Catholicism for Dummies [Paperback]

John Trigilio (Author), Kenneth Brighenti (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2003

There are more than one billion Catholics in the world, and each one has a similar set of basic beliefs and practices that he or she follows. Some of the teachings of Catholicism are thousands of years old, while others are more recent. So what is the Catholic culture like and what do they believe? Catholicism For Dummies answers these and many other questions.

Whether you’re a Catholic or not, you may be totally clueless or just unaware of some aspects of Catholic traditions, history, doctrine, worship, devotion, or culture. No sweat. Regardless of whether you’re engaged, married, related to a Catholic, or just curious about what Catholics really do believe, this book is for you.

Catholicism For Dummies is not a catechism or religious textbook, but a casual, down-to-earth introduction for non-Catholics and reintroduction for Catholics. It gives commonsense explanations so that the next time you’re invited to a Catholic wedding, Baptism, funeral, Confirmation, or First Communion, you won’t be totally confused. You’ll also discover other important topics that can help you better understand the Catholic culture—from morality and devotions to worship and liturgy. This book will familiarize you with Catholicism by showing you:

• What it means to be a Catholic: traditions, prayers, beliefs, and holidays
• Who is who in the Catholic hierarchy
• How Catholics worship
• What the Seven Sacraments and Ten Commandments are
• The book regarded as the holiest to Catholics: The Bible
• The Church’s stand on some sticky issues

Catholicism For Dummies presents a rich tapestry and history of the Catholic faith—from devotions to doctrines. This intelligent and faithful look at Catholicism will open your eyes to this religion and answer many of the questions you may have about it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“…relied on Catholicism For Dummies when correcting articles on Dogma.”(The Independent, 6th March 2007)

From the Back Cover

"A gold mine of insight on the Catholic faith for people of all ages and beliefs."
—Prof. Charles E. Rice, Notre Dame School of Law and Visiting Prof., Ave Maria School of Law

Explains the deadly sins and cardinal virtues

Get the scoop on the Catholic Church’s stand on important social issues

Want to know more about Catholicism? Catholicism For Dummies presents the rich tapestry and history of the Catholic Church – from devotions to doctrines. You’ll find a description of the Catholic Mass, the seven sacraments, the liturgical calendar, the duties of the clergy, and much more.

Praise for Catholicism For Dummies

"Catholicism For Dummies is an intelligent and faithful look at one of the more misunderstood topics in contemporary religion."
– Michael S. Rose, author of Goodbye, Good Men, Priest, and Ugly as Sin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (April 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764553917
• ISBN-13: 978-0764553912
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (151 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to Read and Comprehensive, September 10, 2011

By 

Dennis K. - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Catholicism for Dummies (Paperback)

Get this book if you want to know all about the Catholic Church and what Catholics believe. Written by two priests. it's all "official" information, and is divided up into six parts:

Part I "Getting Familiar with the Basics" - from the pope to priests, this section takes a look at the hierarchy of the Catholic church and what Catholicism is all about.

Part II "Understanding All Those Beliefs" looks at what Catholics believe, what are their forms of worship, the sacraments, etc.

Part III "Behaving Like a Saint" goes into the different rules Catholics follow, and also covers the Catholic church's position on issues such as birth control and homosexuality.

Part IV "Practicing Catholicism through Devotions" covers topics such as the saints, wearing scapulars, why Catholics don't eat meat on Friday - and other such devotional activities.

Part V "The Part of Tens" For those new to the "Dummies" books, each one has a part of tens. Here you get info on 10 famous Catholics, 10 popular saints - well, you get the idea.

Part VI Appendix - has a very interesting part on the history of Catholicism.

As you can tell, this is a very comprehensive book - however don't be fooled, it's not boring to read at all. It's written in a fun style, and the content is broken up into digestable chunks, making it a pretty easy read. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn anything and everything about the Catholic church. Also recommend checking out The Prayer Project: How Each One of Us Can Make The World a Better Place to Live - In a Few Minutes a Day.

315 of 363 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Useful and Well-Written!, June 17, 2004

By 

David Bennett (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Catholicism for Dummies (Paperback)

I am currently an Anglican/Episcopalian exploring the Catholic Church, likely to be received soon. I have an extensive background in Scripture, Church History, ancient languages, etc. Yet as I began to explore the Catholic Church I realized that I could tell you quite a bit about St. Thomas Aquinas' understanding of transubstantiation, but I didn't know something as simple as when to cross myself at Mass! I also didn't know the official differences between mortal and venial sins, the ins-and-outs of papal infallibility, or the difference between a sacrament and a sacramental. This book helped me understand all of these things and then some. My point is that virtually anybody can learn a lot about the Catholic Church from this book, even those who consider themselves fairly knowledgeable to begin with (like cradle Catholics).

The style is easy-to-read, straight-forward, and the advice and information is always based on official Church teaching. So it is not a good place to go if you wish to join the Catholic Church because you like the stain glass windows but don't want to accept Church teachings. This does not mean the authors cover up or gloss over difficult issues. They clearly admit how some popes were awful, and they have harsh words for the minority of priests who sexually abuse children. They do put these issues in perspective, pointing out that the papacy has a better record than most secular leaders, and the sinfulness of Peter, who was still chosen as first of the apostles. They also compare molestation by priests to molestation within families, showing that within families it is far more rampant (without excusing bad priests' behavior!). These are fair and balanced assessments in my opinion. This is not an apologetics book, although it does go to some length to show the Faith in a positive light. While strict apologetics books (Protestant or otherwise) often leave me cold, this book was a delight to read.

I read this is an entire weekend, and felt prepared to visit a Catholic Church for the first time in years. In addition to using this book, I would recommend reading the Catechism, using The New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book, and reading the early Church Fathers. The Faith of the Early Fathers by William Jurgens is a three volume set with excerpts from the Fathers. Scott Hahn's works are also recommended. Personally, I would say the best way to get a glimpse of the Catholic Church is to visit a Mass (but don't commune until you are a member!). Ultimately it was worshipping and praying with the Church that convinced me that Catholic was the way to go. Overall, Catholicism for Dummies is a good introduction to the Catholic Church, and tells you everything you really need to know in a concise and enjoyable way.

237 of 291 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better to be a Dummy than an Idiot, August 14, 2004

By 

Thomas More (Allentown, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Catholicism for Dummies (Paperback)

'Catholicism For Dummies' is far superior to the 'Complete Idiot's Guide to Catholicism'. The former gives you objective data on what Catholicism officially teaches, how it worships and how it works as an institution. The latter dressess up opinion as if fact and dishonestly injects dissident theology where readers are actually expecting and deserving accuracy and authenticity. I found CFD lightyears better than CIGC in content and layout. The book is not supposed to be about aberrations and deviations among renegade Catholics, rather it is supposed to present and explain a two thousand year old religion which presently incorporates a billion members. I found this book easy to read, enjoyable and informative. Had I wanted to read politically-correct, opinionated and hidden-agenda propoganda, then I would buy the Idiotic version.