Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Catholic Catechism

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first book I've bought in either the Idiot's Guide or Dummies Guide series. Those phrases have always raised concerns for me about whether the books are accurate and at least somewhat serious.

Although I bought the Guide to the Catholic Catechism as a possible reference book, and so have not read it cover to cover, I have dipped into a number of sections and have found it to take its subjects seriously, even while being written in an accessible, conversational way. In other words, you will learn a lot without feeling like you are working at it.

Another plus, important to me, is that every section I have read seems straightforward and free of bias. I could not tell you if the author is a liberal or a conservative. (As someone involved in Catholic education, I was happy to see that the book has an imprimatur, meaning that it is not contrary to defined Catholic doctrine.)

In short, I very much like what I have seen, and would recommend this guide as a personal reference tool or a tool for the classroom.

We are grateful that the publishers of the Complete Idiot's Guide has finally shown enough respect for Catholicism to have a book done which actually conforms to the Catechism. Rather than seeing Father David Fulton and Mary DeTurris Poust as 'rival' authors, we consider them colleagues and compliment them on their book. As Pope Benedict XVI often points out, Catholicism is the religion of the great 'et ... et' (which translates from Latin into: "both ... and") rather than a religion of 'aut ... aut' (either ... or). Therefore, any author and any book which defends orthodox doctrine and any author who is loyal to the Magisterium is on the same side, i.e., the side of truth. We are NOT competing against one another. ALL authors and books which faithfully explain the accurate teachings of Catholicism should work TOGETHER to refute and repudiate the errors being proliferated by heterodox sources and from dissenting theologians.

BOTH "Catholicism for Dummies" AND the "Complete Idiot's Guide to the Catholic Catechism" have imprimaturs AND BOTH serve the common good in evangelization and catechesis. The dichotomy is rather between those authors and books faithful to the Magisterium and those which are disloyal. EITHER orthodox OR heterodox since something is EITHER true or it is false. We wish to congratulate Mary and Fr. David for doing a book on the Catechism. Doing so does not conflict with our pride in our recent work "Catholicism Answer Book: 300 of the Most Frequently Asked Questions" since we sincerely believe our books complement the 'Complete Idiot's Guide to the Catholic Catechism.' While we embraced the same blueprint of the four pillars of faith [creed, code, cult, & contemplation] in our most recent book, we also added some interesting Catholic curiosities along with a potpouri of trivia as well as some abridged but fundamental church history.

If there is any professional rivalry whatsoever, it is merely along the lines of the friendly competition that has always existed between the Dominicans and the Franciscans. That being said, we wish success to both authors and to their book and hope that readers will look at ALL the available resources where one can find authentic, accurate and orthodox Catholic teaching on faith and morals. Those sources which have no allegiance to the Magisterium warrant nothing less than being completely ignored.

Every Catholic individual, family and home should have SEVERAL if not more solid books on the faith in addition to a copy of the actual Catechism and a copy of Catholic Bible. Better to have a whole bookcase of shelves of various Catholic authors who are all loyal to the Magisterium, is it not? We are not arrogant or stupid enough to think that our six books exhaust every notion contained within Catholicism. Our goal has simply been and remains thus: give the readers nothing less than pure, unadulterated [single-malt, so to speak] orthodox doctrine in everything we write. Whenever we see others doing likewise, we take it as a sign of Divine Providence.

Sincerely, Fathers Kenneth Brighenti and John Trigilio

I recently read The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Catholic Catechism by Mary DeTurris Poust with theological advisor Fr. David Fulton STD, JCD. Like other books in the Complete Idiot's Guide and Dummies series they present a subject on a beginners level in a somewhat lighthearted way.

Since this one is on the Catholic Catechism itself it is really an introduction to the Catholic faith for beginners along with and introduction explaining the Catechism and the format. For many the size of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is daunting and some might find the language used to be difficult so there will always be a place for a smaller catechism. I remember when I first came across a small catechism at the library written by a source I don't remember, though the experience of reading even these short explanations of the Catholic faith had quite an effect on my life and got me to accept some sins that I up to that point I would have rather have not learned were sins. So I can certainly see how important even a shorter treatment of the Catechism can be.

I found the Complete Idiot's Guide to the Catholic Catechism to be totally in conformance with the Catholic faith and presented the faith quite well. There are plenty of sidebars to further explain words and concepts likely to be unfamiliar to the reader as is common with these types of books. It is also written in a manner easy to read and she uses some humor in her explanations. Though she does not let the humor get in the way and mainly keeps to explaining the various paragraphs of the Catechism. As you would expect there are paragraph reference numbers to the Catechism throughout the book.

I found the book to be a quite useful addition to the number of books concerning the Catechism and I think good orthodox books that serve as an introduction to the faith are always useful. There are only a couple of places in the book where I might have wanted something worded a bit differently, but really nothing to the point where it was in real error. She does make the quite common mistake of thinking the Pope charism of Papal Infallibility to be rare when the fact is it is exercised at every canonization.

There is also another book with a similar format called Catholicism for Dummies by Fr. Trigillo and Fr. Brighenti. I have heard a lot of great things about this other book, though I haven't read it myself yet. Regardless Mary DeTurris Poust book is an excellent entry into the field and one I can recommend to those looking for a solid introduction that is also light reading.

