What do you think?
Rate this book
Što katolici doista vjeruju: 52 odgovora na uobičajena pogrešna shvaćanja o katoličkoj vjeri
U ovoj jasnoj, razložnoj i razumljivoj knjizi Karl Keating odgovara na brojna pogrešna shvaćanja o katoličkoj vjeri, svojstvena i brojnim katolicima. Temeljeći knjigu na Svetom pismu i katoličkoj tradiciji, autor ne pokazuje samo logične pogreške u ovim stajalištima, već jasno izriče katolički nauk i time omogućuje čitatelju da sazna više o svojoj vjeri.
Teme, potaknute tisućama pitanja sakupljenim među katolicima, veoma su raznolike i govore o Crkvi i njezinoj upravi, Bibliji i njezinoj pouzdanosti, vršenju sakramenata, marijanskim dogmama, zagrobnom životu, katoličkim običajima i pobožnostima, duhovnosti, vanzemaljcima, relikvijama, astrologiji, reinkarnaciji itd.
Jeste li čuli sljedeća uobičajena pogrešna shvaćanja?
* Papa je nepogrešiv, što znači da je sve što on kaže istina.
* Kad se rastavite, vi ste ekskomunicirani i ne možete se pričestiti.
* Savjest vam kaže što je dobro, a što zlo.
* Svaki se katolik mora ispovjediti barem jednom godišnje.
* Grijeh je ne vjerovati u Gospina ukazanja koja je Crkva priznala.
* Vječno spasenje postižemo čineći dobra djela.
* Isus umire i biva žrtvovan na svakoj misi.
* Svi su ljudi u osnovi dobri, i gotovo će svi otići u raj.
* Pakao nije vječan. Na kraju će sva stvorenja biti sjedinjena s Bogom.
* Razum nema nikakve uloge u spasenju. Treba samo vjerovati.
* Vjerovanje u anđele obično je praznovjerje iz prošlosti.
* Sad je svakome jasno da je đavao izmišljen lik.
Ova će vam knjiga razjasniti ove i mnoge druge nejasnoće.
"Erudicijom, domišljatošću i šarmom, Karl Keating objašnjava neke od najčešćih pogrešnih predodžbi i krivih shvaćanja o Rimskoj katoličkoj crkvi. Ovu knjigu ponajprije preporučujem katolicima koji žele bolje razumjeti svoju vjeru."
(Kardinal John O'Connor)
Teme, potaknute tisućama pitanja sakupljenim među katolicima, veoma su raznolike i govore o Crkvi i njezinoj upravi, Bibliji i njezinoj pouzdanosti, vršenju sakramenata, marijanskim dogmama, zagrobnom životu, katoličkim običajima i pobožnostima, duhovnosti, vanzemaljcima, relikvijama, astrologiji, reinkarnaciji itd.
Jeste li čuli sljedeća uobičajena pogrešna shvaćanja?
* Papa je nepogrešiv, što znači da je sve što on kaže istina.
* Kad se rastavite, vi ste ekskomunicirani i ne možete se pričestiti.
* Savjest vam kaže što je dobro, a što zlo.
* Svaki se katolik mora ispovjediti barem jednom godišnje.
* Grijeh je ne vjerovati u Gospina ukazanja koja je Crkva priznala.
* Vječno spasenje postižemo čineći dobra djela.
* Isus umire i biva žrtvovan na svakoj misi.
* Svi su ljudi u osnovi dobri, i gotovo će svi otići u raj.
* Pakao nije vječan. Na kraju će sva stvorenja biti sjedinjena s Bogom.
* Razum nema nikakve uloge u spasenju. Treba samo vjerovati.
* Vjerovanje u anđele obično je praznovjerje iz prošlosti.
* Sad je svakome jasno da je đavao izmišljen lik.
Ova će vam knjiga razjasniti ove i mnoge druge nejasnoće.
"Erudicijom, domišljatošću i šarmom, Karl Keating objašnjava neke od najčešćih pogrešnih predodžbi i krivih shvaćanja o Rimskoj katoličkoj crkvi. Ovu knjigu ponajprije preporučujem katolicima koji žele bolje razumjeti svoju vjeru."
(Kardinal John O'Connor)
183 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1992
48 people are currently reading
593 people want to read
About the author
Karl Keating
32 books42 followersKarl Keating (b. 1950), a prominent Catholic apologist and author, is the founder and president of Catholic Answers, a lay apostolate of Catholic apologetics and evangelization.
He received his undergraduate degree in Applied Math at UCSD in 1972 and went on to get a J.D. at the University of San Diego. He worked as an attorney practicing civil law in the early 1980s.
Leaving Mass one Sunday, he found anti-Catholic tracts on the windshields of the cars in the church parking lot. He wrote his own tract in reply and distributed copies of it at the Fundamentalist church responsible for the anti-Catholic tract. That was the start of what has become the country’s largest lay-run apologetics and evangelization organization.
Catholic Answers was incorporated in 1982, and in 1988 Karl left the practice of law and went into apostolic work full time. That year marked the publication of his Catholicism and Fundamentalism, the first book to deal extensively with challenges posed by “Bible Christians.” Other books followed: What Catholics Really Believe, Nothing But the Truth, The Usual Suspects, and Controversies. He is at work on several more titles.
For nine years Karl served as the editor of This Rock. He has been a columnist for the National Catholic Register and the Canadian Catholic Review and has written for many other publications. Each Tuesday he answers questions on “Catholic Answers Live.” His avocations include backpacking (his favorite locales are the High Sierra and the Grand Canyon) and flying.
He received his undergraduate degree in Applied Math at UCSD in 1972 and went on to get a J.D. at the University of San Diego. He worked as an attorney practicing civil law in the early 1980s.
Leaving Mass one Sunday, he found anti-Catholic tracts on the windshields of the cars in the church parking lot. He wrote his own tract in reply and distributed copies of it at the Fundamentalist church responsible for the anti-Catholic tract. That was the start of what has become the country’s largest lay-run apologetics and evangelization organization.
Catholic Answers was incorporated in 1982, and in 1988 Karl left the practice of law and went into apostolic work full time. That year marked the publication of his Catholicism and Fundamentalism, the first book to deal extensively with challenges posed by “Bible Christians.” Other books followed: What Catholics Really Believe, Nothing But the Truth, The Usual Suspects, and Controversies. He is at work on several more titles.
For nine years Karl served as the editor of This Rock. He has been a columnist for the National Catholic Register and the Canadian Catholic Review and has written for many other publications. Each Tuesday he answers questions on “Catholic Answers Live.” His avocations include backpacking (his favorite locales are the High Sierra and the Grand Canyon) and flying.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
September 29, 2011
An all-around decent and easy to understand apologetics book. Keating has a very "no nonsense" style of writing -- he tells the truth like it is and does not worry about what one may think. For this book's purposes, his voice works well to defend Catholic customs and beliefs that have been under attack by various groups.
While I personally like Keating, I wouldn't necessarily recommend him immediately to someone who knows absolutely nothing about Catholicism. There are other authors who can introduce one to the truths of Catholicism in a gentler yet, honest tone. Rather, I would recommend this to Catholics seeking to understand traditions in their faith better as well as those who take issue with Catholic beliefs and seek to understand why we believe what we do.
While I personally like Keating, I wouldn't necessarily recommend him immediately to someone who knows absolutely nothing about Catholicism. There are other authors who can introduce one to the truths of Catholicism in a gentler yet, honest tone. Rather, I would recommend this to Catholics seeking to understand traditions in their faith better as well as those who take issue with Catholic beliefs and seek to understand why we believe what we do.
