Customer Reviews

When Catholics Die

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The sad fact of the matter is that just about any denomination could be listed in the title of this book. Religion is of man and Christianity is of God. Each and every time man seeks to create his own religion, Catholics included, they are going to miss the mark.

Most all Catholics though, who might be exposed to this book, will simply revert to what they've been programmed to believe all of their lives. Scripture is quite clear as are the teachings and beliefs of the Catholic church. That the two are in such clear disagreement is readily apparent to anyone who is WILLING to look, as Mr. Noll has been.

A few questions for the skeptical Catholic:

Catholic priests don't marry in order to be like the apostles and yet scripture shows that some of them were indeed married, did you know that?

The Bible hardly mentions Mary and yet the Catholic church worships her, why?.

The Bible teaches that we should only pray either directly to the Father or through Christ to Him. Yet every rosary requires 10 hail Mary's for every one Our Father - why?

The Bible never states that we ought to give our confession to a priest, so why do you?

The Bible never states that any man, let alone the pope, is God's representative here on earth so where does the Catholic church gain that authority?

This is a great book and if you have issues with it then please point out the SCRIPTURAL errors as well as the SCRIPTURAL explanation of what makes the Catholics right.

If this man, Richard A. Noll, truly was a Catholic as he says, I'll eat a bishop's mitre. Along with the book titled "Once A Catholic," this book documents such dubious scholarship and such an incomplete grasp of the Truth of the Roman Catholic Church founded by Jesus Christ, it's just astounding. As I say, if this man really was a Catholic, he was colossally uniformed and ignorant. I personally doubt his integrity.

The long and the short of my opinion is this: If you want to read a book that DOES NOT teach the truth about what Catholics believe and if you want to read a book that confirms your personal opinion that all Catholics are going straight to hell and if you want to read a book that is merely another re-hashing of some of the glaring misconceptions that Protestants have about the Catholic faith, then read this book.

But before you do that, you might want to find out what Catholics <i>really</i> believe about salvation, which is this: We are saved by grace through the shed blood of our Lord Jesus. Our lives, then, will be a testimony to that saving grace by the way we live. A person who is truly saved will be bearing the fruit of the Spirit in his life (see Galatians 5, 22-26.) A person who is saved will be running the race in order to win the prize, as Saint Paul said in Philippians, the prize being heaven, of course. No, this isn't the <i>sola fide</i> ("by faith alone" or alternately, "once saved, always saved") doctrine that some Protestant groups espouse, but then the doctrine of <i>sola fide</i> isn't Biblical anyway.

Doesn't it seem odd that I, a person who has never written a book, can do more to explain true Catholic doctrine in less than 1,000 words when Noll and others of his ilk can't even do it in their books? Doesn't that make them seem curiously biased and bigoted and as if they are people who are more concerned with promoting an anti-Catholic agenda than the real Truth of the Church? Think about it BEFORE you spend the money on this book.

The most moving thing about this book is the author's genuine love for those in the Catholic Church. Over and over again after ponting out the fallacies of that organization he encourages the reader to have faith, search for the truth and find Jesus. The book is scholarly, full of exact quotes and documented facts and only a person who's misplaced faith had been bruised would think otherwise. I would encourage every dedicated Christian to read this book. It will be of enormous help when trying to explain to Catholics about a salvation founded on God's grace and not on works. If you are a Catholic and something doesn't seem right, I would encourage you even more
to read it. This book provides evidence of the truth to an open and searching mind.

I was hoping for a more scholarly approach on this subject, bit I was disappointed to find that it was merely a rehash of usual and familiar anti-Catholic bias. In Noll's case, anti-Catholic "bashing" fits the bill. Noll claims to have once been a dedicated Catholic for 65 years, but he presents a total lack of understanding of even the simplest and most basic Catholic teachings. He claims to have studied the bible extensively yet lists 18 Evangelical/Fundamentalist/pretribulation-rapture "bible scholars" as his main source of inspiration into the understanding of scripture. All but two footnotes are from these "bible scholars," 9 of which are from David Hunt and 6 of those are from Hunt's "A Woman Rides the Beast." The two remaining footnotes are from two supposedly orthodox Catholic sources but are in reality dubious to say the least. Noll's research is careless to sloppy. He constantly quotes facts, scripture and the Catechism out of context. Case in point: He claims Malachi Martin as being a foremost Catholic apologist - he's not - he's a theologian and he's not "foremost." He claims Martin to be largely acknowledged as being a close friend of Pope John Paul II - he's not - he was a "close" friend to Pope Pius VI and has been a thorn in the side of John Paul II. Noll quotes almost every scripture that condemns Old Covenant ceremonial tradition to prove that the Catholic Church is imitating the same. By the same token, he conveniently makes no mention of the three strongest scripture verses (1 Cor 11:2, 2 Thess 2:15, 2 Thess 3:16) that justifies the adherence to the Sacred Tradition that the apostles set forth. Why was this left out? If he has studied scriptures thoroughly, surely he has studied these. Because the Bible does not contradict itself, there isn't any way that one can dismiss the fact that there ARE two types of traditions that are referred to in the Bible. "When Catholics Die" cannot be recommended for anyone. The non-Catholic and the Catholic will not receive a correct understanding of the Catholic faith. Mr. Noll, through his sleight-of-hand and deceptive manipulation of Sacred Scripture, Catechism, Church history, and facts has presented a genuine disservice for both sides. A purchase of the Catholic Catachism would be of more service. The reader can then make up their own mind.

Richard A. Noll was a life long Roman Catholic. He did everything the church said to say and do. And yet, in his mid-60's, he felt that something was missing from his life. By his own admission, he was deeply religious and didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus. It was then that he started reading the Bible and compared it to the Catholic church's teachings, found in "Catecism of the Catholic Church." To his surprise, he found lots of differences.
In the end, Richard Noll found by reading the Bible that the Catholic church was wrong on many of its doctrines and teachings. Not long later, he got saved and gave his heart to Jesus Christ. He also says that during these last few years he's been much happier inside than he was all of the previous years.
If you're thinking about becoming Catholic, read this book. Keep your Bible close by so you can verify for yourself all that he talks about. If you know of anyone that wants to become a Catholic, give them a copy of this book. You won't regret it!

I agree with Richard Noll when he states that most Catholics are catholic by family tradition. There are many eye-opening FACTS in this book. As I learned more about the CCC (Catechism of the Catholic Church), I realized that the bible is easier to read that the CCC. No wonder catholics themselves dont understand their own RELIGION. A must read for everyone - afterall is there anyone you know that hasnt questioned the Catholic Church? I dont see people questioning their Protestant Church. Everything the Protestant Church believes is written in the bible. No need to investigate further; just read the Word of God. End of story.

unless, of course, it's sold as FICTION.
This poor fellow who touts himself as a *devout* ex-Catholic is
AMAZINGLY ignorant of his previous Catholic Faith, as well as ignorant of Sacred Scripture. He never knew what the Catholic Church really teaches or he wouldn't have been so easily deceived
by the do-it-yourself interpreters of the Holy Bible. No wonder there are so many different protestant denominations (all supposedly Holy Spirit guided)! Even they cannot agree on what the Bible teaches. Think about it.
If you want to feed your already anti-Catholic bias, this is a the book for you. It's full of deceit that you can use over and over as other Catholic bashers do.
However, if it's really TRUTH you are seeking - start by reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church for yourself so you can see what it really says, and not how Mr. Noll distorts what it says to serve his own purpose.
Only then you can make an informed judgement instead of one based on falsehoods and half-truths.

This is an excellent addition to your library. Catholics must read this book to determine their eternal destiny. You can know where you will spend eternity. Dick Noll uses an extremely effective writing style to easily compare his ideas with the word of God. In fact, his ideas are exactly what scripture says. Buy this book for your Catholic friends. Use this book as a powerful evangelism tool. Catholics can be saved, but it will be through the blood of Jesus Christ and not the Catholic Church. Noll describes the deception that has abounded in the Catholic Church over the centuries and debunks the church traditions for the blood of Christ.

Every born again believer needs this book in their library. Every Pastor needs this book to fully understand the burdens placed on Catholics by the Catholic Church. This book will point all people to the Light of the world.

I am a Southern Baptist (with a Jewish father), and before reading this book, I knew very little about the Catholic faith. It very clearly compares the Catholic doctrines and the Bible, and it ultimately shows how no true believer in Christ can be a Catholic. Must read!

This is an excellent book that show's how the Catholic church measures up to the bible. The author presents informed facts; being both a Catholic for so many years and then a born again bible believer. For the person searching for answers, this is great. It makes the reader think and gives facts so that the reader can make a decision. I am going to buy additional copies to give to friends and co-workers and recommend the same for others in my church fellowship. This book is also good to give to others in the ecumenical group who call themselves Christians. This book is a wake-up call.