The Usual Suspects: Answering Anti-Catholic Fundamentalists [Paperback]

Karl Keating (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2000

The author of the perennial best-seller, Catholicism and Fundamentalism, presents here, not so much a sequel, as a supplement to the first groundbreaking work. In the first book, Keating gave a panoramic view of the attack on "Romanism" by "Bible Christians", highlighting prominent anti-Catholic individuals and organizations and discussing at length controverted doctrines. Here he presents snapshots, individualized portraits—some larger, some smaller—of arguments and people opposed to the Catholic faith.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In The Usual Suspects, Karl Keating gives us a most unusual book. Through a series of careful examinations of arguments against the Church, Keating establishes the veracity and unfolds the sincerity of the Church in dialogue with those who would question both. For those who seek not only the roots but the responses to voices against the Faith, Keating's book is a treasure."
-John Cardinal O'Connor, Archbishop of New York

"Karl Keating leaps once more into the breach with his characteristic clarity. He performs the knightly service of defensor fidei with vigor and just enough oomph to knock swords from hands while leaving the challenger himself unharmed and (one hopes) open to more reasonable conversation in the future. For us ordinary lay Catholics, Usual Suspects is just what the doctor ordered."
-Mark P. Shea, author, By What Authority?

"I was greatly helped in my own conversion to the Catholic Church by Karl Keating's first book, and now he has graced us again. As the nation's premier apologist, Karl Keating analyzes and explains a wide variety of apologetical issues. Karl's analysis of the opponents of the Catholic Church are both insightful and charitable."
-Stephen K. Ray, Author, Upon This Rock

!-- begin adding product review -- --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898707730
• ISBN-13: 978-0898707731
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #876,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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88 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Answering the Suspects, March 26, 2001

By 

Frederick A. Costello (Herndon, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Usual Suspects: Answering Anti-Catholic Fundamentalists (Paperback)

The author helps Catholics answer arguments from Evangelicals, including answer the widely available, anti-Catholic video Catholicism: Crisis in Faith. Uncharitable statements make this book unsuitable to give non-Catholics. Can you answer charitably the following criticisms without looking at the answers? The book has the full answers.

1. Catholics worship statues whereas Exodus 20:4 says: "Thou shalt not make graven images."

The condemned graven images are those worshipped. God commands cherubs adorn the Ark (Exodus 25) and a bronze serpent be made to cure snake bites (Nm 21:9).

2. In general, how do you resolve apparent contradictions in Scripture?

Biblical contradictions are due to our interpretation, not the text (St. Augustine, Fr. William Most).

3. Catholics pray to saints whereas 1 Timothy 2:5 says: "There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

We ask the saints for their prayers just as we ask friends. God knows our prayers and the saints see them in God's mind. In Rv 8:4, saints carry to God our prayers. Moses and Samuel were dead, but their intercessions were important (Jer 15;1)

4. Catholics say that Mary was ever virgin, yet Scripture speaks of the "brethren of the Lord."

Aramaic had no word for cousins so used "brothers." James, Joses, Simon and Jude are Jesus' brothers (Mk 6:3) and James and Joses are called sons of Mary, wife of Clopas (Mk 16:40).

5. Catholics use non-Scriptural sources for doctrines whereas 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says "All Scripture is inspired of God and is useful for teaching - for reproof, correction, and training in holiness."

The only "Scripture" at the time was the Old Testament. The New Testament is also inspired. Scripture is not the only source useful for these purposes.

6. Various Catholic practices have a pagan basis: genuflecting, sign of the cross, incense, bells, priestly vestments, holy water and the rosary (Mt 6:7 against repetitious prayers).

Practices such as singing need not be avoided just because the pagans used them. The pagan superstitious incantations should be. The emphasis in Matthew is "like the pagans" rather than on "multiplication of words."

7. Catholics claim that Mary is the Mother of God whereas Mary is the mother only of Jesus.

Jesus is one person; Mary is the mother of that one person. Speaking of His human person has no meaning. Mary is not the mother of God the Father.

