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John Zmirak

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism (The Politically Incorrect Guides) Paperback – September 26, 2016

by John Zmirak (Author)

162 ratings

Part of: The Politically Incorrect Guides (32 Books)

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Back by popular demand, the bestselling Politically Incorrect Guides provide an unvarnished, unapologetic overview of controversial topics every American should understand. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism refutes misrepresentations and misconceptions about the Catholic Church and separates rumor from truth when it comes to Catholic traditions, faith, and controversial leaders.

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Regnery Publishing
Publication date

September 26, 2016
Dimensions

7.3 x 0.8 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1621575861
ISBN-13

978-1621575863
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Politically Incorrect Guide(R) to Catholicism envelops its deep learning in a breezy Chestertonian style that entertains as it informs. It offers a wry combination of the hilarious and the profound: truth delivered with razor wit. As a result, it is compulsively readable. Peppered throughout the text are recommendations of books 'You're Not Supposed to Read.' This nervy book now joins that honor roll. Read it."
-- Robert Reilly, former director, Voice of America, and author of The Closing of the Muslim Mind and Making Gay Okay

"John Zmirak is so brilliant, effervescent, and indefatigably entertaining that I'm much too embarrassed to mention it publicly."
-- Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author of Bonhoeffer and If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty

"John Zmirak has a deeply informed and accurate understanding of the real political and economic implications of the Catholic Faith, conveyed in gracious and highly readable language with more than a dash of healing humor. This book is the antidote to the leftist distortions of the Church that are all too ubiquitous today."
-- The Honorable Faith Whittlesey, former U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland

"John Zmirak has written an entertaining and enlightening book that will help you to think about Catholicism in ways you may not expect. His insights challenge conventional wisdom. Whether you come to agree or not with his at times provocative diagnoses of and remedies for the problems in the Church, reading this book will help you understand what is at stake."
-- The Reverend Gerald E. Murray, J.C.D., pastor, Holy Family Church, New York, New York

"John Zmirak is the most articulate and learned defender of real Catholic social teaching of his generation. For decades, he has courageously spoken out for the life of the unborn, for the freedom of faith and families, and for the integrity of the Faith. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism should serve as a vital textbook in classrooms of Catholic colleges--though of course, it probably won't!"
-- Jason Scott Jones, producer, Crescendo, co-executive producer, Bella

"This book will help you learn a great deal about that greatly misunderstood subject: Catholicism. What's more, you'll laugh a great deal--something that is thoroughly Catholic!"
--Samuel Gregg, research director, Acton Institute

"John Zmirak is a joyful scandal, not scandal in the sense of leading anyone astray, but in the sense of telling the truth, which is always a scandal to modern ears. His new book is a wild and bumpy ride through Church teaching as it is--has been--will be, with immense dollops of orthodoxy's smoky incense and utterly bereft of heterodoxy's uncertain bells and whistles. Oh, and plenty of belly-laughs to boot."
-- Austin Ruse, author of The Littlest Suffering Souls and president of The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute at the United Nations

About the Author

John Zmirak is an editor, college teacher, screenwriter, and political columnist. He is the author of Wilhelm Röpke: Swiss Localist, Global Economist and the popular Bad Catholic’s Guides. He edited a number of popular guides to higher education and served as press secretary to Louisiana Governor Mike Foster. He hold a B.A. from Yale and a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University.

Al Perrotta is the managing editor of The Stream. He is the former vice president and creative director of All Comedy Radio and writer-producer for Premiere Radio Network and the Voice of America. He coauthored the counter-terrorism memoir Hostile Intent and several plays, including Bethlehem and A Christmas Scene.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Regnery Publishing (September 26, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1621575861
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1621575863
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.3 x 0.8 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #206,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #360 in Church & State Religious Studies
- #738 in Political Conservatism & Liberalism
- #1,983 in Catholicism (Books)

Customer Reviews:
162 ratings

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4 star		9%
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2 star		2%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Ray4rail

To-the-point Catholicism.

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2019

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This is for Catholics who are secure in their True Catholic faith. If you are a lefty or progressive or a cafeteria Catholic and you want to learn the truth about Catholicism or if you just want to hear hard hitting truth about the faith: this book is for you. If you like Life Site News, Church Militant, Patrick Coffin, or Dr. Taylor Marsh: this book is for you. If you can handle the truth: this book is for you.

24 people found this helpful

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Tucson Tom

I recommend two books by Karl Keating

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2017

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Catholicism is REAL! Folks need to realize there is a 2000 year history PLUS the Old Testament that back up everything that the Catholic Church teaches. It takes more than osmosis to learn what the Catholic Church teaches.

In addition to Zmirak's book, I recommend two books by Karl Keating: "What Catholics Really Believe" and "Catholicism and Fundamentalism".

There are inspirational people [we refer to them as saints ... and the Catholic Church has a whole procedure that is used in vetting saints ...] who come from all walks of life and whose whole life experiences are useful.

Start with John Zmirak's book "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism".

Also refer to Joan Carroll Cruz's book, "Eucharistic Miracles".

The Catholic Church's culture and history includes a LOT of miracles ... and there are rigorous criteria that the Church uses to define what is an actual miracle.

There is "Catholicism for Dummies" and "Saints for Dummies" , both by Fr. John Trigilio and Fr. Kenneth Brighenti [they have or used to have a television question and answer program].

Fascinating stuff.

34 people found this helpful

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Retired Prof

Politically Incorrect in Unintended Ways

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2020

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First, I believe this is a book for two audiences: 1) Conservative Republicans who seek a view of Catholicism supportive of, and consistent with, their views on religious faith, morality, economics, and individual rights and 2) Persons interested in a perspective on Catholicism that is supportive of, and consistent with, conservative views of religious faith, morality, economics, and individual rights. (I should note for the record that I am pretty sure the author would disagree with me, particularly when I say “a perspective.” For him there are no “perspectives,” only one true and accurate presentation of the essential teachings of the Catholic Faith; he would say it can be found in this book).

The author, John Zmirak, is a very capable writer, a skill that befits someone with a doctorate in English and extensive journalistic creds. His style in this book is informal and entertaining. As far as I can tell, he has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of Church history and Catholic doctrine. That said, I did find some things about the book annoying (perhaps only to me), particularly his side boxes on “A Book You’re Not Supposed to Read.” After encountering the first one, those that followed were annoying. Why? Because, of course, every book mentioned is one the author endorses and would be delighted if you read it. What is cute the first time (“Ha! How clever is that title.”) became, for me, just irritatingly cutesy.

It is clear that Zmirak is not enamored with the current Pontiff. Francis would not make his list of, say, “Five Best Popes.” He is especially unhappy with Francis’s comments on issues not clearly having to do with the Church matters, like climate change or immigration. Zmirik dismisses these comments as those made by someone who clearly has no expertise on the topics of which he speaks, and perhaps thereby demeans the office of the successors to Peter and potentially misleads the Faithful. That said, the author offers no such critique when a Dominican Friar from the thirteenth century (Thomas Aquinas) becomes one of the author’s Catholic spokesmen for free markets and gun rights. This seems close to a double standard, if not actually an example of one.

To be fair to Zmirak, Pope Francis is not the only pontiff he views with suspicion, if not downright disdain. In fact, the author seems to revel in discussing the down and dirty on a number of Popes, including the infamous Borgias, along with several others in Church history you would not want your children to emulate in any way. The fact that the Church has continued and prospered despite such papal bad apples has been offered as a kind of “proof” that the Holy Spirit continues to guide the institution as a whole, sometimes in spite of the humans who claim to be its servants.

It is important to note at this point that The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism is just that—a guide and not a catechism. The latter is an official compendium of Church doctrines and teachings. The latest version is Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed., 2003, 825 pages). Zmirak’s Guide is neither official nor complete—at least when it comes to doctrine and teachings. But it summarizes key teachings, provides a brief history of the Church, and—most important, perhaps—tries to account for the current state of the Catholic Church in the modern world.

From Zmirak’s perspective, that state is not good. The Church in modern times began to fragment as a result of Vatican II (Chapter 3: “One Holy, Catholic, and Thoroughly Splintered Church”) and really cracked open after the papal encyclical, Humanae Vitae, promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1968, on birth control (Chapter 4: “How Birth Control Tore the Church Apart”).

Humanae Vitae was a reiteration of traditional Catholic teaching (and that of most other Christian denominations up to the 20th century) on birth control. Paul VI’s encyclical continued the ban on “artificial” means to prevent conception just around the time that “the pill” was transforming sex and the relationship between the sexes in major ways. In the U.S., Pope Paul’s encyclical went over like the proverbial lead balloon. Married couples (among others) rebelled and essentially disregarded the message (leading to the epithet, “Cafeteria Catholics” for those who “pick and choose” which Catholic teachings they agree to follow).

For the Catholic Church, with a clergy and hierarchy comprised of pledged celibates, human sexuality has always been A Big Deal--bigger, it seems, than it is for most other human institutions. Contraception is just one piece of that deal. Abortion is another. Adultery is another. Homosexual action is another. Sexual intercourse outside of marriage under any circumstance is another. Sex acts between humans and animals and masturbation (“the solitary sin”) are still more prohibited manifestations of sexuality. Plainly, Sex offers more opportunities for sinful behavior than most other dimensions of human behavior. For Catholics, even entertaining and acquiescing to “impure thoughts” is sinful—no overt action required.

Zmirak’s discussion of the upheavals in the modern Church is excellent and fair-minded (albeit perhaps through the lens of a “traditionalist” Catholic doing his best to come to terms with the Church in the 21st century). His discussions about contemporary sexual issues in the Church comprise some of the best parts of his book, in my view.
Thus, it comes as a surprise and a shock that The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism inexplicably omits any discussion of the world-wide clergy sexual abuse scandal that has irreparably damaged the Church’s credibility with an unknown number of non-Catholics, led to the abandonment of the Faith by previously-loyal Catholics, and torn apart the lives of the thousands of victims of pedophile priests, while bishops in numerous dioceses across the globe worked hard to ensure the outside world would be kept ignorant of what was going on.
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism was published in 2016. The first cases of sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy began to surface in the press in 1985. Unless John Zmirak was living under a rock for decades, he knew about this horrendous blot on the Church. But it appears he did not know how to address this topic. It remains the 500-pound moral gorilla, waiting its lengthy chapter, and an explanation…if there is one.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

LEONARD J. KOHL

My dad would have loved this book! "It's just plain common sense!"

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2019

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Had this book been written about 30 years ago, my dad would have enjoyed this book tremendously. Had the scandals and problems in the Catholic Church come to light back then, the book would have probably would have been called "The Common Sense Guide to What's Wrong With the Catholic Church and Solutions to Correct It" or something like that. When I was growing up, my father get frustrated andvwould yell at me and my brothers when we did something completely stupid and didn't understand why he was so angry, like: "It's just plain common sense! I'm explaining it to you in plain English!" He would have read this book - again, had these scandals surfaced back then - and understood at least some of the reasons why the Church's teachings had changed so much (and not necessarily for the better) in his lifetime.

John Zmirak pulls no punches here. He chides Pope Francis when the pontiff goes off the deep end and does the same for a few members of EWTN or the G.K. Chesterton Society when a couple of them "slide off the rails." Zmirak has a gift somewhat like Chesterton's where he can use satire and common sense as a weapon to challenge the completely insane and dangerous directions the Catholic Church and society at large are heading. I don't agree with all of Zmirak's views, but just about all of them are explained in a logical, sensible way that anyone raised Catholic should be aware of. Well done!

5 people found this helpful

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Adam Kane

A must read for Catholics and non-Catholics alike

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2016

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Being a priest, when I saw this book it got my attention. I highly recommend this book to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. It's true to the Catholic faith, informative, and at times will make you laugh out loud.

55 people found this helpful

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HAROLD J TOUPS

No pulled punches here.

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2019

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Zmirak gets right to the point, with some of the clearest explanations around for what the truth in our faith and what the "theologically politically correct” crew tries to pawn off as truth. Not only is the content superb, but Zmirak's writing is engaging. Read the whole thing in just a few sittings. Loved it.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

D R W WOOD

A very good book which should be widely read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2016

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A very good book which should be widely read.
I did feel it trailed off towards the end.
Seemed a bit too sympathetic to the civil rights movement.
Also trotted out the usual mantra of Racism. This is now the only mortal sin left, but is usually used to silence any opposition to massed immigration and support of one's national identity.

5 people found this helpful

Rebel Yell

Who would be pope?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

Surprising content and conclusions.

Excellent book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2018

Verified Purchase

Superb on every topic

Kenneth G. Wolfe

A Catholic Literary Gem

Reviewed in Canada on January 20, 2017

Verified Purchase

A very well researched and written eye opener on what is right and wrong with today's Catholic church. It should be read by all Catholics who are interested in the contentious topics of today, from contraception and abortion to gay "marriage", social justice, just war, and everything in between. Mr. Zmirak extensively documents what the Church has historically taught, and continues to teach, as opposed to the often liberal and perhaps even heretical interpretations that some priests, bishops, and even popes espouse to unsuspecting Catholics. He offers an extensive list of books for further reading. Not to be missed!

2 people found this helpful

Cliente Kindle

Clarifying book.

Reviewed in Brazil on November 4, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book helps Clarifying many of the teachings of the Catholic Church, but mainly denounces how it can be misused to support bad politicians that defend atrocities as abortion.