Thursday, July 2, 2020

Authors explain Catholic topics clearly

(CNS photo)

But each writes from certain ideology

 These two books give readers an overview of what it means to be Catholic. They share the strengths and weaknesses that any such book is bound to have.
On the positive side, each gives clear explanations for topics related to being Catholic in today's world. On the negative side, each encourages the reader to believe that there is only one acceptable Catholic point of view, one acceptable Catholic answer to ethical and moral conundrums -- indeed, one acceptable way to be a good Catholic.
In other words, these books present a black-and-white view of Catholicism, as if no gray areas exist. They tend to overlook G.K. Chesterton's observation that Catholics know the relatively few "transcendental truths on which they do agree, and take rather a pleasure in disagreeing on all the rest."