8. Catholics insist on baptism whereas "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel." (1 Cor 1:17)

Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born again of water and the Spirit (Jn 3:5). In Corinthians, Paul was to preach first so those being baptized knew why.

9. Catholics call their priests "father" whereas Mt 23:9-10 says "Do not call anyone on earth your father."

In I Cor 4:15 St. Paul says he is spiritual father of his listeners. Our only heavenly father is God the Father. No earthly father surpasses our heavenly Father.

10. Catholics say that the King James version of the Bible is erroneous; God would not allow Christians to be mislead by the Bible.

The inspiration of the Bible does not pertain to a translation, only the original.

11. Catholics say that the Catholic Bible is an accurate translation whereas it was translated from the Vaticanus version rather than the Greek.

Recent translations, such as the New American Bible, are from the Greek and Hebrew. The Douay version was from the Vulgate, not from Vaticanus.

12. Catholics worship on Sunday, the day of sun worship, rather than on the Sabbath.

The Sabbath was made for man; man was not made for the Sabbath. Christians chose the day of the Resurrection.

13. Catholics say that good works are necessary whereas John 5:24 says "the man who hears my word and has faith in him who sent me possesses eternal life."

"Faith without works is as dead as a body without breath." (Ja 2:26) Although we do not earn heaven through our works, hearing the word means putting it into practice.

14. Catholics produce their own commandments and traditions, whereas Mk 7:7-8 says "Empty is the reverence they do me because they teach as dogmas mere human precepts. You disregard God's commandment and cling to what is human tradition."

Although Jesus condemns "mere human precepts," the Bible nowhere implies that it is the only source of faith. "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle" (2 Thess. 2:14). See also 2 Tim 1:13-14, 2 Tim 2:2 and 1 Cor 11:2. Jesus explained everything to his Apostles and sent the Holy Spirit to ensure everything was faithfully taught (Mt 28:18-20).

15. Catholics prolong the work of Christ in the Mass whereas Christ completed His work with His crucifixion.

The Mass is a re-presentation of the sacrifice of the cross; it is the same sacrifice, albeit without Christ's suffering.

16. Catholics claim that Mary was conceived without sin whereas Rom 3:23 says "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

The "all" pertains to the audience, not all humans. It does not mean children below the age of reason, insane people, Mary or Jesus.

17. Catholics have invented the idea of Purgatory. It is not mentioned in Scripture.

If Purgatory exists, members of non-believing churches gamble that nobody will pray for their release from Purgatory. Purgatory comes in part from Rev 21:27 ("nothing unclean" will enter heaven); 2 Mc 12:46, "he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin"; and 1 Peter 3:19, "he went to preach to the spirits in prison;" therefore, there is a place other than heaven and hell after death.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars know thy separated brethren, July 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Usual Suspects: Answering Anti-Catholic Fundamentalists (Paperback)

It's a fun and quick read, with a helpfully succinct and solid piece of scripture apologetic tucked away into each chapter to counter the fundamentalist attack therein. A cheerful and chatty discussion of the anti-catholic tactics used by fundamentalists. These attacks range from the thoughtful to the nastily disingenuous to the downright idiotic; Be warned; Some of Karl's encounters with less-than-charitable anti-catholics can be maddening to read about. But you might force yourself to read the toxic third section even if it's getting your goat--it's important to know the range of what's out there. A saavy but not a super-deep volume on apologetics (Karl's 'catholicism and fundamentalism' is the full treatise on that subject); but then the all-too-common garden variety anti-catholics Karl is warning you about here aren't very deep to start with. My guess is he didn't even work up a sweat dealing with them.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Entertaining, April 14, 2000

By 

Matt (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Usual Suspects: Answering Anti-Catholic Fundamentalists (Paperback)

This is an excellent compendium to Catholicism and Fundamentalism. There's a lot of great information in this book, and it's fun to read. I read it in two sittings, and found my self laughing out loud at times. Don't overlook this book!