Rating: 
Summary: A Great Help
Review: I bought this book right after reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Catholicism, and it was my best buy so far.
I was born and raised Catholic, but since I moved to a mostly non-Catholic town, I have been constantly asked why this and that. I found most of my answers in this book. It explains what Catholics thoughout the world believe in common and it's easy to read and understand. It explains from passages on the Bible to Catholic tradition.
This is a must have for every Catholic home, and a constant source of knowledge and answers.
Rating: 
Summary: Recommended For Catholics who are Looking Backwards
Review: Want to learn about The Most Significant Event in the Catholic Church in the past several hundred years; Vatican Two? Get another book. The Cathechism of the Catholic Church doesnt even footnote this monumental change.Extremely difficult to read. This is a reference book...a dictionary where nearly every sentence contains arcane, codified words or phrases. I bought it for my children and hid it in embarrassment for my church leadership. The high-brow, cluttered editorial style of this book is regretable and very off-putting. My wife joked it was ghost written by William F. Buckley on double martinis. There is no author listed. I dont wonder why.
Rating: 
Summary: Catholics need to buy this
Review: As someone who has studied the Catholic faith, both as a believer and a doubter I can tell you that this book is a necessary part of Catholic reading. It gives you all the principles behind the rules, and the theological basis for Catholic beliefs. For someone who is not Catholic, the book makes a good introduction to what Catholics really believe, as well as St. Thomas Aquinas. I gave this book a slightly lower rating only because I am no longer convinced of the whole truth of the Catholic faith. Don't let that disturb you. If you're Catholic and want to live the faith you need this.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Helpful
Review: Straightforward and easy reading, while attending RCIA I was handed this book as a guide and more than a year later I am still always reading it, over and over again! It is a primer for new Catholics, and a book that Cradle Catholics should have on thier bookshelf. One of the best resources for Roman Catholics to know more about thier Church and thier faith. A must have!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book that encompasses the Catholic faith
Review: This book spells out the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. Be sure and go to the source of the Catholic faith by reading what the Bishops and Popes actually profess. This book takes the Apostle's Creed and the sacraments as a foundation and builds the beliefs of the Catholic faith around them. The Catechism uses the Bible, the Church Fathers, the Doctors of the Church and Vatican II to detail out the real facts of the Catholic Church. Get this, read it and decide for yourself! Also, the leather binding and the pages are of high quality. The book is a value and when you get it you will wonder why it does not cost 3 times more!
Rating:
Summary: Dry. Difficult to understand. Vague.
Review: If "The Catechism of the Catholic Church" had been less like the Bible, I think it could have been insightful and educational. I wanted badly to learn more about my faith, but I had a difficult time understanding all the rhetoric, the talking in circles, the vague and confusing explanations. Plain English is what this book needs. There were many parts that intrigued me, and many parts I found beautifully written, but it sure was hard to follow for the most part and I think it could have been made a lot easier for the lay person with some simple explanations. So far, the best I have learned about my faith is in church. This book will more than likely confuse the person trying to learn about this beautiful faith.
Rating:
Summary: Definitive source for Catholic Teachings
Review: After reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Catholicism, I wanted to figure out a few more things and go further in depth on a lot of topics. I know there were plenty of other deeper works out there, but I wanted to go straight to the proverbial horse's mouth. I was expecting a very difficult read and even tougher scholarly language. To my delightful surprise, the book is accessible and very readable. You really need this book if you want to have a solid reference book on Catholicism. Take my word for it - you won't end up flipping through pages of jargon, but instead you'll find yourself curiously reading about the Church's teachings and the reasons for them.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful for those who ask WHY
Review: The CCC is a profoundly brilliant work and a credit to Catholicism. I do not come from a Catholic background, but I deal with philosophical issues on which the church has stated beliefs. Why is abortion wrong, pre-marital sex illicit, and family planning preferred over condoms? The CCC provides answers and as well as biblical citations for its conclusions. Its arguments are not overly intellectual and are often convincing (or at least food for thought). A terrific buy!
Rating:
Summary: Authoritative Catholic Synthesis of Scripture and Tradition
Review: This is it. Usually, the Roman Catholic church relies on local or regional definitions of the complete Faith. Every several hundred years, she pulls it together into something universal. We happen to have lived in a time when the world can enjoy a contemporary text that distills and elucidates Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition within the context of the Magesterium (teaching authority of the church via the bishops). Every Roman Catholic should have this book. Everyone else who wonders what Roman Catholicism is about should get a copy. I finally got through my first reading of this Catechism, and am getting the first dark glimpse of the Big Catholic Picture. I'm looking forward to going through it again and again. The cross-referencing to Sacred Scripture, Councils, etc. is phenomenal.
Rating: 
Summary: Useful for Reference
Review: When those questions come up for Catholics about just why do we do thus-and-so on Sunday, what do we believe, etc., there is no other source for modern readers that you need turn to. Every Catholic household should have one. Also, if anyone wants or needs to know exactly what the Catholic church teaches on something, this is the place to turn.
The book itself, though, is a little dry to read. It is very well organized as a reference book, but it's not very exciting to read straight through. I'm a bit disappointed that it doesn't contain more delight in the beauty of our faith, awe at the depths of God's revelation of Himself, or simply more practical examples for day-to-day living.
Just as you wouldn't read the encyclopedia from cover-to-cover, neither will you read this book straight through. However, it's very easy to look up any individual question you have, and get the straight story.
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