The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Catholic Catechism: The Core Teachings of Catholicism in Plain English

I bought 2 of these one for my sister and one for myself I am her sponsor in a RICA class. It is a good read for both of us.

I am happy to give The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Catechism a 5 star review. Being raised Catholic certainly doesn't mean that I know all there is to know about my religion. I have had many questions as to what things mean exactly and am happy to have found answers to my questions in this great book. It is easy to read for us "lay persons" and you'll even find some humor hidden in the pages! I recommend this book for all to read, whether you are a practicing Catholic or someone who just wants to learn about another religion.

We are grateful that the publishers of the Complete Idiot's Guide has finally shown enough respect for Catholicism to have a book done which actually conforms to the Catechism. Rather than seeing Father David Fulton and Mary DeTurris Poust as 'rival' authors, we consider them colleagues and compliment them on their book. As Pope Benedict XVI often points out, Catholicism is the religion of the great 'et ... et' (which translates from Latin into: "both ... and") rather than a religion of 'aut ... aut' (either ... or). Therefore, any author and any book which defends orthodox doctrine and any author who is loyal to the Magisterium is on the same side, i.e., the side of truth. We are NOT competing against one another. ALL authors and books which faithfully explain the accurate teachings of Catholicism should work TOGETHER to refute and repudiate the errors being proliferated by heterodox sources and from dissenting theologians. BOTH "Catholicism for Dummies" AND the "Complete Idiot's Guide to the Catholic Catechism" have imprimaturs AND BOTH serve the common good in evangelization and catechesis. The dichotomy is rather between those authors and books faithful to the Magisterium and those which are disloyal. EITHER orthodox OR heterodox since something is EITHER true or it is false. We wish to congratulate Mary and Fr. David for doing a book on the Catechism. Doing so does not conflict with our pride in our recent work "Catholicism Answer Book: 300 of the Most Frequently Asked Questions" since we sincerely believe our books complement the 'Complete Idiot's Guide to the Catholic Catechism.' While we embraced the same blueprint of the four pillars of faith [creed, code, cult, & contemplation] in our most recent book, we also added some interesting Catholic curiosities along with a potpouri of trivia as well as some abridged but fundamental church history. If there is any professional rivalry whatsoever, it is merely along the lines of the friendly competition that has always existed between the Dominicans and the Franciscans. That being said, we wish success to both authors and to their book and hope that readers will look at ALL the available resources where one can find authentic, accurate and orthodox Catholic teaching on faith and morals. Those sources which have no allegiance to the Magisterium warrant nothing less than being completely ignored. Every Catholic individual, family and home should have SEVERAL if not more solid books on the faith in addition to a copy of the actual Catechism and a copy of Catholic Bible. Better to have a whole bookcase of shelves of various Catholic authors who are all loyal to the Magisterium, is it not? We are not arrogant or stupid enough to think that our six books exhaust every notion contained within Catholicism. Our goal has simply been and remains thus: give the readers nothing less than pure, unadulterated [single-malt, so to speak] orthodox doctrine in everything we write. Whenever we

I so enjoyed this book! I was not raised Catholic, but became so when I was married almost 20 years ago. I feel I still have a lot to learn and this book is helping me along. The snippets throughout each chapter, such as "Church Speak" and "Teachable Moment" are perfect in further explaining some concepts that have been foreign to me like what exactly is the Catechism. I learned too what an angel is according to the Church. Interesting! This book is beautifully written. It is easy to read and enjoyable. This book can be both a reference guide for seasoned Catholics and a primer for those who want to truly dig deeper into their Catholic faith. Well done!

This is the first book I've bought in either the Idiot's Guide or Dummies Guide series. Those phrases have always raised concerns for me about whether the books are accurate and at least somewhat serious. Although I bought the Guide to the Catholic Catechism as a possible reference book, and so have not read it cover to cover, I have dipped into a number of sections and have found it to take its subjects seriously, even while being written in an accessible, conversational way. In other words, you will learn a lot without feeling like you are working at it. Another plus, important to me, is that every section I have read seems straightforward and free of bias. I could not tell you if the author is a liberal or a conservative. (As someone involved in Catholic education, I was happy to see that the book has an imprimatur, meaning that it is not contrary to defined Catholic doctrine.) In short, I very much like what I have seen, and would recommend this guide as a personal reference tool or a tool for the classroom.