Understanding Catholicism: Explanations of the Catholic Church for Non-Catholic Christians and Fallen Away Catholics

by Hugh Murray

Ever wondered how the Catholic Church differs from other Christian Churches? Maybe you grew up Catholic but it’s time for a refresher. Perhaps you’re considering becoming a Catholic. Or maybe you just want to understand what your Catholic friends believe. This book will change how you think about Catholicism and give you the tools to answer questions your non-Catholic friends have about your religion. You’ll deepen your understanding of your own faith as well as be able to help others gain an appreciation of your views. From the history of the Catholic Church to modern day beliefs of Catholics, Hugh Murray breaks down the most important aspects into understandable segments in a friendly, non-argumentative way. Packed with conversational, easy-to-read information In this book, Hugh Murray – a lifelong Catholic and active member of Jesuit discussion groups – helps you become more knowledgeable about the Catholic faith. Understanding Catholicism comes from the perspective of one who has spent more than 50 years examining Catholic theology and providing his analysis to non-Catholic Christians. As a Catholic, you'll relearn what you may have forgotten, and will deepen and renew your faith by pondering the topics presented. As a non-Catholic, you will better understand Catholic views and get answers to your questions about this large Christian denomination. You'll enjoy reading this book yourself, and it’s also the perfect book to share with your non-Catholic friends, fallen away Catholics, and even practicing Catholics who want a deeper understanding of their faith. Who do you hope will benefit from your book? I originally wrote this book for non-Catholic Christians, but I realized that my Catholic friends were also interested in these topics, either as a refresher or to fill in gaps in their own understanding. I've had Catholics read my book and tell me they learned things they never knew – even people who have been through the Catholic educational system. In what ways will a current Catholic benefit? People are always asking things Why do Catholics genuflect when they enter a church? What is the purpose of a rosary? Why do Catholics go to confession? It can be hard to come up with the answer quickly and explain it in an understandable way. Reading my book will clarify these answers so Catholics are prepared to respond knowledgeably. In what ways will a non-Catholic benefit? Understanding Catholicism will inform people of other faiths about basic Catholic beliefs, history, and rich traditions, as well as insight into how the Catholic Church fits in with today’s society. How is your book different from others about the Catholic faith? It's a conversational guide designed so that readers can easily refer back to it again and again. It provides overviews with just the right amount of information and includes resource recommendations for exploring specific topics in more depth. What gave you the idea to write this book? I frequently visit Catholic patients in hospitals to distribute Holy Communion while they are unable to attend Mass. Over the years, I realized that non-Catholic friends and family of the hospitalized person were curious about the faith. I began distributing this book in essay form to interested visitors during my hospital calls. Recognizing that people across the country shared a similar interest in the topic, I decided to publish it as a book so that more people could learn about and understand Catholicism.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, History

109 pages, Paperback

Published July 19, 2018

About the author

Hugh Murray FRSE FRGS (1779–1846) was a Scottish geographer and author who served in the East India Company. He is often referred to as Hew Murray.

There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads data base

Reviews

[MIKE Watkins Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid book that dives into the ins and outs of Catholicism.


Pros:

1. The book does a great job of presenting the overall HIstory of Catholicism from its inception to now.
There was this constant back and forth between liberal Catholicism (mass in own languages/ the do away of traditions like heterosexual marriage), and traditional catholicsim (tradition heavy + latin mass).


2. Hugh Murray does a great job of introducing the various positions in the Catholic church and their specific roles. There are even temporary positions for mass and "internship" like positions for seminary students studying to become Bishops or Priests.


3. I love how Hugh Murray was honest about the various issues in the Catholic church, such as a lack of agreement on how much to rely on church tradition in comparison to "free thought" and the bible itself. He was also honest about the Church's inconsistent stances on issues like marriage, war, and other moral issues. It was also eye opening to learn that, while pedophilia is an issue in the Catholic church, the statistics are lower than the outrage would suggest. Especialy because the Church, in recent years, has taken measures to allow some priests to remain or get married. Altholugh, Hugh is honest in acknowledging that the progress has been somewhat slow.



Cons:

1. I feel like Hugh didn't elaborate on the Catholic sacrements enough.


2. Certian issues, such as morality or materialism, weren't covered nearly enough.

[Simon Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The early chapters of this book are reasonably informative and do what Mr Murray intends - they offer a very short overview of what Catholicism is, what Catholics believe, why Catholics perform certain practices, etc. so far so good.

But then the author’s own interpretation of recent Church history start to intrude on the debate. It doesn’t take long before the now familiar insinuations and side-swipes against Vatican II and more recently Pope Francis start permeating the text. These unjustified and ill-informed opinions are presented as facts.

Mr Murray also presumes to offer his ‘recommendations’ to the Church regarding the Latin Mass, which is obviously a particular hobby horse of his.

Certain sections of the book are also very superficial and unhelpful. The discussion of Evil and Suffering was especially lightweight and would do little to help a lapsed member of the Church understand their existence or tolerance by an all-powerful, all-knowing God.

That said his chapters on a few of what he sees as important saints are well written and illuminating. If only he could have handled all sections of the book in this way he would have come much closer to the purpose he set for it.

