Customer Reviews

Taught to Believe the Unbelievable: A New Vision of Hope for the Catholic Church and Society

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I have learned so much from reading this book. Sister Jane Kelly not only confronts corruption in her church but shines into the darkness a brilliant light for positive change. The author is an extraordinary woman. At 72, having dedicated her entire adult life to the service of her church, Sister Jane has a message that nobody should miss, regardless of their religious affiliations. So much is in the media about the dark side of the church. While the sister faces the dark side with courage and hope, the greatest gift she offers us in this book is a way to go forward into a reformation that better reflects the spiritual needs of the world today. Bravo, Sister Jane Kelly.

Do yourself a favor. Take some time out of your busy schedule and read this book. Let Sister Jane Kelly lift you to new heights of spiritual inspiration and guidance. Literally born into the Catholic Church she has spent her entire life walking in God's light. Sister Jane "walks-the-walk" and she "talks the talk" in this world, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, bringing spiritual love and friendship to all who come within her reach.

It does not matter what your religion, as this is a story for anybody who has ever accepted, on faith, things that they understood later in their hearts, were simply not true.
This is a story of bringing light into darkness and truth where lies exist. But mostly, this is a TRUE story of how one woman listened to God and stood up for truth and righteousness in the face of man-made rules and dogma.

I read Sister Jane's book the first week that it was published. I was so impressed with it that I passed it along to many people for them to read. I purchased the book for two priest. One in Connecticut and one in Illinois. Both read the book and wrote to Sister Jane with their comments of praise. I then purchased eight more book and sent them to other states. All were thankful to receive them and requested more for their friends. Being a Catholic all my life, it was great to hear Sister Jane's points of view. Would recommend it to one and all.

Books like Sr. Jane Kelly's are what keep me Catholic in the face of serious sexual and financial impropriety within the Roman Catholic Church. Sr. Jane is a woman of integrity and courage who struggles to bring the scandals she's observed to the attention of the Catholic hierarchy. When church officials are repeatedly unresponsive and attempt to sweep matters under the rug, Sr. Jane approaches the press with the truth we are entitled to know. Her vision of hope for the church helps me rise above church politics and focus on the true message of the Gospel.

I just went to a Film Festival that highlighted a documentary about this lovely woman who is an example to us all. She challenged evil and was penalized greatly for it, but she is not bitter, she is enlightening. After serving the church for 58 years, she chose to leave rather than give up her invaluable work with the poor. This means NO retirement, NO means of support, but she reports she is still happy by simply living the examples given in the bible. Ministering to the poor and walking amongst them, not in an ornamented ivory tower, so far removed from the people. I am not catholic, but am buying this book to support her efforts. Thank you Sister Jane.

At first I thought this book was going to be the "traditional nun" book. But instead I found a woman who was willing to look down the barrel of corruption's gun and not give the typical answer of "I will pray about it." She actually put prayer to work by confornting the corruption in her church but in addition treading on the thin ice of RC theology. Instead of dogma she sees the face of Christ in those she ministers. To bad there are not more like her.

There is only one thing I wish she would have delt with is the corruption in female religious orders where the same games are played by females. This is a hard issue to face and most children and nuns who have been victimized by nuns have taped their mouths silent with humiliation. For starters she should read Ashley Hill's book Habits of Sin and then get her broom out,begin sweeping and write another book.

I am a lifelong Catholic and was never indoctrinated into the Church as so many people have been, so I can say with absolute certainty that Jane Kelly is right about 90% of what she says. With regards to institutional organization, the Church is a slowly evolving dinosaur, one that needs to change in order to survive. However, her attacks on some of the longstanding traditions of the Church are completely unwarranted. Read this book, it is a fast read and a reasonably intelligent person can decipher fact from 'belief.'

Dear amazon.com,

This is not a review and I wish to remain anonymous, but you have Sr. Jane Kelly's name reversed. This makes it hard to find.

Jane, Sr. Kelly is WRONG

Kelly, Sr. Jane is CORRECT

The table of contents in her book say it all:

Chapter 3: The Roman Catholic Church: A Multinational Corporation (No, it is the body of Christ)

Chapter 5: Homosexuality: A Biological Reality (You know what is coming here. Gays are born gay, so the Church should get with it amnd accept homosexuality. But we are all born with sin. Should the Church then say that all sins are OK, since we are all born to sin?)

Chaper 6: Uprooting the Root of Priesthood (You know know what is coming here - women in the priesthood. Well, if Jesus wanted women to be priests, why did he not make the Blessed Virgin Mary to be one of the apostles? Or Mary Magdalener? Pope John Paul II said as ex cathreda as he could say - the church NEVER will have the right to ordain women priests. The reason that the Church does not allow women priests is not because of male chauvinism. If the Church was chauvinistic, it would not honor Mary as being the Queen of Heaven. The reason there can never be women priests is because the priest is standing in for Jesus when he consecrates the bread and wine. Since Jesus is a man, the priest must be a man. If the priest was a woman, then the Eucharist would be invalid).

Jane Kelly is a dissident. She does not accept the teachings of the Catholic Church. If she cannot accept its teachings, then she should be honest with herself and others and leave the Church. She believes as a Protestant, not a Catholic. It would better for her soul that she leave.

It is amazing how many people can tell that she is a spiritual person just by this book. I guess being spiritual is anyone who sides with your position. I cannot judge what is in her heart. I can only judge her teachings, and her teaching are more Protestant than Catholic. If you are a faithful, practicing Catholic, this book is not for you. If you are a Cafeteria Catholic, I would encourage you to either repent and submit fully to the teachings of God through his Church, or leave the Church and join the Episcopal Church. We already have a "church" that accepts women priests and accepts homosexuality. It is the Episcopal Church. Why not go there and leave the rest of us Catholics in peace?

This book by "Sister" Jane Kelly is a prime example of what has truly gone wrong with the Catholic Church- allowing people like her to write such nonsense and heresy. As a practicing Catholic, I was appalled at the preposterous insinuations that Kelly wrote in this outrageous work. While her actions that exposed the abuse in the Church are laudable, the blame she put on the Church for the incidents is not. Aside from that, she shows a complete disregard for sacred and fundamental Catholic doctrine, such as the Resurrection and the Immaculate Conception, going so far as to say they are both false. She shows no respect for the Pope and clergy, which leads one to question why this woman even calls herself a Catholic, let alone a "sister". The only "Vision of Hope for the Catholic Church and Society" would be to silence heretics such as Jane Kelly and to discharge them from the positions that they wrongfully hold. One can read the heresies of Martin Luther and John Calvin and save the money they would spend on Jane Kelly's book for a more worthwhile purpose. "Taught to Believe the Unbelievable", is merely her twisted and warped interpretation of what she was taught. Save your money, and more importantly, your time.