Unbelievably Thorough
Written: Jan 22 '02 (Updated Aug 21 '02)
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Pros: The only complete source you will need on the catholic faith
Cons: You may be tempted to let it gather dust....
The Bottom Line: The bottom line is that you must have this book if you are a catholic, interested in the catholic faith or anyone searching for answers to life's questions!
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| armywife's Full Review: Catechism of the Catholic Church |
" There are only a handful of Americans who hate the Catholic Church, though there are millions who hate what they THINK the Church is." (Fulton Sheen) That quote from Fulton Sheen is truer than we can imagine. It is absolutely astounding how many misconceptions there are about what the Catholic Church believes not just in those outside the catholic faith but also in the very individuals who have been born and raised in the church.
Imagine this scenario: You find yourself in a theological discussion about the beliefs of the catholic faith. Before you know it you are knee deep into defending a belief on behalf of your church. Now for the punch line...what if you are defending a belief that is actually NOT of the Catholic Church at all? It is a myth, a misconception or perhaps a distorted half-truth. The end result is that you have misrepresented the beliefs of the Catholic Church and given one more truth seeker a wrong understanding of the faith. The bottom line.... know your stuff!
Have you ever heard that Catholics worship Mary? Unfortunately many Catholics even believe that the church teaches "worshiping" Mary. In reality one must delve further into the word "worship" and its connotations to realize why many non-Catholics are so bothered by the church's teachings on Mary. So before you start warming up the rebuttals why not go straight to the source? You may just find out that you can say to your non-Catholic or Catholic friends "I agree with you! We don't believe that either!"
You will find that 90% of the time someone who thinks they disagree with church teaching actually does not fully understand the teaching. You could say an apple was red and be correct. If you said it was a vegetable you'd be wrong. It is very easy to be partially correct in almost anything. There is MUCH room for confusion especially when we are talking about a faith and a church that is 2000 years old.
Too many people believe that the Catechism is difficult reading. To them I say...pick it up! If you are protestant and feel the need to learn more about the catholic faith why spend endless amounts of money on books written by other individuals to answer one question when everything you ever wanted to know is neatly packaged in a concise and easily understood format for you?
Before I address the specifics it is important to understand which catechism we are reviewing. There are smaller catechisms that delve into particular topics but it is important to make sure you own at least one official catechism from the Catholic Church. This particular review refers to the "Catechism of the Catholic Church: Revised in Accordance With the Official Latin Text Promulgated by Pope John Paul II” This is the first new edition of the catechism in 400 years.
Unbelievably well organized, this book gives line-by-line explanations of every conceivable topic of Catholic belief. I challenge you to find something NOT covered in this book! Use as a reference tool so you can count on cross-referencing, indexing, footnotes, and "In Brief" summaries of each section, which will allow you to, quickly access answers to any questions that might pop up from time to time.
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
It explains what Catholics, as Christians, believe. It uses the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed as models. To give you an idea of just how detailed it is you will find 17 pages explaining the opening words of the Apostle's Creed ("I Believe in God the Father"). Even so you will be pleasantly surprised at how much this can read like a good friend soothing your doubts. The catechism starts at the very beginning outlaying man's desires to understand a higher power. It takes you through the thought processes and even explores at times other religions and what each one might bring to a person questioning what to believe. Leading you slowly but surely to an ever-increasing understanding of why the Catholic faith encompasses all the answers rather than just a few.
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
The second part explains how Catholics worship God, with special attention to the seven Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
The third major part explains how Christians should live their lives, and the Catholic teachings about right and wrong, as well as grace and sin. It explains how the Catholic Church interprets the Ten Commandments.
PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
The fourth part teaches Christians how to pray. With loving detail you will be amazed at how much you can learn of the power of prayer from this section.
In addition to the standard index in the back on topics, each section concludes with a summary of basic themes of that section. Use the numeric margin references to find other similar topics. It also references many church works, which are available on the Internet for clarification (more on that later!)
I would highly recommend purchasing this in both hardback and paperback. Although the paperback is less expensive you will find that the hardback edition is well bound and lies flat when opening to a particular page. Using the hardback version as a ready reference will be much easier as you can stick with one page and avoid losing your place.