In short, not a book I’d go out of my way to recommend.

[Michael A. Simmons, Sr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thumbnail history of Catholicism

A great, quick resource for those who want to know more about the Catholic Church. The author, a lifelong Catholic pulls no punches when he discusses the early church, the reformation and other historical events in church history that are less than godly. The author readily and accurately confesses that the church is an assemblage of men who are human and thus sinful. This should in no way undermine what wonderful achievements have been made by Catholic scholars and clergy. As a practicing Lutheran, I have some disagreement with the tenets of the Catholic faith but I appreciate the lessons of the early church, early theologians and the founding of the Christian faith as recorded by the author.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that the author succeeded in explaining to non-Catholics what the Catholic Church is. He did so by skimming over the history of the church in a way that illustrated that its creation and development was no different from any other human endeavor. Its united millions but in its heyday, corruption in the church led to protestant sects splitting off. The Church recently went through modernization changes as a result of Vatican II. Masses are now said in the vernacular instead of in Latin and music during the services are played with popular instruments instead of organs. According to the author, the aftermath of these changes is still being felt. It will only be a matter of time before priests are allowed to marry. Married priests already exist. They come from other denominational orders, where priests were allowed to marry, that joined the Church after the marriages took place.

Understanding Catholicism is written by a layperson and, at 109 pages long, it is a quick read. The author, Hugh Murray, could have covered the Churches history and practices more thoroughly but would have missed the needs of his primary readership, the non-Catholics and non-practicing Catholics. One thing that these readers need more than history is an explanation of the celebration of mass. The author goes into that by explaining the symbolism of the different parts of the mass. The titles that various priests and bishops have was also explained.

This book is exactly what someone who, like me, has strayed away from the Church. Reading it made me realized how much I miss the celebration of mass and the comfort of a participating in a structured Church ceremony.

[Hope N · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did a very good job on explaining the history of Catholicism and telling about some of the major Saints that helped develop this history.

The reason I gave this book 3 stars is because it isn’t a good book for someone new to Catholicism or religion. There were many rituals, sacraments and other things that were not explained. We were basically just told that Catholics do ‘this’ but we weren’t told what ‘this’ is. We need more definitions and examples.
The book also brought up a lot of questions but didn’t really answer many of them.
I also wish it would cite its sources in text. We have to blindly trust the statements and just accept what they tell us. An example of this is when the author is talking about Mother Mary. They state that “She predicted the coming of the Second World War.” (Page 25) They don’t say how or when or anything else. That one sentence is all we are given. There is a bibliography at the end but I want to know which sources were used for each statement.

[Daniel Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received ‘Understanding Catholicism: Explanations of the Catholic Church for Non-Catholic Christians and Fallen Away Catholics’ from the Library Thing Member Giveaways and found it to be the perfect primer for anyone thinking of joining the Catholic Church or if like me, you haven’t been back in a long time, it’s a great refresher. Hugh Murray has taken the time to research the church and lays out both the historic and current practices of the Catholic Religion in an easy to read, common sense format. More importantly, he does so without malice of any kind. Hugh simply presents the facts and I for one, appreciate that. As with all religions managed by man (which would be all of them), the Catholic Church has had its failures. Understanding Catholicism gives us an insight into the church and shows what led to the issues being dealt with by the church today. It is well worth the read by anyone with an interest in the history of religions, and more so by Catholics, past and present.

www.daniellittle.com

[Dana Pomante · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful book

I have recently returned to the Catholic Church after a long absence lasting many years. Understanding Catholicism: Explanations of the Catholic Church for non catholic Christians has given me an excellent refresher reading and offered me many moments of growing in my knowledge and understanding of my faith. I didn't expect to learn as much as I did and I thank Mr. Murray for this wonderful gift of gained knowledge and understanding. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

[Nicole Kegler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been trying to become more familiar with various religions and how each is connected or not. I'm not Catholic so finding a book that could relay the church's history and core beliefs in an understandable way was important. Murray did this in Understanding Catholicism. I tried another book before this one, that I will not name, that had me utterly confused. Way too many philosophical questions. This book was straightforward and easy for the layman to understand.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction into Catholicism

I picked up this book after becoming interested in converting to the Catholic faith. I would recommend this book to anyone is interested in learning the basics of the Catholic faith even to just understand it

[Emily Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read

I would highly recommend this book to others. I gave it the rating because how much I enjoyed it. Great book

[Robin Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Knowledgeable Author

His book explained many things I was not clear on. Very good read indeed! Pass it on to your friends and family!

[Jas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[marjrie stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful in understanding catholicism

Is a useful tool in clarification of the Catholic faith and why I and others need more history of the the faith in God our father.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounded down. Would like to see some of the studies and places for information and data. Some of the early facts were helpful, then it felt more opinion based later on.

[Sara Tran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for non-Catholics, other religions, or non-religios for understanding Catholicism. As a convert from Presbyterian Protestantism I learned a lot.

[Rita S · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is without a doubt one of the best books written on explaining Catholicism, especially informative for non-Catholics.