City of God

By Saint Augustine

Catholic-ometer: 5 of 5

Enjoyability: 5 of 5

Having already read (and loved) some of Saint Augustine's other work, I had a feeling I'd really enjoy this one.  It is, after all, considered one of the most influential and famous works in the entire history of literature.  Even so, I was surprised by just how much I personally enjoyed it.

It's not enough for me to say that this book is totally, faithfully Catholic from start to finish, or to say that its reasoning is ironclad and compelling.  All of that is true, of course, but honestly, what I found most amazing about this book were two things.

First, Augustine chooses his terms much more carefully in this book than he did in "Confessions," which is good.  It helps to avoid confusion and ambiguity.  He's still not quite as precise in his wording as Saint Thomas Aquinas, but he is precise enough that almost anyone who wants to understand his words can, with a little effort.  The major obstacle to english-language theology is that so many words in english have numerous definitions, and can be interpreted in far too many different ways.  So, using very common words can lead people to draw false conclusions about what the theologian may be saying.  Almost never does that happen with this masterpiece.

Secondly, I found that the writings of this book reveal a clarity of thought and a very healthy world view on the part of the author, which I found very encouraging.  It's amazing how much you can learn about an author just from a study of their work, and it made me smile when Augustine spoke of human minds, hands, mouths, erectness of posture and so forth, describing man as the protagonist of the physical world, rather than a wretched thing that just wants to destroy everything else.  We get the opposite, and far less accurate view so often in modern culture, that even a short testimony to the contrary is a breath of fresh air.

Augustine's perspective on the world was a perspective on the world that he lived in (around the year 400,) but his explanations are clear enough, and his descriptions thorough enough that I never felt lost while reading about it.  In fact, if anything, I think Saint Augustine has helped me to learn a bit more about the days of ancient Rome.  I'll just add that to my list of things about this book that I was absolutely thrilled by.

Why Catholics Are Right

By Michael Coren

Catholic-ometer: 5 of 5

Enjoyability: 5 of 5

From the title, this book doesn't sound like the kind that deserves the same grade as the Pope's latest works, or the writings of the saints, but I know a rock-solid work on Catholicism when I read one, and Michael Coren's latest book is definitely such a work.

In this book, Canadian author and television show host Michael Coren goes over dozens of common attacks made by atheists against the church, and points out, step by step, just why the atheist attacks don't hold water, and why the Catholic Church is right about each and every point made.

As might be expected from the title, Coren's writing style is more than a bit flippant at times, and he comes off as more than a bit accusing when he talks about certain subjects, but no one ever said this book had to be polite or easy to take if you disagree with it.

I don't, by the way, disagree with it.  Not any of it.  Michael Coren is spot on about every single topic he brings up in this book.  The crusades, the inquisitions, Pope Pius XII, abortion, divorce, homosexuality, the abuse scandal, contraception, the Davinci Code, Opus Dei, etc and so forth.  Coren tackles each of these subjects head-on, and with a sharp and often edgy wit, speaks the honest truth about them.

As a Catholic living in a very paganized society, it sometimes becomes hard to face the world, and keep insisting (if not always aloud,) that their anti-Catholic remarks are just wrong, but Michael Coren seems to have found a way to do so, and I consider his book an inspiration, and of course, fine reading.