June 30, 2011
There are many topics and issues in Catholic faith that elicit a not too small amount of controversy. Unfortunately, most of those topics and issues are poorly understood, by either the critics or Catholics themselves. A lot can be said about the poor levels of catecheses of Catholics, but that will not help us much when confronting the real world situations and may in fact be counterproductive - it can in fact dissuade some Catholics from learning more about their faith. In the light of all of this, Karl Keating's book is a Godsend. It deals honestly, succinctly and informatively with all those hot button issues that surround Catholicism. The book is broken down in several major sections, each one of which contains a number of questions that one might ask about Catholic faith. The total of 52 questions comprehensively covers most of the more controversial topics. The book is fairly short, and thus it should be accessible to anyone who is serious about learning more about Catholic faith. For Catholics who have had either an inadequate formation in their faith or who have forgotten most of it this book can serve as a refresher course. On the other hand, for those who have major misgivings about Catholicism this book can server to dispel some misconceptions or at least to give an accurate picture of what it is that Catholics really believe. It may not persuade them in the soundness of the doctrines or the reasoning behind them, but at least it will provide and honest and accurate information about them.
August 20, 2023
The book answered some questions I had, but answered about zero questions regarding the concerning Marian dogmas.
July 23, 2011
As a Protestant, I did find it a helpful book, in that I had never heard some of these distinctively-Catholic ideas explained by a Catholic before. That said, I was definitely not the target audience. It would be better read by confused Catholics, as often his only justification for a statement was "the Catholic church says this is so".
(But truly, the authority issue is a huge one, is probably THE issue between Catholics and Protestants.)
I also hope some of these "common misconceptions" are not actually that common, such as "A Christian can believe in reincarnation"!
He did have some positive things to say about Protestantism, and definitely thinks Protestants are usually much better versed in what the Bible SAYS, although obviously he thinks their interpretations are sometimes wrong. He recommends doubling the length of the average Catholic homily for this reason, for example.
(But truly, the authority issue is a huge one, is probably THE issue between Catholics and Protestants.)
I also hope some of these "common misconceptions" are not actually that common, such as "A Christian can believe in reincarnation"!
He did have some positive things to say about Protestantism, and definitely thinks Protestants are usually much better versed in what the Bible SAYS, although obviously he thinks their interpretations are sometimes wrong. He recommends doubling the length of the average Catholic homily for this reason, for example.
March 5, 2018
As a non-catholic trying to better understand Catholicism this was great! It did exactly what it said it was going to do.
April 8, 2018
A handy guide to how Catholicism really works
I was motivated to read this book after reading a woefully ignorant and bigoted anti-Catholic diatribe by one of my (now former) friends on Facebook. A concise and handy guide for clearing up misconceptions about the Catholic Church held by so-called "Bible Christians" and even many misguided Catholics. Not that most Catholic-bashers (there are a few open-minded exceptions out there, of course) will care to be confused with the facts anyway.
NOTEWORTHY PASSAGES:
--p. 15: "Papal infallibility extends only to matters of faith or morals—not to Church customs, not to sports, not to literature, not to most things of everyday life. And infallibility comes into play only when the pope 'proclaims by a definitive act.' This means a formal, public statement. An offhand comment over lunch doesn’t count."
--p. 21: "It isn’t enough to believe the Catholic faith—you also have to live it. In fact, how you live demonstrates what you believe. If you have what is termed 'saving faith,' it will manifest itself in a holy, obedient life. If your faith is nothing more than a list of propositions to which you give mental assent, you have only intellectual faith, the kind James says is insufficient for salvation (Jas 2: 24). Notice that Paul calls real Christian faith 'the obedience of faith' (Rom 1: 5, 16: 26). It’s a faith which manifests itself in proper acts."
pp. 21-22: "If you don’t confess serious (mortal) sins, you are not really sorry for them. After all, if you really are sorry for your sins, you will humble yourself by confessing them in the way God has ordained, through sacramental confession (Jn 20: 22-23). If you refuse to confess your serious sins, you have only a pretended sorrow and remain grace-less. Without grace, you can’t go to heaven."
--p. 30: "One charge leveled against the Church for years has been that the Church chained the Bible, ostensibly to keep it away from the people. Both Catholics and Protestants are surprised to learn that the Church indeed chained the Bible—but for exactly the opposite reason. In the Middle Ages and into the early years of the printing press, Bibles were scarce and expensive. Each was copied by hand, and many sported illuminated pages. A single Bible could be worth ten thousand dollars in today’s currency. Often a town had a single book, and that book was the Bible. Kept in the parish church, that Bible was made available to lay Catholics by chaining it to the table on which it was placed, just as telephone books today are kept available for the public by chaining them to telephone booths. Does the phone company chain the Yellow Pages so no one can use them? Quite the opposite—so the maximum number of people can have access to them. It was the same with the Bible. In fact, after the English Reformation, the Bible was chained in churches which had not previously displayed copies. So, if Catholic authorities are to be blamed for chaining the Bible, Protestant authorities should be blamed as well. In fact, both should be praised, not blamed."
--p. 63: "If we neglect these, we will end up either with an empty conscience, which won’t be able to guide us rightly at all, or a cramped conscience, which sees sin where there is no sin. The former condition is licentiousness, the latter is scrupulosity. The one never seems to see any sin except the grossest; and the other seems to see sin, even in innocent things. Someone who is burdened either by no guilt at all or by much guilt should see a solid priest-confessor. These conditions are signs of spiritual malformation, and they can be corrected."
--p. 64: "Christ never engaged in unnecessary acts. He instituted the sacrament of penance or reconciliation, or what we commonly call confession (the terms emphasize different aspects, but refer to the same sacrament). He instituted confession as the ordinary or normative way of having one’s sins forgiven. **This means that it is the standard way**." [emphasis added]
--p. 101: "What makes us justified in God’s sight is faith. If we have true faith, good works follow naturally and protect that faith. So, far from teaching a doctrine of 'works righteousness'—that would be Pelagianism, which was condemned at the Council of Carthage in A.D. 418—the Catholic Church teaches the true biblical doctrine of justification. It avoids the two erroneous extremes. **Works alone aren’t enough, and neither is a bare faith in a list of propositions.**" [emphasis added]
I was motivated to read this book after reading a woefully ignorant and bigoted anti-Catholic diatribe by one of my (now former) friends on Facebook. A concise and handy guide for clearing up misconceptions about the Catholic Church held by so-called "Bible Christians" and even many misguided Catholics. Not that most Catholic-bashers (there are a few open-minded exceptions out there, of course) will care to be confused with the facts anyway.
NOTEWORTHY PASSAGES:
--p. 15: "Papal infallibility extends only to matters of faith or morals—not to Church customs, not to sports, not to literature, not to most things of everyday life. And infallibility comes into play only when the pope 'proclaims by a definitive act.' This means a formal, public statement. An offhand comment over lunch doesn’t count."
--p. 21: "It isn’t enough to believe the Catholic faith—you also have to live it. In fact, how you live demonstrates what you believe. If you have what is termed 'saving faith,' it will manifest itself in a holy, obedient life. If your faith is nothing more than a list of propositions to which you give mental assent, you have only intellectual faith, the kind James says is insufficient for salvation (Jas 2: 24). Notice that Paul calls real Christian faith 'the obedience of faith' (Rom 1: 5, 16: 26). It’s a faith which manifests itself in proper acts."
pp. 21-22: "If you don’t confess serious (mortal) sins, you are not really sorry for them. After all, if you really are sorry for your sins, you will humble yourself by confessing them in the way God has ordained, through sacramental confession (Jn 20: 22-23). If you refuse to confess your serious sins, you have only a pretended sorrow and remain grace-less. Without grace, you can’t go to heaven."
--p. 30: "One charge leveled against the Church for years has been that the Church chained the Bible, ostensibly to keep it away from the people. Both Catholics and Protestants are surprised to learn that the Church indeed chained the Bible—but for exactly the opposite reason. In the Middle Ages and into the early years of the printing press, Bibles were scarce and expensive. Each was copied by hand, and many sported illuminated pages. A single Bible could be worth ten thousand dollars in today’s currency. Often a town had a single book, and that book was the Bible. Kept in the parish church, that Bible was made available to lay Catholics by chaining it to the table on which it was placed, just as telephone books today are kept available for the public by chaining them to telephone booths. Does the phone company chain the Yellow Pages so no one can use them? Quite the opposite—so the maximum number of people can have access to them. It was the same with the Bible. In fact, after the English Reformation, the Bible was chained in churches which had not previously displayed copies. So, if Catholic authorities are to be blamed for chaining the Bible, Protestant authorities should be blamed as well. In fact, both should be praised, not blamed."
--p. 63: "If we neglect these, we will end up either with an empty conscience, which won’t be able to guide us rightly at all, or a cramped conscience, which sees sin where there is no sin. The former condition is licentiousness, the latter is scrupulosity. The one never seems to see any sin except the grossest; and the other seems to see sin, even in innocent things. Someone who is burdened either by no guilt at all or by much guilt should see a solid priest-confessor. These conditions are signs of spiritual malformation, and they can be corrected."
--p. 64: "Christ never engaged in unnecessary acts. He instituted the sacrament of penance or reconciliation, or what we commonly call confession (the terms emphasize different aspects, but refer to the same sacrament). He instituted confession as the ordinary or normative way of having one’s sins forgiven. **This means that it is the standard way**." [emphasis added]
--p. 101: "What makes us justified in God’s sight is faith. If we have true faith, good works follow naturally and protect that faith. So, far from teaching a doctrine of 'works righteousness'—that would be Pelagianism, which was condemned at the Council of Carthage in A.D. 418—the Catholic Church teaches the true biblical doctrine of justification. It avoids the two erroneous extremes. **Works alone aren’t enough, and neither is a bare faith in a list of propositions.**" [emphasis added]
February 18, 2013
As the title says - Quick read about the simple facts and misunderstandings about what it is to be a Catholic. Don't expect to learn much about your Catholic faith with this read, but pretty sure you'll find something useful in this book.
December 29, 2015
I found the book informative, but as a work of apologetics it falls short. Too often it falls into the excessive triumphalism that plagues Catholic apologetics.
Overall I'm a big fan of the work Keating has done with Catholic Answers, but this work falls short
Overall I'm a big fan of the work Keating has done with Catholic Answers, but this work falls short
July 4, 2007
A short consise book that briefly explains many common misunderstandings that both Protestants and even many Catholics possess.
Read
February 9, 2011interesting, tends to gloss over some things, was written 20 years ago, i'm curious to see what a "modern" version would look like.
April 6, 2011
I preferred Why Do Catholics Do That?
April 30, 2013
Great book. Clear and concise...
August 21, 2016
A concise little book from a noted Catholic apologist that provides Catholic answers to common questions in a style that is meant to benefit misinformed Catholics.
September 13, 2024
THE APOLOGIST CORRECTS ERRORS IN POPULAR CONCEPTIONS
Karl Keating (born 1950) is a Catholic apologist, the founder and president of Catholic Answers (the country's largest lay-run apologetics and evangelization organization), and has also written books such as 'Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on "Romanism" by "Bible Christians"', 'The Usual Suspects: Answering Anti-Catholic Fundamentalists,' 'Nothing But the Truth,' etc.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1992 book, "This little book contains fifty-two misconceptions many Catholics hole---one misconception for each week of the year. The topics, prompted by thousands of questions I've fielded from Catholic audiences over the last four years, range from extraterrestrials to relics, from astrology to reincarnation, from transubstantiation to ecumenism. I discuss the Church and its government, the Bible and its reliability, sacramental practices, Marian doctrines, the hereafter, evangelization, Catholic customs and devotions, and the spirit world... My goal in these few pages is simply to entice you to learn more about your faith." (Pg. 10)
He says, "Not even the worst sin, including heresy and apostasy, can remove a valid baptism. Once baptized, always baptized. (Similarly, once confirmed, always confirmed, and once ordained, always ordained---confirmation and orders also leave indelible marks on the soul." (Pg. 20) But he also notes, "Some Catholics think God weighs their lives in a scale: if the good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, they go to heaven. This is incorrect. Someone might live a totally immoral life, repent just before dying, and then be saved... Someone else might live a nearly sinless life, and then, in the last hour, sin mortally and die unrepentant. A lifetime of good deeds will not make up for final impenitence." (Pg. 22)
He suggests, "The Bible appears to be full of contradictions only if you approach it in the wrong way... Your only safe bet is to read it with the mind of the Church, which affirms the Bible's inerrancy. If you do that, you'll see that it contains no fundamental contradictions because, being God's inspired Word, it's wholly true and can't be anything else." (Pg. 38)
