Dear Rich,
I used to run a free program that sent Catechisms to seeking Protestants and non-Christians but I no longer have the financial or operational means to do this anymore. Nevertheless, if you wish to go deeper, consider buying a cheap copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to learn everything we believe as Catholics.
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Another good read is By
What Authority, by Mark P. Shea.
I think it's great that you are going to start reading the Early Church Fathers.
I have only one concern. Their are Protestant and Catholic versions of the Early
Church Fathers.
Either one you bought is OK, but just remember a Protestant publisher who only carries
books by Protestant authors are not going to give you quotes from the Early Church
Fathers that back up Catholic beliefs. I don't doubt their quotes. I doubt what is
missing from their version of the
Early Church Fathers.
It's my understanding that these are Protestant publishers:
- Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
- