The Catholic Imagination

This book is a fantastic essay on what Andrew Greeley calls the "Catholic Imagination", or put differently, the way in which Catholics view reality and how that affects the way they live. As a Catholic, I found this to be a refreshing look into Catholicism through a sociological approach. Greeley presents fascinating statistics that show how different Catholics are compared their Protestant counterparts. One of the most interesting facts is that Catholics tend to be far more liberal than the Christian Right - something that I have always believed to be true. Greeley presents all of his information in a clear, precise, and friendly way and makes everything quite understandable for those who, like me, know very little about sociology. One of the greatest aspects of this book is that Greeley, who is a Catholic himself, offers thought provoking criticisms of the Church with well defended reasonings but never ventures into the realm of being heretical by any means. In fact, it is because of his love for the Church that he wants to make sure it is seen by the world as a leader in human morality and equal rights. I truly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. It offers a unique view into the Catholic Church and explains how Catholicism is not simply a religion, but is also a culture, a window into the beauty of the universe, and a way of living.

I must take exception to the crazy review "Heretic, apostate, blasphemer, March 19, 2004" from the "born again" Bible thumper with little brain ability who defamed Fr Greeley. He is obviously not Catholic and trying to impose his phony fundamentalism on us Catholics. Go back to your crazy white walled "church" with your phony ministers and comment on the crazy beliefs coming from that auditorium or beer hall that you call a church and sells you stories that your puny mind absorbs as fact. Dr Greeley is a wonderfully caring, faithful, and holy man, who is a beacon of truth, even when it is critical of his own church. The "truth" will set you free...something these "born agains" need to learn... after they define truth...something they always confuse with the fiction they try to shove down peoples throats. Buy this book!!

There's a huge number of catechisms and books out there that will tell you how to "do Catholic," but very few that capture the essence of what *being* Catholic means quite as well as this work of Greeley's does.As a non-Catholic -- and very satisfied with the depth of my own religious experience -- I will probably never experience some of the phenomena Greeley describes. But it's fascinating to plumb the depths and be given this intimate peek into how Catholicism actually FEELS to Catholics.I admit, I found his thesis controversial at first: that Catholics have a different way of looking at the world. But without getting bogged down in specifics, he manages to define many of those distinctions from his own wealth of experience.It's easy to put down another religion if you just look at the surface details. Greeley leads all readers -- regardless of their own religious convictions -- to respect and admire his fellow believers for the uniquely Catholic outlook on and contribution to the world.