What do you think?
Rate this book
Your Faith and You: A Synthesis of Catholic Belief
Presents the basic beliefs of contemporary Catholicism as reflected in Vatican II statements and modern scriptural studies.
270 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1978
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 29, 2015
I have this habit of going to old bookstores and looking at the merchandise they sell. I usually look for antiquated ballpens that write, since I’m fond of collecting them, or look for older books that these stores usually sell at massive discounts because of their age. I visited one of these stores a few days ago since I needed a ballpen and it was only a few blocks from my workplace.
I initially hesitated from purchasing Your Faith and You because I believed I was familiar enough with my own Catholic beliefs. It also seems to be a textbook used by second-year college students (the yellow color is usually associated with sophomores), since I discovered yesterday that one of my oldest cousins (~50 year old) had a green textbook similar to it, and I also bought a blue book that was in the same vein a few days ago as well.
It only cost eight cents!
A piece of bread costs roughly the same amount as this book in our country. Ultimately, I purchased the book, and broke one of my rules when it came to reading books: always only read one book at a time. Since I started it, I was determined to finish it expediently (as I do not want to have more than a two-book backlog), so I read it until today.
I liked it, because it elucidated certain concepts regarding Catholicism that were unfamiliar to me: for example, the idea of Limbo is actually what some theologians (Thomas Aquinas included) theorized where unborn babies go. Limbo is the state of natural happiness without the vision of God. This is in contrast to the idea of purgatory, which is where people essentially purify themselves to be worthy of being with God. This is outside Biblical sources, however, except for a suggestive passage from the books of the Maccabees. The book also supported humility as among the central ideas of Christianity, and reaffirmed the virtue of chastity.
To me, however, it seemed to gloss over the central problems of Catholicism. Regarding one’s disdain toward going to Mass, it merely spoke that the hypocrisy of people is a legitimate argument against being religious with Mass. The authors’ arguments regarding its observance, however, seemed flimsy, especially with their previous focus on prayer as being in communion with God, without the necessity of others. These are mere peccadilloes, however: the book is, ultimately, a textbook on basic theology and not analyses of religious philosophies. It’s a lot more somber and honest than other Catholic textbooks I’ve read, as it admits of preaching the Word to be difficult because of the hypocrisy pervading people.
It could have been a lot more as a textbook, but I think that as a synthesis of Catholic belief it was copacetic. Secondary texts without the source are pointless, however, so reading the Bible and its exegesis remains to be a better option for those who seek more fulfilling enlightenment.
I initially hesitated from purchasing Your Faith and You because I believed I was familiar enough with my own Catholic beliefs. It also seems to be a textbook used by second-year college students (the yellow color is usually associated with sophomores), since I discovered yesterday that one of my oldest cousins (~50 year old) had a green textbook similar to it, and I also bought a blue book that was in the same vein a few days ago as well.
It only cost eight cents!
A piece of bread costs roughly the same amount as this book in our country. Ultimately, I purchased the book, and broke one of my rules when it came to reading books: always only read one book at a time. Since I started it, I was determined to finish it expediently (as I do not want to have more than a two-book backlog), so I read it until today.
I liked it, because it elucidated certain concepts regarding Catholicism that were unfamiliar to me: for example, the idea of Limbo is actually what some theologians (Thomas Aquinas included) theorized where unborn babies go. Limbo is the state of natural happiness without the vision of God. This is in contrast to the idea of purgatory, which is where people essentially purify themselves to be worthy of being with God. This is outside Biblical sources, however, except for a suggestive passage from the books of the Maccabees. The book also supported humility as among the central ideas of Christianity, and reaffirmed the virtue of chastity.
To me, however, it seemed to gloss over the central problems of Catholicism. Regarding one’s disdain toward going to Mass, it merely spoke that the hypocrisy of people is a legitimate argument against being religious with Mass. The authors’ arguments regarding its observance, however, seemed flimsy, especially with their previous focus on prayer as being in communion with God, without the necessity of others. These are mere peccadilloes, however: the book is, ultimately, a textbook on basic theology and not analyses of religious philosophies. It’s a lot more somber and honest than other Catholic textbooks I’ve read, as it admits of preaching the Word to be difficult because of the hypocrisy pervading people.
It could have been a lot more as a textbook, but I think that as a synthesis of Catholic belief it was copacetic. Secondary texts without the source are pointless, however, so reading the Bible and its exegesis remains to be a better option for those who seek more fulfilling enlightenment.
Displaying 1 of 1 review