واحد".

إن المستعمرين لا يدعونك لما تستاء منه دائماً، فيثيرون انزجارك فتنفر منهم الى المكان الذي ينبغي أن تصير اليه! بل يختارون دعوتك حسب حاجتهم، فيدعونك احياناً الى ما تعتقده أمراً طيباً من أجل القضاء على حق كبير، حق مجتمع أو إنسان، وأحياناً تدعى لتنشغل في حق آخر، فيقضون هم على حق آخر هو أولى.

عندما يشب حريق في بيتك، ويدعوك أحدهم للصلاة والتضرع الى الله، ينبغي عليك ان تعلم أنها دعوة خائن، فكيف الى عمل آخر؟ فالأهتمام بغير إطفاء الحريق، والإنصراف عنه الى عمل آخر، ما هو الا استحمار، وإن كان عملاً مقدساً أو غير مقدس.

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