The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Catholic Catechism


Book Description

Operating instructions for being a Catholic. The Catechism is an amazing collection of Church teachings and rules that cover everything from the basics, like honoring God, to more unusual subjects, such as paying just wages and respecting animals. Perfect for students, lay teachers, Catholics, and readers of other faiths, this guide is the key to understanding the daily life of Catholics and gives readers an appreciation for what Catholics believe. In this Complete Idiot’s Guide®, you get: • Transformative insights into the Trinity and the nature and power of prayer. • An in-depth look at baptism, Eucharist, reconciliation, and the other sacraments. • Helpful hints on how to apply the Catechism to your daily life. • An insider’s perspective on the people, teachings, and rituals that have shaped the Catholic Church.




The Catholic Catechism


Book Description




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Early Christianity


Book Description

Where it all began—for two billion followers worldwide The most popular religion in the world has a variety of doctrines, beliefs, and practices. This book helps its legion of followers to better understand where it all began, while exploring everything from how early Christians lived to Jesus’ initial message and its impact on the church. • Explores every aspect of the church and the roots of its core beliefs • Easy to understand and use • Covers the hot topics of Christianity—women in the church, Gnosticism, politics, and more • Author is a well-known scholar and expert on ancient Christianity







The Complete Idiot's Guide to Christianity


Book Description

CIG to Christianityhelps readers define what Christianity is all about, from the roots of Catholicism and the three streams of Protestantism, to "Christianity without borders"-fundamentalism, evangelicalism, the Charismatic movement, and "New Age" Christianity. Whether people are searching for the right Christian church for themselves or seeking to understand the differences between denominations, this book is a fascinating look at where Christianity is right now. How different are Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches? Lutherans and reformed denominations? Quakers and Mennonites? Can you be a Christian without belonging to a church?




The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Popes and the Papacy


Book Description

The Complete Idiot's Guide® to the Popes and the Papacy offers a comprehensive look at the history, trials, and triumphs of the Bishops of Rome. This book offers an easy-to-understand historical survey of the papacy, which is among the oldest institutions on earth, and may well be the oldest continuous position of leadership in existence. It's all here: remarkable stories of popes who held immense power within the Church and popes who served as figureheads; popes who ruled as supreme authorities in their own right and popes who offered an inspired model of resistance to secular tyrannies; popes who lost sight of the dictates of their own faith and popes who set sublime moral and devotional examples to the world. The book offers history, trivia, and trends new and old -- as well as a look at the future of the office. This is an entertaining and enlightening look at one of the world's most remarkable jobs, one that has guided Catholicism for two millennia and wields an influence today.




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Mormonism


Book Description

From its founding in pioneer times to the present day, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been both mysterious and misunderstood—with some Protestant faiths not even recognizing the Mormons as Christians. This fascinating guide debunks the myths of Mormonism and reveals its history, faith, and culture.




Everyday Divine


Book Description

Many people today are looking for opportunities to bring the spiritual into their everyday lives in non-traditional ways. Their days are so busy they can't imagine how they can fit in time to kneel or sit in prayer on a regular basis. As a result, they fly from one activity to the next at breakneck speed, always looking forward to some nonexistent time in the future when things will slow down long enough to allow them to breathe, center themselves, and pray. Everyday Divine: A Catholic Guide to Active Spirituality helps busy readers explore different ways to achieve a place of stillness and peace while remaining very much in the world. In fact, the day-to-day activities of life become the pathway to prayer-even the prayer itself. Drawing on Catholic tradition, from the Desert Fathers and Mothers to ancient monastics to modern-day saints and sages, Everyday Divine looks at how we can adapt these ancient practices for modern times, quoting holy men and women on various methods and offering practical instructions and suggestions to help people put them into practice. Readers learn how to find spiritual peace while immersed in everyday activities, such as: - Housework and chores - Workouts and exercise - Cooking, eating, and fasting - Listening to music - Traveling and making pilgrimages - Living among the noise of daily life The book also includes personal stories from the author and others, and will weave in practices from specific spiritualities-such as Franciscan, Benedictine, and Trappist-to show how these practices fit into the bigger Catholic picture.




The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Religions


Book Description

Two comparative theologists offer a comprehensive look at ideas about God--inevery corner of the globe.




Walking Together


Book Description

In Walking Together: Discovering the Catholic Tradition of Spiritual Friendship, author, journalist, and speaker Mary DeTurris Poust examines rich and nurturing examples of spiritual friendship from well-known saints, writers, and spiritual Catholic leaders who serve as exemplars for cultivating meaningful Catholic friendship in a world of Twitter and Facebook. Addressing a growing modern hunger for deep soul friendships, popular Catholic New York columnist and Our Sunday Visitor blogger Mary DeTurris Poust looks honestly but hopefully at today's culture, where people feel increasingly isolated despite the advent of myriad gadgets designed to keep them “connected.” In ten practical chapters, Poust explores issues such as commitment and acceptance, the virtues that make for a lasting friendship, the importance of listening, open communication, and praying together. Readers will find here the guidance and encouragement to take the next step in developing spiritual friendships in their lives, one of the basic necessities of spiritual life. Poust profiles inspiring spiritual friendships from the past such as St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare, and St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. She also examines famous contemporary friendships, like those between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien or Thomas Merton and famous Zen master D. T. Suzuki. Each chapter concludes with “Food for Thought” reflection questions and a prayerful meditation.