What Catholics Really Believe: Answers to Common Misconceptions about the Faith

As a devoted Catholic, I began experiencing the horrible allergies that many Catholics develop when they start dating a Protestant. My symptoms included frustration and headaches whenever we discussed religion. But it wasn't entirely his fault. What else was he to believe after 30+ years of being told that Catholics are idol-worshipping heathens who practice magic, worship Mary, and talk with the dead? Time, patience, and this book (amoungst a few others - also by Keating) have been valuable assets to resolving these misconceptions and dispelling the myths. You will be spared having to repeat yourself and suffer those horrible headaches by using this book as a reference tool.

Fulton Sheen once wrote, "There are only a handful of Americans who hate the Catholic Church, though there are millions who hate what they think the Church is." All my life I had people telling me all these very strange things, about these very strange people, in this very strange church! The Church was called CATHOLIC!!!! "Watch out!" they said, "they worship Mary!" "Be Careful" they said, "they don't let you read the Bible!" "It is awful!" they said, "they crucify Christ over and over and over again!" They said more than these 52 things that Keating speaks of but guess what I found out? They were wrong. All wrong! My Grandmother, rest her soul, was wrong! My churches were wrong! People I love and who love me were wrong! You will love discovering what this wonderful Church really believes. You may just decide to be CATHOLIC!!!! I did.

I've read the derogatory reviews of this book and I couldn't disagree more. Having come into Catholicism only recently, I had many questions re: the sacraments, the rituals etc, of the Church. This book has answered so many of them, I am actually teaching my husband stuff he doesn't even know (a lifelong Catholic-he). It's an EXCELLENT book and I couldn't recommend it more highly.