Customer Reviews

Catechism of the Catholic Church

5 star:		(134)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Fulton Sheen once wrote that there are only a handful of Americans who hate the Catholic Church, though there are millions who hate what they think the Church is. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to speak intelligently about the Catholic Church and the faith it proclaims.

Never polemical or overly didactic, the Catechism of the Catholic Church succinctly explains the Christian faith with clarity and charity.

Even Protestants and non-Christians will find the Catechism well-documented, with copious notes and citations to Sacred Scripture, the writings of the early Christian Fathers, and other sources of impeccable authority.

Perhaps the most useful aspect of this book is its accessibility. The Catechism was written with the laity in mind. Students, laymen, and the average reader alike will find it easy to read and understand. At the same time, those interested in serious scholarship will discover a treasure trove of theology, history, and doctrine. Without the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no Christian library is complete. Whether you are a cradle Catholic, a convert, or simply have questions about the Church, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

There are many versions of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and even many different editions of each of those versions, so one would beg the question why review a book so readily available and so accessible. That would be a good question to ask. There is the `original edition' the `second edition' and now there is also a `definitive edition' so why would we examine this work?

The answer is that like with Shakespeare, for which there are innumerable editions each reader tends to gravitate towards a specific version or set of editions. In having spent many hours reading these documents over the last few months I can only state categorically that this is the `best packaging' of the Catechism that I have yet to investigate. The larger format makes it easier to work with than many of the smaller pocket version, the wide margins left for personal notes and thoughts is much appreciated. As well this edition is the only one I have found with a glossary and it also has a more extensive index then the other two editions I examined.

The Kindle edition is only a hyperlink text that takes you to the free internet pages of the Catechism. Thus, you are not able to annotate or clip or highlight on your kindle. You can get to all the links for free on your kindle through the sample. There's absolutely no reason to pay for this!

I grew up Catholic, served as an altar boy, followed the sacraments and thought I was a Catholic.

I received this as a gift from my parents. While thumbing through it, I realized I had no idea what being a Catholic was.

"Catechism of the Catholic Church" -- officially published by the Vatican -- is used by both protestant and Catholic schools to teach what Catholics believe. The top evangelical college in America (Wheaton College) even uses it for their Catholic theology course.

I realized while reading this I had no idea what a Catholic baptism was, what the Catholic Church said about saints, what Rome has to say about Catholics who have converted to another Christian faith. And I learned some things the priest in our Chicagoland parish was not teaching Catholic doctrine.

Whether you are Catholic or not, there is a fair chance you've bought into some of what pop-culture has said Catholic is and is not. This easy-to-read (thick, but well-organized) book will give you the Catholic position on the matter.

I fully recommend "Catechism of the Catholic Church."

Anthony Trendl
http://anthonytrendl.com

At last the English version of the definitive and revised text of the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" has published. For anyone interested in what the Catholic Church teaches about any given topic, this work must be consulted for its official teaching. The revisions are made in light of the changes approved by Pope John Paul II, especially on the matter of capital punishment, and of the many minor corrections introduced into the text. The new index and glossary of terms make this version even more reader friendly than the original. This "Cathechism" belongs in every academic library as well as in rectories, religious houses and the homes of those interested in Catholicism. It is a rich, compelling and fascinating source of Catholic teaching. Two thumbs up!

Every Christian -- Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox -- should have a copy of this book.

It is more than just an excellent reference book. It is a history of the Church, a prayer book and a book on spirituality. When reading about any of the hundreds of topics covered, one gets the impression that a synopsis of the Holy Spirit's workings throughout history is being conveyed to the reader. It is very easy, fun and informative reading. And it flows. Intertwined throughout the text are thousands of quotes and references to Scripture, Council documents and popes' encyclicals, letters and speeches. A topic is covered in totality and supported with a tremendous amount of easy-to-understand references. Each circumstance is very well evidenced and footnoted. (For this reason, I would also recommend the "Companion To The Catechism Of The Catholic Church" which has the complete text referenced in the Catechism.) The Index is exhaustive.

A wonderful book for all followers of Jesus to read!

Why not buy a bunch of these books and give them away to all your friends that question their faith or yours? I guarantee they will devour the book and come to see what it is we believe as Christians.

Being a Protestant, yet deeply respectful and, at the same time, curious about the Catholic Church, I was looking to learn more about Her. Regrettably, there are many misguided people out there who have very one-sided, skewed, and often just plain incorrect views of the Catholic Church. Sometimes, as a Protestant who just didn't know any better, it was difficult for me to seperate the fact from the fiction.

That's where this book came in. I found that if you want answers on something, go to the source. And the Catechism of the Catholic Church is just the source I needed. I found this book extremely useful in learning exactly what the Catholic Church believed without all that outsider bias.

For anyone outside the Catholic faith who really wants to know more true, bare facts about what it is to be Catholic and hold Catholic beliefs, this is book is a great start.

Let me first state I am a Protestant and study the Eastern Orthodox church quite a bit (just so you guys know :), but I have to say this is a good catechism for anyone to understand the Christian faith. While there are parts I do not agree with theologically (Assumption of Mary, etc) I do find the book to be very concise and informative. For Catholics this would have to be the book to get to understand one's faith. And for protestants it would be good to read to get the facts before they bash.

There are many nice things about this book. First of all, the hardcover is well bound, and lays flat when open to a particular page, without the pages flipping around to other places within the book (except perhaps at the very beginning and end of the book). This makes it very easy to open the book and keep it open when taking notes or studying. The material in this edition is the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church, but take note of the Glossary at the end (page 864 hardcover); the end of the Glossary's prefatory note states that the Glossary is faithful to the language, but the Glossary itself does not participate in the approval of the text of the Catechism given in the Apostolic Constitution Fidei depositum of Pope John Paul II. That is, the Glossary is given in addition to the Catechism, not as an integral part of it. This may be an important point for persons studying fine theological points and using the Glossary to enhance their understanding of particular points of dogma and doctrine.

While many Protestants object to a "Catechism" at all, they may overlook the fact that there are many Protestant catechisms which really are publications of dogma and doctrine of their particular churches. Also, many, if not most, of these Protestants carry "Study Bibles", which sometimes contain more explanatory notes than Scripture, peruse the NIV study Bible for example to see what I mean. These explanatory notes function for them in much the same way that catechisms work for Protestant Churches that use them, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church for Catholics. They are particular explanations and interpretations of the Christian Faith. For anyone wanting to truly understand what Catholics believe, and for Catholics who need a refresher in understanding their own faith, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is an indispensable part of the study needed (along with, not in place of, the Bible) to gain a true understanding of the Church that Jesus Christ established, on the apostles (Matthew 16:17-19; 18:10-21; 28:19-20; Luke 10:16; 24:44-45; John 13:20; 16:12-13; 20:21-23; Acts 1:15-26; Psalm 109:8; Ephesians 4:13-14; 1 Timothy 3:15; Philemon 1:14; 2 Peter 1:20; 3:16).

This is the book to read to clear up misconceptions about what the church really teaches. This shows the logical, love-oriented way that the church looks at life. Clearly based on sacred scriptures, and the traditions of the church. An absolute MUST for all catholics and others wondering about the church.