Reddit mentions of The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality

You can go to confession, but they just won't pray the prayer of absolution over you yet. At least where I'm at.

Watch and pray. After you fall the next time, take some moments and reflect on the thoughts you were having that led up to it. There are always choices and always thoughts that lead to those choices. I don't have the same struggle, but it's analogous to me and alcohol. A little voice that says "you can feel better."

If you haven't you should read
[The Mountain of Silence](http://amzn.to/Pr2A9l
).

Also, read this.

Every day is a new day.

Fair enough. It was actually the first Ortho book I read, but for where I was it was just what I needed. But as you said, doesn't mean it's a good starter for everyone. I've heard a lot of people talk about "The Mountain of Silence" but haven't had a chance to read it myself. I'd also highly recommend "A Light from the Christian East". It's actually written by a Protestant professor but does a great job of explaining Eastern theology for western readers. It's a bit academic, but if that doesn't phase you check it out!

I don't know whether a catechism is the best kind of resource to provide. He should contact the priest nearest to him and establish a relationship - let the priest guide him. One way or another, he will need a spiritual father.

Depending on your friend's disposition, I might be more inclined to recommend Elder Cleopas' The Truth of Our Faith. Personally, I would definitely not recommend any of Clark Carleton's books. They are not inaccurate - I just think they are too polemical.

I would also strongly recommend Everyday Saints. The book is not any kind of catechism, but it gives a very strong sense of what an Orthodox life feels like, even though it is written from a Russian monastic perspective. The same holds true for Mountain of Silence, which is from the perspective of a Greek layperson.

• John Zizioulas
  
• Hierotheos Vlachos
  
• Athanasios of Lemesos (the elder in The Mountain of Silence)
  
• Ephrem of Philotheou (From outside the US though mostly now in the US.)
  
  Well, they're quite significant in modern Orthodox circles anyway. Your mileage may vary :-)

Mountain of Silence - by Kyriakos Markides

https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Silence-Search-Orthodox-Spirituality/dp/0385500920

​

Fr Arseny: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father

https://www.amazon.com/Father-Arseny-1893-1973-Narratives-Concerning/dp/0881411809

​

The Orthodox Church - Timothy Ware

https://www.amazon.com/Orthodox-Church-New-Timothy-Ware/dp/0140146563

​

Byzantine Thought and Art - Constantine Cavarnos

https://www.amazon.com/Byzantine-Thought-Art-Constantine-Cavarnos/dp/0914744224

I heard it from someone at an old parish, and just accepted it was true. Looking now, the few sources I've been able to find on Orthodox sites seem to cite this book: https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Silence-Search-Orthodox-Spirituality/dp/0385500920

Mountain of silence: https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Silence-Search-Orthodox-Spirituality/dp/0385500920

It was recommended by my son and is a wonderful journey into Orthodox spirituality.

I got these:

The Orthodox Church by Kallistos Ware

The Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware

The Mountain of Silence by Kyriacos C. Markides

The Sayings of the Desert Fathers

I'm still reading them but I hear that this selection will cover a lot of bases. Check eBay too, they can found pretty cheap.

I don't have to rewrite it for an Orthodox perspective. This book covers the main aspects of Orthodox spirituality much better than I ever could.

But if I wanted it to be more authentic, I could just change "man from Crete" to "man from whatever Western culture where Catholicism is prevalent."

It seems like there is a lot of information out there on the web, including some articles from some Christian sources. This article echoes some of the things you are saying: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13193b.htm

Not many occultists here, as you might imagine, except maybe some ex-occultists.

I suggest you read The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisius, The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality, and/or Everyday Saints if you want an Orthodox Christian take on Christian mysticism. The last book was the #1 bestseller in Russia for several weeks and was translated to English just recently.

May God keep you, my friend!

The Mountain of Silence by Kyriacos Markides might help with this.

Edit: I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Orthodoxy regardless of what you're trying to learn about, but one thing it helped me with was the issue you raise in the OP.

Here are three books I absolutely love for dipping your feet into Christian theology:

• For the Life of the World by Alexander Schmemman ($2.99 on kindle)
  
  
• [Acquiring the Mind of Christ] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0990502996) by Sergius Boyer
  
  
• [The Mountain of Silence] (https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Silence-Search-Orthodox-Spirituality/dp/0385500920) by Kyriacos C. Markides

I think I'd suggest something like The Mountain of Silence. It isn't an apologetics work per se, but I think it goes a fair ways into the "why bother?" question. One of the things that really bugs me about a lot of Christianity these days is that it treats the Faith as a set of intellectual propositions that must be evaluated and assented to, but otherwise has little overall impact beyond that. This book documents the experience of a secular sociology professor who comes to realize the value of all this religion stuff beyond that rationalist approach to faith.

You might want to look into Christian mysticism, such as the Orthodox monastic tradition, Quakers, etc. This is a great book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Mountain-Silence-Orthodox-Spirituality/dp/0385500920/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396975837&sr=8-1&keywords=mountain+of+silence

The Monastic Orders saw themselves as communities for people who want to go beyond superficial "belief." They don't see belief in God or Jesus in the same way the mainstream does. To believe is to put one's trust, one's entire Being, into God. It's only our modern, materialistic civilization that has such a shallow evidence/belief duality (i.e. "you can't have faith without evidence, that's the definition of faith...") Monastic Orders always emphasize the importance of experiencing God, to know that he exists, not just believe it. A biologist uses a microscope, an astronomer a telescope, and a monk uses the heart. The heart must be changed in order to experience God. Then we can find answers to the existential questions that plague us.

I'm not saying you should become a monk. However, I want to give you another possible avenue to explore. I don't think your questions can be answered through Apologetics or theology. Deep spiritual questions can only be answered by the spirit. Good luck.