He points out, "At Fatima... seventy thousand people witnessed what has come to be known as the miracle of the sun. Even the anticlerical Portuguese newspapers reported the zigzagging of the sun and the remarkable drying up of the ground... A few people who were present at Fatima are still alive. Not one has come out... to say the whole thing was a hoax. A few commentators... claim [it] was an example of mass hallucination, but hallucination is a solitary phenomenon... so how can seventy thousand see the same thing, especially when some of them... were predisposed to disbelieve in anything smacking of the miraculous?" (Pg. 73-74)
Later, he adds, "there IS evidence... for ... numerous other miracles, such as the liquification of the blood of St. Januarius... Some of the bishop's blood ... preserved in a glass container ... liquifies several times a year. Scientific tests have been unable to explain the phenomenon..." (Pg. 76)
He acknowledges that "Limbo... arises from theological speculation, not revelation. If you find the speculation convincing, you may believe in limbo. If you find the speculation unconvincing, you have the option of not believing in limbo. Probably it's fair to say that there are fewer theologians writing in favor of limbo than there were fifty years ago." (Pg. 87)
Keating's book will be of interest to anyone studying Catholic doctrine.
Karl Keating (born 1950) is a Catholic apologist, the founder and president of Catholic Answers (the country's largest lay-run apologetics and evangelization organization), and has also written books such as 'Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on "Romanism" by "Bible Christians"', 'The Usual Suspects: Answering Anti-Catholic Fundamentalists,' 'Nothing But the Truth,' etc.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1992 book, "This little book contains fifty-two misconceptions many Catholics hole---one misconception for each week of the year. The topics, prompted by thousands of questions I've fielded from Catholic audiences over the last four years, range from extraterrestrials to relics, from astrology to reincarnation, from transubstantiation to ecumenism. I discuss the Church and its government, the Bible and its reliability, sacramental practices, Marian doctrines, the hereafter, evangelization, Catholic customs and devotions, and the spirit world... My goal in these few pages is simply to entice you to learn more about your faith." (Pg. 10)
He says, "Not even the worst sin, including heresy and apostasy, can remove a valid baptism. Once baptized, always baptized. (Similarly, once confirmed, always confirmed, and once ordained, always ordained---confirmation and orders also leave indelible marks on the soul." (Pg. 20) But he also notes, "Some Catholics think God weighs their lives in a scale: if the good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, they go to heaven. This is incorrect. Someone might live a totally immoral life, repent just before dying, and then be saved... Someone else might live a nearly sinless life, and then, in the last hour, sin mortally and die unrepentant. A lifetime of good deeds will not make up for final impenitence." (Pg. 22)
He suggests, "The Bible appears to be full of contradictions only if you approach it in the wrong way... Your only safe bet is to read it with the mind of the Church, which affirms the Bible's inerrancy. If you do that, you'll see that it contains no fundamental contradictions because, being God's inspired Word, it's wholly true and can't be anything else." (Pg. 38)
He points out, "At Fatima... seventy thousand people witnessed what has come to be known as the miracle of the sun. Even the anticlerical Portuguese newspapers reported the zigzagging of the sun and the remarkable drying up of the ground... A few people who were present at Fatima are still alive. Not one has come out... to say the whole thing was a hoax. A few commentators... claim [it] was an example of mass hallucination, but hallucination is a solitary phenomenon... so how can seventy thousand see the same thing, especially when some of them... were predisposed to disbelieve in anything smacking of the miraculous?" (Pg. 73-74)
Later, he adds, "there IS evidence... for ... numerous other miracles, such as the liquification of the blood of St. Januarius... Some of the bishop's blood ... preserved in a glass container ... liquifies several times a year. Scientific tests have been unable to explain the phenomenon..." (Pg. 76)
He acknowledges that "Limbo... arises from theological speculation, not revelation. If you find the speculation convincing, you may believe in limbo. If you find the speculation unconvincing, you have the option of not believing in limbo. Probably it's fair to say that there are fewer theologians writing in favor of limbo than there were fifty years ago." (Pg. 87)
Keating's book will be of interest to anyone studying Catholic doctrine.
November 4, 2022
Raised as a Protestant, this was a rather challenging book for me as it is written to Catholics explaining some common misconceptions they may have about their own faith. Instead it scratched the surface of some misconceptions I had of the catholic faith, and left me with more questions. I now can explain the immaculate conception properly to someone, but I’m wondering where the biblical evidence is of God preventing Mary’s soul from being stained by sin in her mother’s womb? Where’s the scripture that backs up indulgences and penance? Where’s the scripture about Mary’s ascension into heaven and her coronation, as is taught with the rosary?? And some of their claims about marriage and children are simply astounding. If you choose not to have children, your marriage is invalid??? Divorce is only recognized from a civil, legal perspective and those remarrying are committing adultery in their new marriages?? Wow.
Also the author’s language was extremely blunt and often misleading. He often used phrases such as “______ diminishes one’s chances for heaven” and “they still may achieve justification and salvation, but these are harder to achieve if….” Though there is a section explaining that salvation is a gift of grace from God alone, not by works, it is obvious why this is a major stumbling block and misconception of the Catholic faith based on how this author talks about faith.
Also the author’s language was extremely blunt and often misleading. He often used phrases such as “______ diminishes one’s chances for heaven” and “they still may achieve justification and salvation, but these are harder to achieve if….” Though there is a section explaining that salvation is a gift of grace from God alone, not by works, it is obvious why this is a major stumbling block and misconception of the Catholic faith based on how this author talks about faith.
January 17, 2019
I've had this book for close to 10 years now, and I finally got around to reading it. All in all it is a quick read (so shame on me for not tackling it earlier). It just basically lists 52 false claims about Catholicism, and refutes them one by one. In doing so, Keating provides an explanation for the Catholic view on many different subjects.
So basically, if you are interested in learning more about Catholicism, this is probably a great place to start. It won't go much into detail, but will probably mention more than a couple points you hadn't considered (I was raised Catholic, and I confess I didn't know quite a few of these points).
Also, it goes without saying that you don't have to be Catholic to read this. In fact, you'll probably get more out of it if you're not. I'm not saying you'll necessarily agree with his points, but it'll be an enlightening read nonetheless.
So basically, if you are interested in learning more about Catholicism, this is probably a great place to start. It won't go much into detail, but will probably mention more than a couple points you hadn't considered (I was raised Catholic, and I confess I didn't know quite a few of these points).
Also, it goes without saying that you don't have to be Catholic to read this. In fact, you'll probably get more out of it if you're not. I'm not saying you'll necessarily agree with his points, but it'll be an enlightening read nonetheless.
December 18, 2022
This is a relatively short, summary book of catholic doctrine, presented in a very easy to digest manner, starting with a quick quiz on key misconceptions that Catholics have expressed to this author over the course of his public speaking engagement history it might also be noteworthy to mention that Carl Keating is also the founder of Catholic answers, and his former background includes being a legal Attorney just as Patrick Madrid‘s book called the InQuizition makes refreshing Catholic doctrine fun going back to Keating’s classic book might be worthy for Catholics of young and old you might be surprised even if you are a credo Catholic and somethings that you’re not 100% on Keating with his direct writing style will be happy to set a straight
September 23, 2019
While this book contained some things I already knew, I did re-learn a few things I had forgotten and learned some new things I probably should have learned years ago. Something I realized, though, is that although it is not necessarily a good thing, I am not alone in failing to know some essential information about the Catholic faith, as both non-Catholics and Catholics do not always know what they are talking about in some cases. Off the top of my head at the moment, I cannot say that anything in particular stuck out to me from this book to mention as an example, but I can say that this book can be informative to people, Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
December 3, 2025
Although I disagree with many of the theological stances (not being a Catholic) and believe that apologetics as a practice is full of logical fallacies, mental gymnastics, and excuses, I still have this book 4/5 stars. As a nuanced Mormon teaching in a Catholic school, it was very helpful to gain a better insight into the reasons WHY Catholics believe the way they do. It was easy to read and well-organized. The author cited many historical Pope or Christian-scholar-philosophers to defend his position. Plus there is a Bibliography if I wanted to do further research and learn more from those sources.
June 12, 2022
If you are looking for in depth answers this book is not it. However, I believe it is a great start for those of us either cradled catholics, converts or just the curious. The bibliography might be the next step for some since it obviously sites the resources used by the author.
I personally enjoyed reading about Catholic Customs, Devotions and Disciplines and about the Mass and Sacraments. The part about the Real Presence (#19) was very enlightening.
I personally enjoyed reading about Catholic Customs, Devotions and Disciplines and about the Mass and Sacraments. The part about the Real Presence (#19) was very enlightening.
July 24, 2018
Something all Catholics should read, along with the Catechism and Bible.
I like the writing, and the refreshing words to real Catholics and maybe to New Catholics. We need to evangelize our friends and relatives who have left the church. They do not know what they have in the church.
I like the writing, and the refreshing words to real Catholics and maybe to New Catholics. We need to evangelize our friends and relatives who have left the church. They do not know what they have in the church.
December 16, 2024
Not great. I’m not saying that because I’m a Protestant (though I am) and therefore didn’t agree with much (though I didn’t).
This book’s primary weakness lies in the fact that Keating makes lots of assertions and few arguments.
This book’s primary weakness lies in the fact that Keating makes lots of assertions and few arguments.
December 27, 2019
A good review for Catholics and a reminder for why there is always more to learn about our religion.
March 21, 2020
great book! would recommend it to someone who is catholic but not practicing before someone who is curious about the faith. Karl would be harsh for someone who is just learning.
April 29, 2023
Concise yet conversational, a useful instructive for the curious and a friendly corrective for the faithful.
September 5, 2023
Guidelines for being a Catholic.
December 26, 2023
A straightforward and practical guide to the faith that is helpful for newcomers to Catholicism and cradle Catholics alike. What Catholics Really Believe would be helpful for those who may have been poorly catechized or are looking for a reference resource on the indisputable truths and doctrines of the faith at a time when so many changes to liturgy and practices are occurring.
August 4, 2024
Wish this book would have gone further in-depth but it’s a good starting point if you’re interested in the Catholic faith and have preconceptions.
March 12, 2017
A solid book on Catholic apologetics. Straight forward and easy to read. I consider myself reasonably well catechized and I still learned a few new things. The book is broken down into 52 topics and explanations are well supported with bible verses and church documents. A good read for Catholics who have questions about the faith, or are interested in providing sound explanations when questioned about Catholicism.
December 7, 2016
This is a definitive book for both Catholics and non-Catholics. It covers 52 common misconceptions about the Catholic Faith. It is a must read and also a book to keep on your shelf as a reference. Many Christians are really confused about the Catholic Faith. I will not go about listing all these misconceptions but I do invite all who want to understand Catholic teaching and what Catholics really believe to pick up this book. It is an excellent guide to what Catholics really believe and why. This definitive study of the Catholic religion sets the record straight. By reading this book and also studying it you will be surprise what some people believe. The author Karl Keating is the director of Catholic Answers, a lay-run apologetics and evangelization organization and editor of the magazine This Rock. He is also is the author of the best-seller Catholicism and Fundamentalism. His intention is not to embarrass but to enlighten by providing the truth in Catholicism; as it is written in Holy Scripture: “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” ----- John 8:32
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews