# Which classic non-Christian books should everyone should read?



## Eoghan (Apr 7, 2012)

I am struck by how widely read the Puritans were and how it informed their thinking. Having just read The Peloponnesian Wars by Thucydides I am surprised how often I am referring back to it. The provocation of the Athenians when they built their wall down to Piraeus has parallels with the opposition Nehemiah encountered. The Federalist Papers also refer back to the various Leagues organised by the Greeks. It is required reading at Westpoint because of the military insight it offers. 

What secular books would you add to my list?

1. The Peloponnesian Wars 
2. The Road to Serfdom 
3. The Federalist Papers


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## Reformed Philosopher (Apr 7, 2012)

Well, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are typically considered important. Other greek works like Virgil's Aeneid and Aeschylus's Oresteia are also classics, but don't play the foundational role of Homer's works.

Plato and Aristotle's works heavily influenced scholars like Augustine and Aquinas. They are also noteworthy for their philosophical import. A.N. Whitehead famously wrote, "The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato." Both Plato's _Republic_ and Aristotle's _Nicomachean Ethics_ have been very influential in my own personal code of conduct.

Some books are not considered "Christian," despite being written by Christian authors. My favorite would be Dostoevsky, especially _The Brothers Karamazov_. A beautiful work.


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## Rufus (Apr 7, 2012)

Reformed Philosopher said:


> Some books are not considered "Christian," despite being written by Christian authors. My favorite would be Dostoevsky, especially The Brothers Karamazov. A beautiful work.


 and _Crime and Punishment_.


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## CharlieJ (Apr 7, 2012)

This website has lists of great books. Some of them are specialized. The Great Books List


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## Rich Koster (Apr 7, 2012)

An old dictionary to help with the changing word use in the English language.


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## Jack K (Apr 7, 2012)

Some Shakespeare, some Dickens, and Winnie-the-Pooh.


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## John Bunyan (Apr 7, 2012)

Dom Quixote, Animal Farm, The Lord of the Rings (representing the epic fantasy genre), Road to Serfdom (again) and the fundamental books to understand history, like "The wealth of Nations", "Inferno", "Leviathan", "On the Republic" and stuff like that


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## FenderPriest (Apr 7, 2012)

...Harry Potter...

Does _Lord of the Rings_ count?


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## baron (Apr 7, 2012)

Jack K said:


> Some Shakespeare, some Dickens, and Winnie-the-Pooh.[/quote
> 
> I was going to suggest those authors. Espically Winnie-the -pooh (Edward the bear). So easy and enjoyable to read. Also anything by Hermann Hesse, the new classics.


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## kappazei (Apr 7, 2012)

Must read secular books for Christians? Off the top of my head;

'Treasure Island' by Robert Louis Stevenson. I mean really, I think every boy ought to read that.

I don't know if it's a classic but, 'Crusade in Europe' by Dwight D. Eisenhower

'Leadership -50 Points of Wisdom for Today's Leaders' By General Rick Hillier...not a classic but a best seller. Has just a bit of swearing.


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## Eoghan (Apr 7, 2012)

*Secular Books - with reasons!*

Winnie-the-Pooh - really? I would be interested in knowing what I might glean from this one? How not to collect honey using a balloon perhaps.


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## Rich Koster (Apr 7, 2012)

The clinical diagnosis for indigestion: things go rumbly in my tummy?


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## VictorBravo (Apr 7, 2012)

Moby Dick. 

Not only is it a good story, but it shows how much a secular writer in the 19th century demanded biblical literacy and knowledge of church history (there is a passing reference to the whales entering a Solemn League and Covenant). It also shows that faith was being displaced by relativism even then, and it more or less paved the way for the modern anti-hero.

So there is much to learn about American culture and history in that book, even if maybe that wasn't Melville's purpose.


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## John Bunyan (Apr 8, 2012)

Lewis Carrol


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## Eoghan (Apr 9, 2012)

Rich Koster said:


> An old dictionary to help with the changing word use in the English language.



I laughed because I thought you were joking.

Then I realised that you were serious.

Then I realised that I agree with you!


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