Customer Reviews

Radio Replies: Volume One

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"Radio Replies" is considered a foundation text for Catholic apologetics. The three volumes are transcripts of a 1930's radio program in which two priests, one from Australia and one from the United States, answer write-in questions inquiring about (or in many cases outright attacking) Catholic beliefs on just about every subject you can think of.

Volume One is fascinating both as a work of apologetics and as an historical document. In terms of apologetics, Catholic positions are stated coherently, concisely, and consistently, with arguments appealing to reason as well as drawing heavily from Scripture. The overriding message is that the Catholic Church is alone the true church established by Christ, and this assertion is backed up with arguments that can not be easily dismissed.

The stridency of tone in this book will sound peculiar to many readers today. Historically, it is interesting to see how things have changed over the last seventy-odd years. Frs. Rumble and Carty speak often of man's duty to himself, to fellow man, and the necessity to submit totally to the will of God. Such talk is certainly not in vogue today. In the strongest language, the priests assert the Catholic's profound responsibility to attend Mass every Sunday, to abstain from meat on Friday, to refuse participation in other religious services, etc. Since Vatican II, many such strict guidelines have been loosened, and one wonders, when reading this, how beneficial that has been. The priests abhor a world of moral relativism, and attribute its development in part to Protestantism, with its ever-increasing theological fragmentation, its substitution of man-made law for God's law, and the crisis in faith and morals that result. (It is important to note the priests do not attack Protestants personally, their good will, or their good works; they object only to the underlying precepts of the movement itself.) When one looks at the moral chaos in our society today, the words of caution and dire predictions of "Radio Replies" seem at times prophetic.

One weakness in this volume-the vast majority of questions (over 1500 in Volume One) are posed by lay people who obviously have little understanding of Catholicism and a highly prejudiced attitude toward Catholic people and practices. The one- or two-line questions are basically softballs, which the priests easily hit clear out of the park. So although "Radio Replies" contains an enormous amount of indispensable information, it does not take on many intellectually rigorous challenges. That being said, "Radio Replies" provides incredibly clear insight on what the Catholic Church stands for, and why.

Fathers Rumble and Carty take the questions about the Catholic Church and Church doctrine head on; and answer them from 2000 years of Catholic Doctrine, The Bible and Tradition. What was written by these two men in the 1930's, is still true today.

Every Catholic and non-Catholic, who really wants to learn the truths about what the Catholic Church teaches, needs all three Volumes in their library.

If you have ever wondered about some of the tenets of the Roman Catholic faith, then this is the book for you. Nearly every question you could have about the Church is addressed here in the three volumes of this series. And no, they're not simple questions, either. I found this series to be fascinating reading.

This book is a must have Catholic apologetics resource, not just for the sheer volume of subjects covered, but also because of the clarity of the responses. Volume One alone has 1588 questions and answers!

Since these are real questions people sent in, they range from the broad ("What is meant by natural religion, and why is it not sufficient?") to the very detailed ("Was the Church right or wrong in condemning the theory of Galileo?"). The pictures I posted above should help give you a better idea of the topics covered in this particular volume.

Though the tone of some of the answers is feisty (if not at times bordering on snide), the answers are incredibly thorough. Many of the responses include quotes from the Bible, popes and saints. The sections about the early Church are especially well researched, citing writings from Clement, Irenaeus, Cyprian, Tertullian and council documents. It's an invaluable resource, whether you want to read the whole thing or prefer to focus on certain topics!

Ever since I first saw this book and the other two volumes, I realized how fortunate I was to find it. It ought to be purchased by all Roman Catholics and anyone else interested in knowing about the Catholic faith. So many people, even Catholics who were badly catachized, are in the dark about what its teacings are. This series is so complete and informative that one will never regret purchasing it. It can be read over and over again, as there is so much to learn and remember.

By far the most useful guide for defending the catholic church I have ever come across. Is recommended by Scott Hahn and has remained in publication for almost 70 years. A must own for Catholics.