Mary DeTurris Poust has lived up to the promise of this book; it indeed contains "the core teachings of Catholicism in plain English." She explains each section of the catechism in simple prose that doesn't condescend to her readers. At 260-odd pages, one could easily and profitably spend a week or so with this book and come away with a comprehensive understanding of the Faith.

That said, some of the text-box asides are problematic. The "True Confessions" comment for Holy Orders takes a reflexively defensive posture about the all-male priesthood, and explains that women "have always held positions of power within the Church." Should the attainment of power really be held up as a path to follow? In the same text-box, the author explains that "many sisters and lay women and men are administrators of parishes, taking care of most of the nonsacramental work of a local church." Actually, the rise of parish administrators is at odds with canon law and Church teaching. In 1999, the Congregation for the Clergy and seven other dicasteries decreed that "the non-ordained faithful do not enjoy a right to such tasks and functions" and that they should only be performed in extraordinary circumstances ("Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of the Priest.")

Likewise, in one of the early chapters, there is a discussion of how the Church's catechetical establishment moved away from the use of Q&A-style catechisms in the aftermath of Vatican II. (Fans of the time-tested Baltimore Catechism are said to be "traditional Catholics, who prefer the old time religion.") The way it is phrased suggests that this move was done in accord with Church teaching. Quite the contrary is true; in "Catechesis Tradendae," written in 1979, Pope John Paul II praises such instructional tools, as does Pope Benedict XVI, writing as Cardinal Ratzinger, in the letter accompanying the new Q&A-format Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

In the section on the Fifth Commandment, the author resurrects the long-discredited "seamless garment" approach to life issues. This term is an invention of the late Cardinal Bernardin and appears nowhere in the Catechism. Starting in the 1980s, it was used by pro-abortion politicians to suggest that opposition to the death penalty or to a particular war trumps support for abortion rights. There simply was no reason to dredge up that controversy in a book ostensibly about the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

This is a decent resource, deserving about three-and-a-half stars (I rounded up.) I focused on some of its drawbacks because most other reviewers showered the book with unqualified praise. My advice is to stick with the main narrative but be wary when the author veers into material that suggests an opinion rather than doctrine.

I so enjoyed this book! I was not raised Catholic, but became so when I was married almost 20 years ago. I feel I still have a lot to learn and this book is helping me along. The snippets throughout each chapter, such as "Church Speak" and "Teachable Moment" are perfect in further explaining some concepts that have been foreign to me like what exactly is the Catechism. I learned too what an angel is according to the Church. Interesting!

This book is beautifully written. It is easy to read and enjoyable. This book can be both a reference guide for seasoned Catholics and a primer for those who want to truly dig deeper into their Catholic faith. Well done!

The Catechism is a pretty hard book to read. I'd wager very few Catholics bother. I've waded through a good bit of it and I find it well written and very helpful, but I know others that just don't like to read it, or perhaps they don't want to. I think my copy of the Catechism goes something like 1250 pages.

This book gives an excellent short version of basic Catholic theology in around 300 pages. It is arranged in the same format as the Catechism and has references to the applicable Catechism graphs on each point. It's in a large font, easily read even with poor vision.

I give it 5-stars for providing Catholics what they need to know in a readable format with references for further research if desired. I wish someone had recommended this book when I converted.

Reason for Reading: Personal edification.

Comments: After making sure the book had an Imprimatur (which declares the book free of doctrinal error) I was eager to read this book. I have been a convert for one year now and don't see myself reading the official Catechism from front to back anytime soon, though I do intend to tackle that project one day. I have also never purchased a "Complete Idiot's Guide" to anything before but the general good reviews convinced me to purchase the book.

The book follows the same order of the Catechism and has all the numbers referenced and actually quotes from at times. The book is written in an easy to understand layman's voice but that doesn't stop it from getting into some deep theological issues. I often read some parts over more than once to truly grasp the truth.

I feel like I have learned so much just by reading this book. I'm certainly much more informed, am able to answer non-Catholic's questions, have much more insight into the commandments, the apostle's creed and the Our Father. Many of my questions were answered and many things I wasn't quite sure what exactly the Church meant when it said something I would have big light bulb moments. I've also had some truths brought to my attention that I hadn't considered before and feel greatly rewarded for that alone. The book can be read quite quickly but I spent some time with it, reading a chapter at a time, taking it slowly. A fabulous book for details on the teachings of the Church.

I bought 2 of these one for my sister and one for myself I am her sponsor in a RICA class. It is a good read for both of us.

Very good resource for any Catholic lay minister or ordained minister. I have used it many times and find it easy to use and good to use with those learning about our faith or coming back to the faith.

2000 years since the Church as we know it began. That's a lot of information to try and understand in even your lifetime. Fortunately for us we have this Guide to Catholic Catechism - the CIGCC for short. Written with a light touch that gives you facts sprinkled with everyday language and some humor it continues to draw persons in and enlighten them as they continue to seek the Truth.

For persons (even Catholics) wondering why Catholics do the things they do both at Mass and in Devotional exercises, then you will get a pretty good handle on all that. BE ADVISED: this is not a replacement to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, just a good companion guide and really quick and surface referencer. Take it in that vein and you would be fine. The CIGCC does not have all the answers and questions are not answered to become a debating point.

DO enjoy.