Product Description

Lawrence McTaggart knows that many people have been hurt by the Catholic church, are confused by it or disagree with it. A Benedictine Deacon, he aims to give a message of peace and reconciliation to those disaffected while encouraging other Catholics and those considering the faith.By exploring the Church's teaching and the issues that arise from it, McTaggart presents a dialogue rather than a bombast of doctrine. While he tackles many subjects that have traditionally been taboo (such as suicide), his tone is sensitive and encouraging.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #460868 in Books
• Published on: 2001-11-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Writing about religion is never easy because the topic is abstract and the temptation to fall into jargon and sanctimonious language is always acute. It is also difficult for the professional religious person to address lay people without being condescending. A Benedictine monk from Ampleforth, Laurence McTaggart, manages to avoid all these pitfalls to present us with a modern, down to earth and crisp conversation about the difficulties and joys of the Catholic faith. McTaggart begins by laying a few doctrinal foundations before going on to consider our relationship to work, wealth, prayer, sin and confession. After considering various tricky matters of Church discipline he looks at ethical issues like sexuality, morality, genetic engineering and suicide. To all these matters he brings a light touch, weaving in illustrative events from day to day life and acknowledging the huge difficulties which the high ideals of the Catholic faith present ordinary people. He steers through the rocks and the hard places to offer a workable spiritual life for ordinary Catholics. This hardback volume is handsome, but with such a popular style McTaggart's book should be accessible to more readers in a less expensive paperback format. The book would also be improved by the inclusion of a small reading list for each chapter so readers could explore further if they wish. These criticisms don't detract from the fact that McTaggart is a down to earth apologist for the Catholic faith who writes in a fresh engaging style reminiscent of the best of CS Lewis. --Dwight Longenecker

About the Author
Fr. Laurence McTaggart grew up in Nottingham. In 1991 he became a monk of Ampleforth Abbey in Yorkshire.

Customer Reviews

And Is It True?
'Being Catholic Today' is written in an easy, flowing and conversational style for Christians of all denominations, and covers many aspects of the Catholic Faith, including the meaning of the Sacraments, the Church and its teaching, and contemporary moral issues.

As you'd expect from a Benedictine monk, it's also quite scholarly, and includes lots of helpful references from a wide range of sources, from not only the Scriptures, but also the Second Vatican Council, the Catechism, St Benedict's Rule, Papal Encyclicals, St Augustine, and many more besides. Moreover, like a good preacher, Fr Laurence uses real life stories and situations to make his points clearly and intelligibly throughout the 200 page text.

Nevetheless, if he qualifies as a Christian Apologist, then Fr Laurence is blithely unapologetic about the Church itself. "The tensions of the Church arise because of the tensions in each Christian. The Church is intolerant because you and I are intolerant. The Church is worldly because I am worldly ... The Church is human because it is made up people like you and me." (page 95) This is undoubtedly true, but is that what we should expect of the Church?

One of the functions of the Church is to provide leadership, especially in matters of doctrine. This isn't always the same as proof, however, because there is so much that the Christian has to take on faith alone. So, when it comes to the question of whether or not there is a God who loves us and who cares for us, then it's rather reassuring to discover that the Church humbly asks us to take the Gospels on trust.

"But just suppose it is true", adds Fr Laurence. "On this is based all that is truly Catholic. In the words of our profession at baptism, renewed each year at Easter, this is our faith." (page 61)

And so it is. But the fact of the matter is, not everybody receives the gift of faith. Consequently, in an age of scepticism, which has a disregard for authority and a desire for instant gratification, new ways urgently need to be found to convey the truth that we profess.

Perhaps even more worrying is the position of the Church on sensitive issues such as the role of women, contraception and homosexuality, which Fr Laurence readily discusses in Part Four. He suspends judgement himself, but maybe it is only a matter of time before the Church, like a wise general, retreats from territory that it can no longer hold.

Finally, a bibliography and an index would be useful for future reference, but the book's design, layout and engaging honesty make it a highly attractive read.

Wonderful book, made me think and loved the author's engaging style
Can't say enough good things about this book. Does it answer definitively every question about the Catholic faith in black and white? Absolutely not but it does give us a gentle reminder of why it is called a faith not a fact and the expectations God has of us all. As a confirmed sinner and someone who is challenged by the official Catholic Church's position on a number of issues I found it immensely rewarding to get this 'back to basics' reminder of the faith I was born into and have decided to continue in now that I am reassured dissent doesn't mean ex-communication.

Excellent start point for thought
I found this book very helpful in making me think about my faith. However, in stating the problems inherent in being Catholic in 20th century Europe in an essentially non-religious society, he is unable to reconcile the fact of God's love and forgiveness with with the difficulties faced by people in the secular world. This is particularly true in his chapters on marriage for example where the Church seems out of step with modern society and seems unable to distinguish between eternal truth and sociological construct. However, I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to debate these issues in a religious context.