Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Catholicism [Paperback]

M.A., Mary Faulkner (Author), Robert O'Gorman (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide | Publication Date: March 14, 2000

The Complete Idiot's Guide To Catholicism explores the world's largest religious denomination and introduced you to the Catholic practice. It offers you a new approach to learning Catholicism, covering the rituals and symbols of the religion, such as Mass, the Seven Sacraments, and the holy days and their meaning. The authors tell you how Catholicism has spread throughout the world, its roots, and how it has grown and changed over the course of this century. It's a valuable tool for anyone interested in examining--or reexamining--this large and complex religion.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Complete Idiot's Guide To Catholicism explores the world's largest religious denomination and introduced you to the Catholic practice. It offers you a new approach to learning Catholicism, covering the rituals and symbols of the religion, such as Mass, the Seven Sacraments, and the holy days and their meaning. The authors tell you how Catholicism has spread throughout the world, its roots, and how it has grown and changed over the course of this century. It's a valuable tool for anyone interested in examining--or reexamining--this large and complex religion.

About the Author

Bob O'Gorman teaches at the Institute of Pastoral Studioes at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois.

Mary Faulkner holds a Master's degree in Religious Education from Scarritt Graduate School and is a freelance writer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 1 edition (March 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028636392
• ISBN-13: 978-0028636399
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 7.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #620,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice Format, but not always correct, May 11, 2000

By 

M. Horak "JustAnotherIdiot" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Catholicism (Paperback)

When I opened this book, the first page I saw offered this information: upon entering Church, Catholics genuflect to show respect for the altar. Actually, we genuflect to show respect for the Eucharist, when it is present. Otherwise, we bow slightly to show respect for an empty altar.

While this example may seem minor, it is indicative of the general feeling I got as I moved through the book. In a nagging way, it seemed slightly inaccurate at times.

That's unfortunate, because I was impressed by the format and breadth of information - in a very readable form. That's a combination which is tough to find in any book about religion.

The book tries to introduce the reader to many of the cultural aspects of Catholicism such as meatless Fridays, ruler-wielding nuns, etc. This is the first time I've seen this much "Catholic trivia" in a book about Catholicism, which may be a large part of its appeal. The treatment of Catholic cultured seemed a bit cliched to me, but that's just one view. A person with a different (or non-Catholic) background may see it very differently.

Before you buy this book, you might take a look at Kevin Johnson's "Why Do Catholics Do That?" Johnson doesn't cover all the same information, particularly the cultural aspects, but his is also a very readable book which covers many of the doctrinal aspects in which Catholicism is different than most Christian traditions.

49 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A mixture of truth and falsehood, October 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Catholicism (Paperback)

There's a lot of good material in this book, and the layout is attractive. Unfortunately, I can't recommend it, especially to beginners (its target audience). One problem, as mentioned by other reviewers, is the sprinkling of inaccuracies here and there. For instance, the authors claim that scapulars have been done away with in recent decades. Granted, scapulars may seem strange to most modern folks, but they're still officially encouraged, and worn by millions of Catholics.

A bigger concern is that the book consistently draws a false distinction between the "Pre-Vatican II Church" and the "Post-Vatican II Church", as if they were two different churches. In fact, there's only been one Catholic Church since the time of Christ. The Vatican II Council didn't define new doctrines, or do away with old ones; it only called for updates on the level of implementation (e.g. discipline and the liturgy).

Toward the end of the book, the authors take this concept to a more disturbing level, producing a list of terms contrasting the supposed "old and new paradigms" in the Church: "judgment" vs. "compassion", "heirarchy" vs. "community", etc. This is a false dichotomy. One Catholic scholar has noted that our faith tends to emphasize "both/and" rather than "either/or", and that's very true in this case. The Church is *both* a structured heirarchy and a community of the faithful, and Catholics are called to provide *both* sound judgment and gentle compassion. I'm not sure what the authors were trying to achieve by pitting these concepts against one another, but it doesn't give the whole truth about our faith.

If you're looking to learn more about Catholicism, by all means do so, but don't use the "Idiot's Guide" as a starting point. There are many better books available, like Peter Klein's "Catholic Source Book" or Liguori's "Essential Catholic Handbook". Or you could look for a basic catechism that's cross-referenced to the new official Catechism, the documents of Vatican II, and the Bible. (If you don't have these reference books, you can access them for free on the Internet.) Finally, if you're under age 35, I'd also recommend Mary Beth Bonacci's "We're on a Mission from God" for an fun and inspiring look at the Catholic faith.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars You'd have to be an idiot to believe this book., May 15, 2006

By 

Lynn Breaux "www.lynnbreaux.com" (New Iberia, LA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Catholicism (Paperback)

Just read Bob's co-writer Mary's other book and you will see where her objectivity went. She is the "Earth Goddess" lady. Please read Catholicism for Dummies if you want a pretty accurate overview to Church teachings. Better yet, get the Catechism of the Catholic Church and read it yourself - I don't think you're an idiot and I think you are smart enough to be able to understand the Catechism. The Idiot's Guide is a misrepresentation of the Catholic Faith. It focuses on the authors' opinions and "Feelings" rather than official Church teachings. It wouldn't let me give it 0 stars, so I selected 1.