Books/authors you feel obligated to like, but don't?

[Historian]

Aside from Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah, I have great difficulty reading the Old Testament.

[icecream]

Aside from Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah, I have great difficulty reading the Old Testament.

a kindred spirit!

[Ravenonthecross]

Aside from Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah, I have great difficulty reading the Old Testament.

What of Baruch and Jonas? Besides the ones you mentioned, I have the same difficulty as well.  Parts of Isaias and of Ecclesiaticus, on a rare occasion, yet they are still very difficult, boring, and droll to my senses-----and mind. 'Tis the truth.

[paragon]

Good thing we're not protestants!

Some of the stories are so hard to believe (Samson & Delilah for example) that I'd rather not read them anyway - rather not have my faith tested!

[WhollyRoaminCatholic]

I've never met someone who doesn't like The Great Gatsby.

:hello!:

I'm reaching the conclusion that I don't like St. Paul.  Not that I don't like his teaching.  Just I don't like his style.  And I think that if I knew him in real life, I'd think he was ridiculous-- and not in the the "be ridiculous for Christ (which is admirable)" way, but in the "really Paul? Do you have to be such a tool?" kind of way.

[paragon]

Is that a very appropriate thing to say about one of the two greatest of Christ's apostles? :confused:

[Baskerville]

I've never met someone who doesn't like The Great Gatsby.

:hello!:

I'm reaching the conclusion that I don't like St. Paul.  Not that I don't like his teaching.  Just I don't like his style.  And I think that if I knew him in real life, I'd think he was ridiculous-- and not in the the "be ridiculous for Christ (which is admirable)" way, but in the "really Paul? Do you have to be such a tool?" kind of way.

What makes St Paul the Apostle to the gentiles a tool and what is wrong with his style? Just curious.

[WhollyRoaminCatholic]

I'm reaching the conclusion that I don't like St. Paul.  Not that I don't like his teaching.  Just I don't like his style.  And I think that if I knew him in real life, I'd think he was ridiculous-- and not in the the "be ridiculous for Christ (which is admirable)" way, but in the "really Paul? Do you have to be such a tool?" kind of way.

What makes St Paul the Apostle to the gentiles a tool and what is wrong with his style? Just curious.

He reminds me of a roommate I had in college.  So melodramatic, over the top, and occasionally unreasonable.

I'm not saying that I disagree with the theology.  Just his attitude.

It's hard for me to be more specific.  Do you ever get a voice in your head from an author that you can't shake?  I have that with Paul.  He just sounds like an annoying, bothersome guy who is hard to take seriously.  Like the kind of guy that smokes cigars-- an impulsive blowhard who thinks he's more sophisticated than he really is.

[WhollyRoaminCatholic]

Is that a very appropriate thing to say about one of the two greatest of Christ's apostles? :confused:

I don't know.  But the nature of this thread treads the edges of appropriateness.

[Walty]

I was disappointed with "The Abolition of Man" by C.S Lewis. It was kind of like "you can't have morality without a God (true) and we don't want to entertain the prospect of a world without objective morality so to avoid that depressing situation we'll commit to theism". It wasn't really the answer to moral relativism that I was looking for. Just because a situation is depressing and shocking (moral relativism) doesn't mean it's not true.

I disagree.  I don't think he was necessarily trying to prove theism outright, but to show that any sort of morality necessarily means a God.  You can't prove theism to everyone in this way, but there are a lot of folks who cannot commit to a worldview which says that there are absolutely no right and wrong.  Those are the folks which Lewis can (and I'm sure does) win to theism with this book.