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Why Do Catholics Do That?: A Guide to the Teachings and Practices of the Catholic Church
In Why Do Catholics Do That? renowned scholar and religion columnist Kevin Orlin Johnson answers the most frequently asked questions on Catholic faith, worship, culture, and customs, including:
* How the Church Makes Laws * The Hard-Fought Genesis of the New Testament * The Cycle of Redemption * A Short Guide to the Meaning and Structure of the Mass * Decoding Symbols of Scripture and the Sacraments * The Calendar as the Image of Christ's Life * The Rosary * The Stations of the Cross * Monks, Nuns, and the Rules That Guide Them * The Pope * The Laity in the Modern World * Saints * Fatima, Lourdes, and the Story of Apparitions * The Vatican: A Holy City * The Sign of the Cross, Christianity's Best-Known Symbol * Candles in Prayer and Liturgy * The Meaning of the Nativity Scene
Blending religious history, a deep appreciation for art and culture, and an enlightened reverence for the traditions of the Church, Why Do Catholics Do That? is the definitive resource for any one who wants to learn more about the rituals, symbols, and traditions that can strengthen our faith every day.
"Johnson offers lucid explanations of a dizzying array of customs and beliefs."
--Publishers Weekly
* How the Church Makes Laws * The Hard-Fought Genesis of the New Testament * The Cycle of Redemption * A Short Guide to the Meaning and Structure of the Mass * Decoding Symbols of Scripture and the Sacraments * The Calendar as the Image of Christ's Life * The Rosary * The Stations of the Cross * Monks, Nuns, and the Rules That Guide Them * The Pope * The Laity in the Modern World * Saints * Fatima, Lourdes, and the Story of Apparitions * The Vatican: A Holy City * The Sign of the Cross, Christianity's Best-Known Symbol * Candles in Prayer and Liturgy * The Meaning of the Nativity Scene
Blending religious history, a deep appreciation for art and culture, and an enlightened reverence for the traditions of the Church, Why Do Catholics Do That? is the definitive resource for any one who wants to learn more about the rituals, symbols, and traditions that can strengthen our faith every day.
"Johnson offers lucid explanations of a dizzying array of customs and beliefs."
--Publishers Weekly
287 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1994
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1048 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
June 28, 2013
When I read this book, it was mostly as a joke. I had decided to read it because I thought the title was humorous. However, I read it seriously, not half-heartedly. This is one of two books (the other being Greg Tobin's "The Wisdom of St. Patrick") that helped to begin and solidify my thought processes toward converting to Catholicism. The author really pulls you in and forces you to look at not just what the Church does, but why it does those things and whether or not that is what we all should be doing. As a protestant reading this, it made me really analyze my protestant roots and question them like I've never questioned them before. This book was really my first step. I fought it all the way, but there are things about both Protestantism and Catholicism that this book makes you realize deep in your soul and heart. Another must read for the Protestant, either with Catholic friends, with an interest in the history and tradition of the Church, or one thinking of converting... This book will take one through an amazing spiritual journey whether you wish to go or not.
January 7, 2014
For all you Catholics (and non-Catholics) who wonder what the different symbols, numbers, Saints, and other "Catholic Culture" things really mean: GET THIS BOOK!
Seriously - I am a life-long Catholic (and a well-read and educated one, particularly about my faith), and I still learned many things from reading this book (e.g., the origin of Nativity sets/creches, the significance of the 153 fish pulled in at the end of the Gospel of John, different Saints I'd never heard of before).
I just recently gave this book to my sister as a Christmas present (because she wish-listed one of those "New Age" numerology books by Doreen Virtue). She loves that this book gives an authentically Catholic understanding of what various Christian symbols mean (including the infamous "666" of Revelation).
This book will strengthen the faith of those already strong, as well as pull others back from the brink of secularism and New Age "cosmology/psychology". Highly recommended for all Catholics, as well as those who want to understand their Catholic friends (and converts in the family) better.
Seriously - I am a life-long Catholic (and a well-read and educated one, particularly about my faith), and I still learned many things from reading this book (e.g., the origin of Nativity sets/creches, the significance of the 153 fish pulled in at the end of the Gospel of John, different Saints I'd never heard of before).
I just recently gave this book to my sister as a Christmas present (because she wish-listed one of those "New Age" numerology books by Doreen Virtue). She loves that this book gives an authentically Catholic understanding of what various Christian symbols mean (including the infamous "666" of Revelation).
This book will strengthen the faith of those already strong, as well as pull others back from the brink of secularism and New Age "cosmology/psychology". Highly recommended for all Catholics, as well as those who want to understand their Catholic friends (and converts in the family) better.
September 7, 2016
A unique, informative and delightful read for Catholics.
September 8, 2024
Definitely worth re-reading!
July 19, 2010
This book was originally titled "Expressions of the Catholic Faith" which doesn't sound nearly as enticing. However, the original name was much more suitable to the book. This isn't some cutesy book explaining Catholic traditions for non-Catholics. This was written by a hard-core Catholic for other Catholics, and he doesn't stop to explain most of the terms he uses. I'm still not sure exactly what "liturgy" means, and that word was like, on every single page of the book.
Also he stops and lets you know in the footnotes that Protestants are really misled heretics who are So Wrong and it's just So Sad (because we're going to hell)... about once per chapter and there's 35 chapters.
However, he managed to cram a crapload of information in a pretty easy-to-swallow way and I feel like this whole gigantic side of the Christian religion has been revealed to me. (They have a DIFFERENT BIBLE than we do!!) I think any Christian who gives a crap about their religion would learn tons from it.
Also he stops and lets you know in the footnotes that Protestants are really misled heretics who are So Wrong and it's just So Sad (because we're going to hell)... about once per chapter and there's 35 chapters.
However, he managed to cram a crapload of information in a pretty easy-to-swallow way and I feel like this whole gigantic side of the Christian religion has been revealed to me. (They have a DIFFERENT BIBLE than we do!!) I think any Christian who gives a crap about their religion would learn tons from it.
November 3, 2020
The author provides a lot of information and has a warm, folksy, friendly style, but he's more Catholic enthusiast than scholar. He makes boastful, laughable generalizations like "All of our philosophy, music, architecture, sculpture, painting, literature, and everything else that makes this life livable is, basically, a by-product of the Church's activity." The foundation of Western civilization was laid down by the ancient Greeks, who were pagans. The Catholic church can't claim credit for Plato, the Parthenon, Sophocles, etc, etc. All it (or as Johnson insists on, "she") did was appropriate their accomplishments. If there had never been a Church, we'd still have Plato et al. It is wonderfully nostalgic (the book came out in 1994) to read Johnson's assurances that if you spot a pedophile priest, all you have to do is report him to the church hierarchy in writing, and they'll deal with him. By all means, read for the information, but be aware that you're getting Catholic propaganda.
October 5, 2013
The author looks at the faith, customs, and traditions of the Catholic Church. His work is somewhat dated as indicated by his discussion of the rosary where he does not mention the luminous mysteries. The book discusses the rites of the church as well as explaining the significance of the priest's vestments. There is a brief history of the development of Catholicism and its Protestant offshoots. Mention is made of the religious officials of the Church. I thought that it was a decent introduction to the Catholic faith for both Catholic and non-Catholic. The work was easy to read.
May 6, 2013
If you have already made up your mind that Catholics do everything because they are so much better and smarter than everyone else, this is the book for you! There are some great historical facts, a potload of opinion, and an imprimatur, of course. Now I feel uncharitable. Recommended for some.
October 8, 2010
I don't know if I can justify the 5 stars on the writing alone, but it is getting 5 stars because this book has had such a big impact on my life. I look forward to rereading it again.
August 13, 2011
A must-read for those interested in the Catholic Church as it explains many basic Catholic concepts and traditions, such as the structure of a typical mass and the Stations of the Cross.
March 4, 2021
I cannot say I read entire book, but I read parts that I questioned and wanted answers. Being a former Catholic to now Christian, I wanted to understand why Catholics have certain traditions and such. This was very interesting and a few chapters I marked to read to my husband.
April 4, 2017
Very informative. I'll keep it for future reference.
June 30, 2009
This book is divided into four sections: Faith, which outlines the origins of the Catholic belief system (i.e. not just the bible, but also Tradition, as the bible does not contain all of God's nor Christ's teachings); Worship, which is a guide to the meaning and structure of the Litrugical mass, the calendar, the Catholic funeral, stations of the Cross and rosary; Culture, which includes descriptions of the Catholic hierarchy, the different rites (including a very interesting section on the rights and obligations of the laity), and Apparitions and signs; Customs, which talks about the signs, symbols, and sacramentals.
From the Faith section, I learned that there were different phases of Tradition. First, the divine Tradition "given by God the Father before Christ's coming or by Christ himself afteward;" second apostolic Tradition, "which is the expansion of Christ's teachings given to the Apostles by the Holy Spirit" -- the Tradition in which the New Testament was written. The third phase is ecclesiastical Traditon, "is embodied in preaching, in the instruction of children and adult converts, and in other person-to-person communication." It was this Tradition that put together the Bible. It is this Tradition that protects against innovation, against the idea that Christ did not complete his ministry while on Earth. Another thing I learned was that there are other documents contemporary to the Bible which the Church still regards as valid. I also learned that the Old Testament was the Torah that Jesus read and preached from; the modern Torah apparently has all references which would've confirmed Christ's divinity removed.
Worship: This book gives the logic of the development of the Stations of the Cross, as well as the development of the Rosary. The Stations were about recreating the Passion as a meditative walk in every parish. The Rosary was about keeping track of your meditative prayers.
Culture: Knowing about the different Rites of Catholicism was really interesting; they pass through the father, for the record. When I read the section on the rights and obligations of the laity, it referenced Canon Law, which I promptly went and googled for myself. That's really some very interesting stuff. Reading about Apparitions of the Virgin were very interesting too, I think I'd like to read more, especially about the Miraculous Medal.
Important fact for future reading: on the copy right page of books, Nihil Obstat means that nothing obstructs publication, Imprimatur means "let it be printed" and Imprimi Potest means "it can be printed" -- all these things means that nothing inside is contradictory to the Church's teachings.
From the Faith section, I learned that there were different phases of Tradition. First, the divine Tradition "given by God the Father before Christ's coming or by Christ himself afteward;" second apostolic Tradition, "which is the expansion of Christ's teachings given to the Apostles by the Holy Spirit" -- the Tradition in which the New Testament was written. The third phase is ecclesiastical Traditon, "is embodied in preaching, in the instruction of children and adult converts, and in other person-to-person communication." It was this Tradition that put together the Bible. It is this Tradition that protects against innovation, against the idea that Christ did not complete his ministry while on Earth. Another thing I learned was that there are other documents contemporary to the Bible which the Church still regards as valid. I also learned that the Old Testament was the Torah that Jesus read and preached from; the modern Torah apparently has all references which would've confirmed Christ's divinity removed.
Worship: This book gives the logic of the development of the Stations of the Cross, as well as the development of the Rosary. The Stations were about recreating the Passion as a meditative walk in every parish. The Rosary was about keeping track of your meditative prayers.
Culture: Knowing about the different Rites of Catholicism was really interesting; they pass through the father, for the record. When I read the section on the rights and obligations of the laity, it referenced Canon Law, which I promptly went and googled for myself. That's really some very interesting stuff. Reading about Apparitions of the Virgin were very interesting too, I think I'd like to read more, especially about the Miraculous Medal.
Important fact for future reading: on the copy right page of books, Nihil Obstat means that nothing obstructs publication, Imprimatur means "let it be printed" and Imprimi Potest means "it can be printed" -- all these things means that nothing inside is contradictory to the Church's teachings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2021
I am not Catholic. I think that's an important detail. Most of the reviews on the cover are praise by Catholic organizations recommending the book for Catholics, but the title would imply that this book should be accessible to people who are outside the Church (this is the capitalization convention explained in the book). However, while this book was incredibly informative about all kinds of things I would never have thought to ask about, the comprehensiveness was offset by a tone that was, at times, rather rude.
I was actually pretty disappointed by this, as there were frequently points when the author sets up a straw man question by "some person who asked this question or thought this thing" and then he says how silly or ignorant or purposefully obtuse he thinks they are being and of course the answer is totally obvious if you know anything at all about how the Church works and isn't it annoying when people are sooooo in the dark and if they'd just ask the right question they'd see how it all hangs together really nicely. It comes across as smug and condescending, and honestly, isn't that why someone would be reading this book - because they might have some misconceptions about all this and want information? It felt like there were several jabs directed exactly at the presumed target audience, which was... unfortunate.
If you don't mind this, I'd recommend it (I did mind). There are chapters on everything from vestments and relics to saints and monasteries. As a primer on "what is actually going on over there?" I think this is very informative, and the chapter on popes and cardinals and the Church hierarchy was particularly interesting and helpful as this is the aspect of the Catholic church I feel I am most frequently exposed to.
I was actually pretty disappointed by this, as there were frequently points when the author sets up a straw man question by "some person who asked this question or thought this thing" and then he says how silly or ignorant or purposefully obtuse he thinks they are being and of course the answer is totally obvious if you know anything at all about how the Church works and isn't it annoying when people are sooooo in the dark and if they'd just ask the right question they'd see how it all hangs together really nicely. It comes across as smug and condescending, and honestly, isn't that why someone would be reading this book - because they might have some misconceptions about all this and want information? It felt like there were several jabs directed exactly at the presumed target audience, which was... unfortunate.
If you don't mind this, I'd recommend it (I did mind). There are chapters on everything from vestments and relics to saints and monasteries. As a primer on "what is actually going on over there?" I think this is very informative, and the chapter on popes and cardinals and the Church hierarchy was particularly interesting and helpful as this is the aspect of the Catholic church I feel I am most frequently exposed to.
June 17, 2010
I have attended Catholic Masses since I was little and even went to Catholic Schools yet I am not Catholic. I decided to convert and when I started going to the classes at the local Catholic Church they gave me this book to read and said that it would halp explain Catholicism and What it meant to be a Catholic. I was in college and very eager to understand.. but, it wasnt meant to be I guess, at least not at that time.. because scheduling conflicts and mandatory events.. I was unable to continue..
No matter what though, it did help me understand the significance of the things done during Mass, Communion, Confession, ect.
No matter what though, it did help me understand the significance of the things done during Mass, Communion, Confession, ect.
February 26, 2017
I am mixed on this one. As an ex-catholic [way, wayyy X -- like 45 or so years), Johnson does a passable job of explaining the origins and meaning of many aspects of the R.C. religion. However, if you are looking for an objective viewpoint, you are not going to get it here. Johnson obviously has a very conservative, if informed, personal belief in the "rightness" of not only christianity in the broad sense, but particularly in the superiority of the Roman version (even referring to the RC church as the only actual christian church, though he reluctantly admits that other christianities try). So: skewed, but informative.
November 30, 2008
This book was given to my husband and I by our parish priest. Even though I've been a catholic my entire life, I have learned quite a bit about the traditions and "culture" of the church - why we do what we do. There is an amazing 2000 year history to Catholic culture, and NOTHING (not even the tiniest thing, so far as I can tell) is done without a reason behind it! From the colors of the vestments to the shape of the churches - it's all in here and explained in easy terms.
August 6, 2016
This book teaches you things about the Catholic Church that you don't learn in CCD. After reading this book, I now have a better understanding of the ritual of Mass, the history of the Church, and the difference between Tradition and Scripture. It has changed the way that I look at the Bible. I'd recommend this book to Catholics who want to know more about their religion and anyone who is interested in the history of religions.
March 9, 2011
Although it was written with the impression that the reader would *be* Catholic and know about the mass and other general info, I found this book to be packed with awesome and interesting facts. I really appreciated the author's citations and the history of 'why' made this a really great book for learning more about Catholic Tradition.
June 25, 2012
This book attempts to explain basic Catholic doctrine and practice. The author cites the Bible as the foundation for Catholic beliefs, and custom explains many of the practices. The tone is conversational and easy to understand. The author includes many quotes from many sources. The book also has a list of books for the reader to continue individual interest and a handy index.
February 16, 2015
I was raised Catholic and now, after years away from the Church, I've gone back. Reading this book broke down some of the history of why the Catholic Church does things the way it does, and I was especially intrigued by the chapters on the meaning behind the structure of the mass and the fundamental differences between Catholic and Protestant teachings. A quick read as well.
April 19, 2008
Ever wondered why catholics use incense? Or what's with those crazy hats? This is for you. Written in a easy-going manner, and in small chapters. Makes a great religious companion to Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.
November 11, 2009
It didn't really answer the questions for me like I had hoped it would. The author gets to wrapped up in examples that the point of the answer to his questions is lost. I am to much of a get to the point person. I just want the answers and I didn't care about all of the examples.
September 2, 2016
I read this long ago, not too long after my conversion. I've since given away numerous copies to the curious (and sometimes to the hostile). There are plenty of this sort of book out there but this is my favorite.
January 29, 2008
Interesting read, for one unfamiliar with the Catholic Church. This was a toe in the water, next I shall dive into the Catechism.
October 9, 2008
This is an insightful resource for many of the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. The explanations are well-written, and are designed for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
August 7, 2011
I'm still trying to understand.
September 12, 2011
Great introduction to the Catholic faith, but lacked the doctrinal depth I was looking for, although I loved the little anecdotes and facts.
May 2, 2013
This book answers a lot of questions for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
September 8, 2012
Really fascinating history of the Church and a good introduction to further reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews