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Politically Incorrect Guides

Manual Politicamente Incorreto do Catolicismo

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Há mais coisas entre o Céu e a Terra do que sonha o politicamente correto... Neste livro o leitor verá destruída a imagem engessada e caricatural que se tem da Igreja Católica nos dias de hoje, seja ligada a um dogmatismo e a uma “fé cega”, seja a uma religiosidade cor-de-rosa. Partindo do que a própria Igreja diz de si mesma, o autor expõe a verdadeira relação que a Igreja tem com a ciência, o sexo, as armas, o dinheiro e a política. Combinando sarcasmo e profundidade, entretendo e ao mesmo tempo informando, o manual guia o leitor com a perspicácia de um fio de navalha.

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

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John Zmirak

21 books37 followers

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5 stars
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12 (8%)
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Sandralena Hanley.
Author 7 books73 followers
March 21, 2021
Full of answers that Catholics and non-Catholics have about the Roman Catholic Church. Great book to learn about how to answer questions others may pose.
The Catholic Church has been the object of Cancel Culture since the 1960s Sexual Revolution and the Protestants "helping" devise the Vatican II Council documents. The overthrowing of the old traditions has directly led to the New World Religion of today. Pope Francis is more concerned about the environment than the souls under his care. Why is this important? Because the Catholic Church is the only thing standing between us and the Totalitarian Marxist New World Order, also called the Great Reset.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: The Church: What it says about itself, the world, and what will happen when you die
Chapter 2: The Pope, bishops, and when Catholics have to believe what they say
Chapter 3: One, Holy, Catholic, and thoroughly splintered church
Chapter 4: How birth control tore the church apart
Chapter 5: Progressive Catholics and their permanent revolution
Chapter 6: They kept the faith: Orthodox and Traditionalists
Chapter 7: The Church and the free market
Chapter 8: Amnesty equals abortion
Chapter 9: Is the Catholic church a global gun-free zone
Chapter 10: Is the Church Anti-science
Chapter 11: Sex, sanity, and the Catholic church
Chapter 12: Temptations and Opportunities for the church
Profile Image for Anne.
156 reviews
January 16, 2017
This book is wonderfully informative. Mr. Zmirak coherently explains things in a way I wish I could. I confess that I enjoyed the bit of sarcasm he uses when his patience has worn thin. This was a most satisfying read.
Profile Image for John.
105 reviews
October 17, 2017
This book opened my eyes to an entirely new world of opinions. I had no idea that some people feel that Vatican II was a bad thing. I cannot say I 'enjoyed' this book. We read it in a men's group at our Catholic parish. While it was only 12 chapters, there were only a few men left by the end of the book. Zmirak was able to chase them all away!!

Not for the weak in faith. Provides some tough views of a Church I love.
Profile Image for William F.
38 reviews1 follower
September 14, 2018
Very clear on how the church was impacted by the modern world.
Profile Image for Mati.
1,033 reviews1 follower
May 13, 2019
This is another must read book for everyone to understand the key changes, which are happening in Catholic church.
Profile Image for Ron.
673 reviews17 followers
May 20, 2020
Heartbreakingly intolerant,- avoid unless you're willing to pay time and money to hear diatribe which you already agreed with before you read the first page.

Can't get through it with an open mind, trying to understand the other side's opinion due to its vitriol. Minus one star for the disingenuous title. A smattering of insights and humor to keep you off guard, but the editor really should've taken a stronger hand to curb the author's severe bias.
Profile Image for Gustavo Nascimento.
311 reviews7 followers
May 29, 2019
Poderia se chamar o "O manual do Catolicismo Republicano". Em primeiro lugar vale dizer que é um livro escrito para um público católico. Claramente foi pensado para o público americano, então usa muitos exemplos de políticos, leis e instituições desconhecidas para a maior parte dos leitores não norte americanos. Comecei o livro gostando muito pelo estilo meio sarcástico sem poupar alguns setores da Igreja mais progressistas que, assim como o autor, também creio que tentam destruir muito da essência do Catolicismo.
Logo nos primeiros capítulos ele explica que a Igreja não tem posição política, mas nos capítulos seguintes passa a maior parte do tempo demonizando o Partido Democrata. Eu se fosse americano provavelmente também não votaria nos democratas, mas a maneira quase explícita que o autor diz que quem vota no Partido Democrata não é um bom católico me soa um tanto desonesta. Concordo com quase tudo do ponto de vista político que o autor defende mas o malabarismo que ele faz pra justificar este ponto de vista político usando a religião me soa tão errada, que me causou um mal estar que quase me faz mudar de lado. Em determinado ponto afirma que os imigrantes mexicanos não podem ser aceito nos EUA pois apesar de católicos votam no Partido Democrata por benefícios sociais e fortalecem a causa pró aborto. Para ser contra os imigrantes , pró armas e a favor do acúmulo de riquezas usa de artifícios pra contradizer a Bíblia. Quando fala sobre o controle de natalidade ele é literal e tem a cara de pau de dizer que a famosa "tabelinha" é o método contraceptivo mais eficaz cientificamente comprovado e que a população mundial está em declínio (!?).
O Sr John Zmirak também é um ferrenho crítico do Concílio Vaticano II, e culpa as mudanças na liturgia como o fim da missa em latim e o padre voltar -se para o público como o motivo da queda vertiginosa do número de católicos pelo mundo todo. Embora eu ache o Latim a língua mais bela que existe e gostaria muito de dominá-la para alegremente assistir somente missas em latim com canto gregoriano, isso é um delírio elitista. Com certeza ele não conhece o interior e a periferia do terceiro mundo, onde as pessoas sem acesso a educação mal dominam seu próprio idioma. Deveriam eles ser excluídos do Catolicismo? Os neopentecostais já haviam percebido isso e acolheram essas pessoas. Uma das conclusões mais estranhas do autor é que o bom católico também não pode ser contra a pena de morte, afinal sempre foi algo comum na história da humanidade ( mas a escravidão também não era?).
Enfim muitos pontos indefensáveis deste livro que sinceramente queria ter gostado mais, o autor em alguns pontos faz ótimas observações principalmente explicando o que é a tal da infalibilidade papal e algumas críticas bem pertinentes a algumas condutas do Papa Francisco. Achei o saldo mais negativo do que positivo no geral, mas ainda assim recomendo a leitura para reflexão.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Dom Nuno.
201 reviews5 followers
March 24, 2018
Totally written for an American audience, rather than a Catholic (as in universal) one.
It is correct on many points, especially the doctrinal ones.
However, in other matters, although some points are made in a logical and clear fashion, it pampers far too much to a certain political side on all things, even in the parts where it shouldn't.
it echoes distorted stories about the impact of refuges in Europe (enlarged by a empty-headed mass media that has no grip on reality) and forgets the reality on the ground.
Profile Image for Nathan Albright.
4,488 reviews162 followers
June 22, 2018
At first glance, it would not appear as if I am the obvious choice for a sympathetic reading of this book, which has a lot of nice things to say about Catholicism and the magisterium [1] and tries over and over again to rehabilitate the reputation of Pius XII, who is either among the most libeled person in the history of the 20th century or a scoundrel who gave himself all kinds of alibis.  I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, though, and perhaps at some point will devote more serious reading to the problem of his reputation in the available historography.  And indeed, my approach to this whole book ended up being suprisingly positive, not least because the author's description of being a somewhat isolated cultural conservative in an authoritarian religious organization dealing with corrupt leaders trying to shove unwanted doctrinal and cultural change down an unwilling membership is something I can definitely relate to based on my own personal experience within the Church of God.  That level of empathy gives me a good reason to appreciate this book even if my own views of Christianity are very different from those of the author.

This book of more than 300 pages is divided into twelve chapters that give a very detailed and somewhat surprising (at least to me) view of the Catholic Church as it stands right now.  The author begins with a discussion of what the Roman Catholic Church says and thinks about itself (1) and then discusses infallibility and the magisterium and the general absence of a Catholic ideology (2).  After this the author talks about the splintered and fragmented nature of the contemporary Catholic Church (3) and how the problem of birth control tore the Catholic Church apart (4).  After this the author gives some very critical comments about Progressive Catholics and their goal for permanent revolution (5), the "Orthodox" and traditional dissent and resistance to this goal (6), and gives some very thoughtful comments about the view of the free market by various Popes and Catholics throughout history (7).  At this point the author transitions to a view of various contemporary worldview problems and how they are treated within the Catholic community, including abortion and immigration (8), gun control (9), science (10), sexuality (11), and the temptations and opportunities for the Church in the current sociopolitical climate (12).  After that the author gives his acknowledgements and then includes a lot of notes.

Overall, if this book did not necessarily give me a positive view of Catholicism, it at least gave me a great deal of empathy for the author and other traditionalist Catholics like his own with whom I find a great deal of agreement.  My own deep concern with matters of godly self-restraint, living according to the image of God that we have as human beings rather than as beasts, and seeking to build bridges where possible with others of similar social and political worldview to my own means that I consider the author to be an ally in the cultural wars even if his church is far too much of a Babel of confusing ideologies to be viewed with favor by me.  Even so, though, this book likely did its job, as the author freely admits his biases and is open about the areas of difference between himself and a reader like myself as well as about the sine qua non beyond which he would not have loyalty to a Catholic Church that had crossed the line into unacceptable beliefs.  The author's avoidance of popaltry is also refreshing, given the criticisms that any reasonably thinking person must have about the current Pope and his deeply unwise political worldview.  Given the book's perspective and subject matter, the fact that I found the author winsome and appealing is probably the best outcome that anyone could have expected.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
Profile Image for Paul H..
873 reviews463 followers
January 25, 2018
Insightful and often very funny, though somewhat marred by a general "conservative political blogger" vibe. Catholic orthodoxy --- also called "conservative" Catholicism, hilariously, as if following the laws of mathematics makes you a "conservative" mathematician --- really has very little to do with American cultural/political conservatism, though certainly there's some overlap.

