What do you think?
Rate this book
Immaculate Misconceptions: A Self Help Book for Former Catholics
Millions of Americans were raised in the Catholic Church. While some aspects of this experience may have been positive, all too often the legacy also included guilt, shame, perfectionism, cynicism, self-doubt. It has been popular to take a lighthearted look at the struggles of recovering Catholics. But humor doesn't tell the whole story. Here for the first time is a book that goes beyond casual party a book that takes an in-depth look at the psychological and emotional impact of having been raised Catholic. Immaculate Misconceptions is a healing book for former Catholics who have no intention of eturning to the Church, but who nevertheless continue to be affected by the rigidity of their Catholic upbringing. This book takes a candid, honest, look at the experiences, thoughts and feelings of many former Catholics. It offers numerous ways of working creatively with these issues, as a means of moving into greater self-understanding and awareness.
193 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1996
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 17, 2021
*I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This book was very useful as a tool for analyzing my upbringing in both the Catholic faith and Catholic culture. Not all Catholics adhere to every tenet of the faith, and many are able to rely on their beliefs in times of hardship. However, there are also many people who were immersed in the faith from a very young age and (literally) grew up with the fear of God in them. I’m part of that second group. I come from a long line of Catholics, and unfortunately by my generation it was “the blind leading the blind” in matters of morality and theology. I grew up believing so many things that were provably false, such as men having one fewer rib than women (because Adam and Eve) and Noah literally having 2 of each type of animal on his boat (apparently even each dog and cat breed). I had a crisis of sorts when I was confronted with information that challenged not just what I believed, but what I had always accepted as true; it was a lonely place, especially as I was surrounded by my family of Catholic fanatics. I’m still sorting through it all.
I don’t think readers need to be former Catholics to benefit from reading this; rather, they should be examining how the Church shaped them into the person they became, focusing on negative emotions such as fear, shame, and anxiety that they experience(d) as a result of this environment. Even for readers who are current Catholics reared in a Catholic environment that only benefitted them, this book would likely allow them to understand more fully why so many former Catholic children have complicated emotions and thoughts regarding faith and the Church.
There’s a whole lot of good in this book, and I am especially fond of the way the author has added in quotes and memories from others. This is not one woman’s journey to understand her faith life: this is a book explaining the shared experiences of many. There are a few passages that I disagree with, however, particularly “Choicemaking and change” near the beginning. Though it’s true that the Catholic Church espouses a sin/sinless dichotomy for the moral sum of actions, parts of this section felt close to victim-blaming. While there are actions one can take to move away from trauma, it’s completely fine for people to sit with and mourn whatever the trauma took from them. It’s fine to have a whole range of emotions toward events that wound us: anger, frustration, hurt, despair, confusion, etc. Those feelings are valid.
Overall, I’m glad I got the chance to read this book, and I’ve lent it out to a few friends who are also struggling with how to reconcile their childhoods with the person they are and the person they want to be. I think there’s a lot of value here for the discerning reader, and above all there’s a feeling of relief: “I’m not the only one who thought that! I’m not alone!”
This book was very useful as a tool for analyzing my upbringing in both the Catholic faith and Catholic culture. Not all Catholics adhere to every tenet of the faith, and many are able to rely on their beliefs in times of hardship. However, there are also many people who were immersed in the faith from a very young age and (literally) grew up with the fear of God in them. I’m part of that second group. I come from a long line of Catholics, and unfortunately by my generation it was “the blind leading the blind” in matters of morality and theology. I grew up believing so many things that were provably false, such as men having one fewer rib than women (because Adam and Eve) and Noah literally having 2 of each type of animal on his boat (apparently even each dog and cat breed). I had a crisis of sorts when I was confronted with information that challenged not just what I believed, but what I had always accepted as true; it was a lonely place, especially as I was surrounded by my family of Catholic fanatics. I’m still sorting through it all.
I don’t think readers need to be former Catholics to benefit from reading this; rather, they should be examining how the Church shaped them into the person they became, focusing on negative emotions such as fear, shame, and anxiety that they experience(d) as a result of this environment. Even for readers who are current Catholics reared in a Catholic environment that only benefitted them, this book would likely allow them to understand more fully why so many former Catholic children have complicated emotions and thoughts regarding faith and the Church.
There’s a whole lot of good in this book, and I am especially fond of the way the author has added in quotes and memories from others. This is not one woman’s journey to understand her faith life: this is a book explaining the shared experiences of many. There are a few passages that I disagree with, however, particularly “Choicemaking and change” near the beginning. Though it’s true that the Catholic Church espouses a sin/sinless dichotomy for the moral sum of actions, parts of this section felt close to victim-blaming. While there are actions one can take to move away from trauma, it’s completely fine for people to sit with and mourn whatever the trauma took from them. It’s fine to have a whole range of emotions toward events that wound us: anger, frustration, hurt, despair, confusion, etc. Those feelings are valid.
Overall, I’m glad I got the chance to read this book, and I’ve lent it out to a few friends who are also struggling with how to reconcile their childhoods with the person they are and the person they want to be. I think there’s a lot of value here for the discerning reader, and above all there’s a feeling of relief: “I’m not the only one who thought that! I’m not alone!”
August 22, 2021
This is a very helpful and informative book. It identifies how and why adults are affected by a catholic upbringing many years down the road, and contains several helpful methods for dealing with these effects. I would be interested to see an update for those who were raised catholic after Vatican II.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews