O
OneTrueCathApos
Guest
What are you now?
How many non-Catholics here, have read the Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis?
- Status
G
grampben
Guest
My copy just came through the post today 
It’s small and hardback though: which makes it physically harder to read for me, but I’ll get through it
It’s small and hardback though: which makes it physically harder to read for me, but I’ll get through it
C
cheese_sdc
Guest
It might.
C
cheese_sdc
Guest
I don’t know. All the labels I know don’t quite tell the right story. And I’m not crazy enough to start listing my beliefs so that y’all can start labeling me.
O
OneTrueCathApos
Guest
Well you said you use to be a Catholic, the church founded by Christ. Now you need to “list” your beliefs?I don’t know. All the labels I know don’t quite tell the right story. And I’m not crazy enough to start listing my beliefs so that y’all can start labeling me.
T
theistgal
Guest
I myself am a cradle Catholic. However, during my life I have been in and out of communion with the Church. At times I hung out with Protestants, and I can tell you that I never met a Protestant who refused to read a book simply because it was “Catholic”. (I’m sure they exist - just as there are Catholics who refuse to read books by Protestants.
How anyone can get through life without reading anything by C.S. Lewis is beyond me. 
But I digress!)
In fact, when I got involved with the “charismatic renewal”, books by Catholic charismatics were particularly in demand.
And as for the OP - the first time I came across a copy of the “Imitation of Christ” was in my grandmother’s bookcase.
My Methodist grandmother’s bookcase.
And it showed ample signs of having been read … many times through.
I thank God for all the good Protestants I’ve met in my life, whose good will and good faith (even when mistaken) helped me to find my way home. And I keep all of them in my prayers.
How anyone can get through life without reading anything by C.S. Lewis is beyond me. But I digress!)In fact, when I got involved with the “charismatic renewal”, books by Catholic charismatics were particularly in demand.
And as for the OP - the first time I came across a copy of the “Imitation of Christ” was in my grandmother’s bookcase.
My Methodist grandmother’s bookcase.
And it showed ample signs of having been read … many times through.
I thank God for all the good Protestants I’ve met in my life, whose good will and good faith (even when mistaken) helped me to find my way home. And I keep all of them in my prayers.
G
Guyonthestreet
Guest
Can you substanciate this claim. I am a non catholic christian, and Ive read tons of catholic authors, including a Kempis and Merton.
why would anyone refuse to read a book for fear it would make sense to them I, as a non catholic christian, read books of all sorts to learn, enjoy, and be challenged by.Ive never in my life looked at a book before buying it to see if it was a catholic book.
You, by your own admission, would never read or buy a book that does not have the imprematur. Guess that makes you more limited than those you accuse.
C
cheese_sdc
Guest
Umm. Perhaps you could re-read your original post.Well you said you use to be a Catholic, the church founded by Christ. Now you need to “list” your beliefs?
I said that used to be catholic.
You asked “What are you now?”
I said “I don’t know - no labels fit, and I won’t list my beliefs (in other words, give my personal ‘Creed’) so that y’all can label me (in other words - allow y’all to try to fit me in a nice contained box for your comfort, but not necessarily mine).”
Make sense now?
po18guy
Well-known member
Yes! A terrible, but very true comment on the sad state of Christian division. That Thomas a Kempis was Catholic is precisely the reason that some will never pick the book up. The truths contained therein do not matter to some. Browse the threads and you can almost name them. OK, you can name them.
However, being different from the Catholic church has driven much “non-Catholic” theology. If there is not a theological difference between the Catholic and other churches, why not just be Catholic?
O
OneTrueCathApos
Guest
Thank you.Can you substanciate this claim. I am a non catholic christian, and Ive read tons of catholic authors, including a Kempis and Merton.
Ive never in my life looked at a book before buying it to see if it was a catholic book.
You, by your own admission, would never read or buy a book that does not have the imprematur. Guess that makes you more limited than those you accuse.
O
OneTrueCathApos
Guest
I think it is funny when non-Catholics read all these Catholic books, yet refuse to join the church Jesus founded…what is wrong with this picture?Can you substanciate this claim. I am a non catholic christian, and Ive read tons of catholic authors, including a Kempis and Merton.
Ive never in my life looked at a book before buying it to see if it was a catholic book.
You, by your own admission, would never read or buy a book that does not have the imprematur. Guess that makes you more limited than those you accuse.
C
cheese_sdc
Guest
Have you read any books by C.S. Lewis? Why aren’t you Anglican?I think it is funny when non-Catholics read all these Catholic books, yet refuse to join the church Jesus founded…what is wrong with this picture?
G
Guyonthestreet
Guest
I read the Seven Story Mountain. Nothing in that book said to me, join the Catholic Church but it was interesting reading Mertons story. I was going to go on and give a massive list of authors Ive read that as far as I know are catholic and have dealt with issues of catholicism, such as Belloc and Newman and Chaucer and Corrigan, Hopkins and so on, prose, poetry and all the rest, but, the point really is, their words and pages in their books are not sprinkled with fairy dustI think it is funny when non-Catholics read all these Catholic books, yet refuse to join the church Jesus founded…what is wrong with this picture?
Just because one reads them, doesnt mean one automatically has a eurika moment. What they have to say may be interesting or challenging or both. Then again, maybe not. Depending on the reader.
T
theistgal
Guest
I think that’s very true and very well said. If God wants you to convert, He’ll provide the fairy dust at the appropriate time.the point really is, their words and pages in their books are not sprinkled with fairy dust
L
Lizziebel
Guest
Very well said on the topic of conversion, theistgal and Guyonthestreet!
I’m not sure if I’ve heard of Imitation of Christ before, but it looks like a really good book. The excerpt that somebody posted earlier in this thread was enjoyable. Maybe it’s in the local library…
Oh, it is! I’ll have to borrow it sometime.
I’m not sure if I’ve heard of Imitation of Christ before, but it looks like a really good book. The excerpt that somebody posted earlier in this thread was enjoyable. Maybe it’s in the local library…
Oh, it is! I’ll have to borrow it sometime.
T
theistgal
Guest
There are multiple editions and translations (at one time, among devout Catholics, it was considered second only to the Bible!).
I recommend you try and find the translation made by Monsignor Ronald A. Knox. He was an Anglican who converted to the Catholic Church, and wrote a lot of excellent books and sermons which are still in print. His translation of the Imitation is very well done and much easier to follow than some of the other ones I’ve come across.
L
Lizziebel
Guest
Thanks! It looks like they don’t have that particular translation, but I’ll keep my eye out for it. The catalog details says that the one they have is “a modern version based on the English translation made by Richard Whitford around the year 1530.”
T
theistgal
Guest
That would probably be good enough to give you the gist of it. It’s really a matter of taste (just as is your choice of a Bible translation for personal reading).
(P.S. - I just checked and Amazon has the Knox translation: amazon.com/Imitation-Christ-Thomas/dp/0898708729/ref=sr_1_1/192-9041631-8452134?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233082431&sr=1-1. I’d forgotten till now, but this edition has a really nice foreword by Fr. Benedict Groeschel!
)
L
Lizziebel
Guest
Ok, good! And thanks for the information that Amazon has it: thumbsup:
J
Jimmy_B
Guest
Hello Guyonthestreet, thanks,I read the Seven Story Mountain. Nothing in that book said to me, join the Catholic Church but it was interesting reading Mertons story. I was going to go on and give a massive list of authors Ive read that as far as I know are catholic and have dealt with issues of catholicism, such as Belloc and Newman and Chaucer and Corrigan, Hopkins and so on, prose, poetry and all the rest, but, the point really is, their words and pages in their books are not sprinkled with fairy dust
There are a few Catholic authors here, that you have listed that I haven’t read yet. Now, I’ll have to do my homework … I can see some new books in my future.
It sounds like your list of books is fairly long. When I saw Cardinal Newman on your list, I thought for sure that I would also see, G.K. Chesterton. Have you read any of his works?
As for the posters here, who have commented on non-Catholics, who refuse to read anything “Catholic”, I have met a few over the years and they were all from the Evangelical, Born-again crowd…that’s my experience.
Then again, I have heard comments from Catholics regarding Catholic authors, who they won’t read because the author is “too liberal”; Joan Chittister comes to mind.
I doesn’t matter to me, either way … I’m a big boy, so a little, liberal spin isn’t going to bother me one way or the other…but then again, I’m a little older and not very impressionable.
Most of the time , I read Saints and Doctors of the Church, about Catholic history and traditions…religious Catholic books on Catholic teachings on doctrine and books by Catholic Apologists, old and new.
Thank you for your post.
Jimmy.
- Status