How Do You Know All of This?

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stuartbrianhenlis

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Hi all!

I am always impressed with the level of knowledge all of you bring to the Forum. Reading your posts is like taking a Theology class at a seminary! I have to admit (though reluctantly) that I have a little bit of envy! I assume that most of you are laity.

Which prompts me to ask the question, where do you learn all of this great information?

Stuart
 
Excellent question! It takes intense research and utilizing reputable sources such as the Catechism, Scripture, and Catholic Answers Articles. Beware the posters who present opinions as facts! Most questions presented here have been posted numerous times before. So researching previous Threads is extremely useful.
 
I gained my knowledge about Catholicism because of EWTN, and reading “Catholicism for Dummies.” Of course RCIA has helped too! Oh and The Catechism of The Catholic Church!
 
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Well, most dioceses have their own libraries and there are catholic publishers like Loyola press or Saint Paul society…So I get most of my knowledge from books, in conjunction with reputable internet sources. No small part of my knowledge I owe to the priests who kindly have patience and take the time to answer my questions in person.
 
Hi Adgloriam!

I ought to mention that I have a small library of reference books at my disposal in my apartment along with a Bible collection. My problem is that I don’t know how to get organized enough to take advantage of my resources–in other words, what questions to ask.
 
Oh, I hope that I didn’t sound silly in my last statement!

Stuart
 
I read a lot of books

And listen to or watch EWTN
 
You didn’t!!! Not at all!!

Well, I try to be methodical…And there isn’t a “single answer” what I did was learn a bunch of things over time. Some of my approaches were: Going to a catholic library (several actually) and really browse all the shelves until I had a grasp on the division and different kind of contents they offered. Also looking through publishers catalogs on their sites gives a good idea of the different “categories” they classify their books under.

Then, I was actually curious to find out what a college degree in “Philosophy/Theology/Religious Sciences” actually looks like…So I checked out the sites of some of those degrees and saw how the courses were structured and divided the body of knowledge among them.

These two approaches take some time, then actually reading a book of each…For example, “canon law” is basically the “legal stuff” pertaining to the church. Then “moral theology”, “hagiography”, and so on…

The main part is of course “Sacred Scripture” but at some point I wanted to explore other things so I would get other views…

Some parts are very formal like “canon law” and “liturgy”. I find “Latin” an interesting long term goal for myself, but will skip “Greek” or “Hebrew” (you can’t know everything)…

Also depends on my free time, if I have more free time I go into “heavier” readings, else I read “lighter” books like “hagiography” that adds to general culture and always provides some insights. Lately, I focus a bit on the fun part, and read whatever I find more appealing at that moment. It probably helps that I am constantly reading over 10 books at any given time…

For a general overview I enjoy John Hardon S.J. works:
http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/archives.htm#nav
 
stuartbrianhenlis said:
I ought to mention that I have a small library of reference books at my disposal in my apartment along with a Bible collection. My problem is that I don’t know how to get organized enough to take advantage of my resources–in other words, what questions to ask.
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Questions and discussions here at CAF can help with that. Sometimes when I am trying to answer a question here, I end up having to look things up (mostly by online Catechism and online Bible) and think about it, and in the process learn something. If I post an answer and it is ignored, I don’t feel too bad because I gained something.
stuartbrianhenlis said:
I hope that I didn’t sound silly in my last statement!
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No, it doesn’t.
 
In addition, Catholic Answers Live, available on EWTN radio, Sirius XM and others is a good resource to learn from. I find Patrick Madrid, mornings on Relevant Radio explains things well.

You will find the priests who show up on some threads, and a couple of the deacons provide sound advice.

Blessings,
Stephie
 
Good ol’ fashioned book reading helped me. Also just hanging around on these forums has upped my knowledge level. Being a history buff doesn’t hurt when it comes to Church history. 🙃
 
What really helped me was the Adult Faith formation classes that I participated in at the parishes that I belonged to.

I would go to as many classes that I could.

I also have friends who are members of the clergy/religious, and that has also helped as well. We would have some really great conversations about different things.
 
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Hi, Oldgraymare!

Like your name, bye the way. Yeah, Adult Faith classes sound great! I participated in a course offered by our diocese called “Pathways” which was an in-depth exploration of the Faith featuring university professors, lay instructors, etc. with lots of printed material (right up my alley).

It was expensive but worth every penny! Unfortunately, it’s not being offered in my parish any longer.

But, the Adult Faith formation classes aren’t offered by the parish, either. I’ll give the office a call and ask to speak to the appropriate person to see if we can get one started!

Thanks for that suggestion!!!

Stuart
 
Hi Stuart!

Happy New Year!

Yes, I found any type of Adult Formation to be really beneficial to me.

I took mostly Adult Bible Study classes, but some Adult Formation classes were not Bible study.

I recall one that was a class on the Catechism, so we had to bring our Catechism and we got handouts for that to study.

Another was a video/seminar.

I had a lot of fun. 🙂

I got to really get to know some of my fellow parishioners a lot better too, as we would see each other at these different series, and they would meet over a period of several weeks.
 
Osmosis by manual contact. I put my hand on the front door of the church, and all the sudden I know all these dogmas.
 
Hi Adam!

I enjoy your posts! Yeah, you’re right, it’s all there inside.

Stuart
 
Another suggestion: The Catholicism series, by then Father, now Bishop Robert Barron. Your church or diocese (or a library near you?) may have the DVD set. There is also a companion book which follows the video series almost verbatim.

He also has a lot of videos on YouTube on a wide variety of topics.

Some folks here at CAF don’t trust or like Barron, probably because he suggested (or at least spoke of the speculation) that Hell may be empty, or nearly so. In my opinion, he can be trusted, his theology is good, and we can safely listen to and learn from him.
 
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Hi Random!

Do you think that the Catholicism book alone would be worth looking into, since it follows the DVD series? I’m on a fixed income and can’t afford the full package.
 
Yes. The content is the same, except for a very minor changes to the wording (I guess because the book was edited after the video was shot). If you like to read, the book may be preferable.

Perhaps you can find one or both formats for free. For instance, my parish acquired a copy in both formats, showed the video in a series of weekly meetings, and lent out the book to interested parishioners.

It’s also possible that you could obtain the book inexpensively at a used book seller. Right now, alibris.com lists several copies at US sellers for about $4 plus shipping (usually another $4). Are you in the US?

P.S. I see that there is also a study guide for the series. I would not recommend that if you are on a tight budget.
 
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