Customer Reviews

The People's Catechism: Catholic Faith for Adults

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This is an intense book! I personally felt a need to read it slowly over a long period of time as there was much to savor here. The subject matter also lends itself to discussion--I think it would make a very good source text for a discussion group or a retreat.

This book, like the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is divided into 4 sections: faith, sacraments, morals, and prayer. Each of the 4 sections is written by a different author (or team of authors).

The book's 40 chapters also share a common organization--each begins with a quote from scripture, follows with an essay on the relevance of the biblical teaching in the real world, then challenges the reader to put his or her faith into action, and concludes with a section on prayer.

The choices from scripture are relevant. The essays are clear, contemporary, and meaningful. There is a strong thread throughout the text on the importance of the Christian community and the need to apply the faith to every day living.

The calls to action issue blunt challenges. For example, the reader is asked: if someone wished to persecute Christians, would they have enough evidence to convict you?

This book is full of errors, some blatant, some subtle, especially about Jesus Christ himself and about Scripture. I'd give it zero stars. While there are a few parts that are ok, there are some outrageous errors in it and it contradicts or misinterprets the teaching of the Church in a number of places. You can get good information elsewhere without these errors that will lead people astray. Read the real Catechism of the Catholic Church if you want to know the faith. And PS, contrary to the claims of this or any other supposedly Catholic book, the Second Vatican Council reaffirmed in its document Dei Verbum (see section 19), what the Church has always maintained: that the gospels are historically accurate, that they really teach what Jesus did and taught. Don't be fooled!