Zmirak, however, apparently can't always tell the difference; his random diatribes against Syrian immigrants and Margaret Sanger (an elaborate straw man argument that actually undercuts his valid critique of the organization she founded) have nothing to do with the faith as taught by the Magisterium.

It's telling that the text is cobbled together from random blog posts that Zmirak has written over the past few years in conservative outlets ... this is why the chapters are a bit disjointed (and constantly refer to news items circa 2013-2016), and also why it feels like you're reading a snarky, erudite Internet comment thread rather than a real book.
Profile Image for John.
1,682 reviews30 followers
November 25, 2019
Annoying, smug and "know-it-all" style branding that really wants to prove how the Catholic Church isn't progressive.

I grew up in the church and had a completely different experience from the one espoused here. It's almost like the largest religion in the world is filled with disparate and sometimes contradictory statements.

Generally condescending tone.
Profile Image for Heather.
348 reviews2 followers
August 11, 2022
I got halfway through and had to quit. The author's personal and political biases were too apparent to stomach. To call Life Site News a reputable new organization without the least bit of irony is laughable (and a bit frightening). If someone wants to know what Catholics believe, may I recommend the Catechism of the Catholic Church which you can access for free on the USCCB's website.
Profile Image for Emily.
48 reviews
July 3, 2018
Very informative. I thought it would be somewhat offensive, but it wasn't.
Profile Image for Canon Wright.
6 reviews
April 6, 2019
A hard look at the present state of the Catholic Church from the point of view of one of her members.
26 reviews1 follower
March 3, 2020
Good history of the Catholic Church and it's changes with a lot of discussion about what the author believes is the reason for the declining attendance.
1 review
September 18, 2020
What’s politically incorrect about bashing the church for the inquisition and pretending that it was a cruel time. This is cringe Americanism.
Profile Image for Bronson.
13 reviews
January 27, 2021
Useful and quick information in response to what people question when looking in from the outside about the Catholic Church. Enjoyed it a lot.
Profile Image for Glen Asbury.
36 reviews1 follower
April 14, 2025
This book was not only a lot of fun to read; I also learned a good bit of Catholic history, even though I’ve been a Catholic for a decade now and tend to read about my Faith quite prolifically.
Profile Image for Marília Teodoro.
8 reviews
December 16, 2020
Escrito por John Zmirak, grande estudioso do tema, ele é praticamente um curso iniciante de Catolicismo em 366 páginas (e eu diria obrigatório a todos os que se dizem católicos). Totalmente embasado no Depósito da Fé da Igreja, bem como nos documentos oficiais do Vaticano e no Catecismo da Igreja, ele explica detalhe por detalhe sobre muitos temas, desfaz muitos mitos espalhados pelo senso comum e apresenta questionamentos e denúncias sobre muitas coisas, inclusive sobre coisas "ligadas" à Igreja. .
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Coloquei fotos do sumário pra dar uma noção da quantidade de temas tratados. É uma leitura edificante porque fortalece nossa posição de católico, mesmo apresentando tantos fatos decadentes e a perseguição a qual a Igreja sofre. Por alguns momentos me peguei pensando: talvez fosse melhor desistir, pedir pra Cristo vir logo, porque está muito difícil nadar contra a corrente de tantos males (progressismo, socialismo, aborto, globalismo, Teologia da Libertação, ambientalistas, católicos jujuba, modernismo, libertinagem, entre tantas outras coisas), mas eis que o livro apresenta, na página 313, o principal motivo pelo qual não devemos desistir: "Não pode haver qualquer trégua, descanso algum, rendição sob nenhuma hipótese. Como preço de nos dizermos cristãos, temos de defender, ano a ano, a lei natural, a liberdade religiosa e econômica, a santidade da vida e a verdade sobre o sexo [...]. Pragmaticamente não temos qualquer opção, mas tanto melhor: todas essas verdades são ou partes integrais, ou implicações inevitáveis do Evangelho de Jesus Cristo, que Ele nos mandou pregar até mesmo em face de perseguições literais e sangrentas, oferecendońos a promessa: 'Bem aventurados os que são perseguidos por causa da justiça, porque deles é o Reino dos Céus. Bem aventurados sereis quando vos caluniarem, quando vos perseguirem e disserem falsamente todo o mal contra vós por causa de mim. Alegrai-vos e exultai, porque será grande a vossa recompensa nos céus, pois assim procederam os profetas que vieram antes de vós' (Mt 5, 10-12)". 💙✝️🙏
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Senhor, é duro te seguir, mas é impossível te deixar (Santo Agostinho)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

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