Non secular books

[guardian1]

i’m a protestant and i read non secular books. some of my fave authors include max lucado and joyce meyer. all of the books i read are written by protestants. if i become a catholic, do i have to quit reading these books because they are not written by catholics or doesn’t it matter as long as the book doesn’t contradict church teaching? thanks

 

[demerzel85]

i’m a protestant and i read non secular books. some of my fave authors include max lucado and joyce meyer. all of the books i read are written by protestants. if i become a catholic, do i have to quit reading these books because they are not written by catholics or doesn’t it matter as long as the book doesn’t contradict church teaching? thanks

Well personally I read Star Wars Books until the series where there was a paradigm shift from light vs dark to relativism. And as I Catholic I enjoy CS Lewis.

 

[Scottgun]

No. You don’t have to stop reading non-Catholic books. You don’t even have to stop reading books that are from a different religious perspective (though it might be imprudent depending on the specifics). We all of course ought not to read books *hostile *to the Faith. Even then we could read them if we intended to rebut them (which should be done under the supervision of a spiritual director.)

 

[Mirdath]

I’d actually encourage it. Reading different perspectives makes you think harder about your own

 

[Sr_Sally]

i’m a protestant and i read non secular books. some of my fave authors include max lucado and joyce meyer. all of the books i read are written by protestants. if i become a catholic, do i have to quit reading these books because they are not written by catholics or doesn’t it matter as long as the book doesn’t contradict church teaching? thanks

Certainly you don’t have to stop reading them. What I think you’ll find though is that there is so much wonderful Catholic writings–both older and recent–that you’ll have such a long reading list those other books will tend to take a back seat. I find that Saints lives are a wonderful place to start, such great examples of how to live the Christian life!

 

[Ruthie]

I have many of Max Lucado’s books. He was an excellent help for me as I grew as a Christian.

The Church once maintained a list of forbidden books. She no longer does.

It won’t hurt us to read “dangerous” books as long as we are strong in our faith. We shouldn’t read non-Catholic, and especially anti-Catholic books if we’re wavering on something. You can always ask your spiritual adviser, if you’re unclear.

I have to agree with Sr Sally; since becoming Catholic, I haven’t re-read any of 'em. I’ve been too busy with Scott Hahn, Frank Sheed, Peter Kreeft, Karl Keating… not to mention the Catechism!

As for Joyce Meyer, I watched her show once, while still Protestant, and turned it off after a few minutes. Sounds like the “prosperity gospel,” to me, and I never bought into that. It makes God into a vending machine. To quote that wonderful Protestant, C. S. Lewis, in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, “After all, he’s not a *tame *Lion.”

If you’re exploring Catholicism, an excellent book is Alan Schreck’s Catholic and Christian. Amazon.com has it.

 

[reunify]

Well personally I read Star Wars Books until the series where there was a paradigm shift from light vs dark to relativism. And as I Catholic I enjoy CS Lewis.

please expound on the star wars books… where was this shift? can you explain more… sounds interesting

 

[Andruschak]

i’m a protestant and i read non secular books. some of my fave authors include max lucado and joyce meyer. all of the books i read are written by protestants. if i become a catholic, do i have to quit reading these books because they are not written by catholics or doesn’t it matter as long as the book doesn’t contradict church teaching? thanks

I have read, and continue to read, Science Fiction and Fantasy. They are only stories. Now, James Joyce was a lapsed Catholic, but his books are considered masterpieces of 20th century literature, despite some language that, when they first came out, caused some of them to be censored.

I was raised a Protestant, became an atheist when I joined the US Navy, became a Unitarian Universalist when I joined AA, and finally made it to RCIA last year

 

[demerzel85]

please expound on the star wars books… where was this shift? can you explain more… sounds interesting

Well there was a gradual shift in the direction of relativism in the New Jedi Order Series and with the first book of the Dark Nest Series, it becomes the creed Luke Skywalker follows. I haven’t read any SW book since then. (Though if there is another X-Wing series… I wouldn’t mind )

 

[Janet_S]

i’m a protestant and i read non secular books. some of my fave authors include max lucado and joyce meyer. all of the books i read are written by protestants. if i become a catholic, do i have to quit reading these books because they are not written by catholics or doesn’t it matter as long as the book doesn’t contradict church teaching? thanks

CS Lewis was not Catholic, yet many people converted to the Catholic Church after reading his books. Many Catholic priests (including the Pope) recommend reading his books.

GK Chesterton led people to the Catholic Church long before he himself converted.

I used to watch Joyce Meyer on television and attended one of her conferences. I still like her, but I don’t watch her show anymore.

If you are interested in the Catholic Church, you should watch EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network). You can learn about many good Catholic authors by watching EWTN.