Customer Reviews

Righteous Religion: Unmasking the Illusions of Fundamentalism and Authoritarian Catholicism (Religion, Ministry, and Pastoral Care)

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

I appreciated this book immensely. I did not find any errors in it. (I was raised Catholic.) I felt it delineated clearly how I have felt about these churches for qutie some time. I particularly appreciated the references to a "good enough parent" with relationship to how churches work as well as famous psychological experts.

It is unfortunate two educated people are unable to present authentic Catholic teaching when presenting an opinion hostile to the faith. Rather than present authentic Catholic teaching, they tend to take isolated quotes from texts to support their distorted view of what the faith actually teaches.

As a cradle Catholic and the product of Catholic schools, I never experienced the "fear" these authors suggest is inherent to the Catholic family dynamic. Reading their assertions about Catholocism was like reading about a religion that was totally alien to me.

Perhaps a better presentation of this subject matter would be to present the faith accurately with an orthodox Catholic theologian providing any clarification to areas the authors take issue with, then argue their point from there. This method is not only more scholarly, it is much more honest.

I found this book very handy while I was doing a paper for my religion class. I read the other review and I think that since I am not Catholic, that may be why I didn't find this book offensive in any way. The authors presented the information in a clear and concise manner.

Most Catholics and many other people raised in a mainstream Christian faith end their religious education at the age of about 13. This is too bad because this is just the age when the brain is beginning to be able to grasp abstract ideas. Thus, we have many adults who claim to be authorities on Catholic teaching because they attended a few catechism classes. The teachings of the Catholic Church are available for anyone in the the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Studying Church teachings as an adult is a completely different experience than sitting in a catechism class when you are in the fourth grade. The authors seemed to have jumped to conclusions about religion as a negative or frightening force of authority for children based on hearsay. As psychologists, they know that children feel powerless and dependent. It is hard to believe that they are not playing to a childish audience by appealing to their natural adolescent desires to rebel, without being honest about why children need a source of teaching authority in their lives. They need parents, teachers and religious instruction. I wonder if they ever talked to children like I was, or adults like I am, who continue to draw great joy and comfort from being loved by a living and caring God. Authority is not necessarily evil, and if one grows in one's knowledge of the Church and understands the teaching from an adult perspective, this makes perfect sense. It has long been recognized that one must serve and obey first in order to become a good leader. This book is just another example of the generally anti-Catholic sentiment in this country.

Speaking as a cradle Catholic raised in a devout family and a product of all catholic schools, I was dismayed at the inaccuracy with which the teachings of the Catholic Church were presented. This mismash of truth and inaccuracy along with the inclusion of many dissadent catholic writers who evidently did not catch your errors, greatly weakened the impact of a book on an important subject. It would have been a much more worthwhile effort had you stuck to authentic sources to simply and accurately present the Catholic position. Then go on from there to present your points or argument.