So what does the word "catechism" mean? It means instruction. What then do you say to those who want to know why we need an instruction manual so to speak for the faith? While many non-Catholics object to a "Catechism”, they may not realize that in reality there are many Protestant mini-catechisms, which really are outlines of dogma and doctrine of their particular church. For kicks, type in any given denomination to a search engine and pull up their official website. You will always find a statement of beliefs and statement of doctrine. Even Luther wrote the Small Catechism for the Lutheran faith. Where do you think he came up with that idea? Hmmm...
Have you ever seen your non-catholic friends with a study Bible? They are chock full of explanatory notes which function for them in much the same way the Catechism of the Catholic Church does for Catholics.
There is no doubt that this book is well worth the purchase price but if want to get it at a discount visit any used bookstore where you will find more than enough copies to satisfy every room of your house.
[I would like to add that for those extremely intimidated by reading the catechism make a serious effort to find "A New Catechism". This is a different version published by Herder and Herder in 1967 and is written less like a reference manual and more like an inspirational work. This version was the first one I read and was very influential. It is shorter (though not short) and really presents the Christian message in a wholistic format. Hard to find but totally worth the effort!]
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If you enjoy reading the catechism then check it out online
CHRISTUSREX.ORG...this will allow you to use a search engine as well to search out any topic you want!
If you enjoy studying the beliefs of the Catholic church and want to delve more into the early church writings that are referenced and referred to in this book then please visit the following links for a wealth of totally free information that will inspire and inform you:
www.newadvent.org (access the Catholic Encyclopedia online)
www.catholic-forum.com (for an online reference to all the saints)
www.ewtn.com (watch Mother Angelica live! and other audio and video clips as well as a wealth of resources on the faith)
www.petersnet.com (lots of documents here to peruse!)
www.catholic.com (lots of catholic answers here!)
www.catholicity.com (an online catholic community, entertaining and a great way to get free tapes and books on catholic teachings through the Mary Foundation)
www.mark-shea.com (apologetics writer and home to the Catholic Scripture online study group!)
www.scotthahn.com (more apologetics, more great resources)
www.catholicconvert.com (the best message board around with a group of regulars who aren't afraid to answer ANY question you have. If you think that you can stump them give it a try!)
www.catholicexchange.com (a non-profit web portal for Catholics that not only offers the news, sports, weather, and financial information you find on any quality portal out there, but a ton of Catholic content as well, much of it found no place else.)
www.chnetwork.org (The CHNetwork is committed to assisting and standing beside all inquirers, serving as a friend and an advocate. Are you a convert who remembers what it was like? Are you a cradle Catholic? Anywhere in between? You'll love it here!)
www.singlecatholics.com (If you're single this is the place to be! Grab a cup of coffee and log on!)
www.praiseofglory.com (lots of resources, lots of info, lots of love...come on feel the love!!)
www.catholicfreebies.com (offers free catalogs, magazines, product samples, and lots of other Catholic-oriented free stuff, all in one place. Put your credit card away when you visit this site; everything is free of charge and can be ordered with a single click)
If you are looking for answers to the Catholic faith or any aspect of the Christian faith begin with the Bible!
In conclusion I would like to add that I am NOT Catholic! However I have many catholic friends. Ironically enough I found the anti-catholic agenda in church to be extremely distasteful. I found myself often in group studies where many of my close highschool friends were referred to as memebers of a cult simply for being raised Catholic! I feel that if you are going to debate a topic, especially one as personal as someone's faith, you should tread carefully and make very sure you know exactly what you are talking about. There are a great many protestants who have absolutely no idea what their catholic friends truly believe and in fact have no concept of early church history. This reflects so poorly on their own denomination that it makes them look foolish and gives all of Christianity a bad name. So never be afraid to read about other faiths. If you are truly secure in what you believe then learning about other faiths can only strengthen that.
Recommended:
Yes
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armywife
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Location: White Sands Missile Range, NM
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About Me:
Army wife, Stay at home Mom and Graduate student in Professional Counseling.
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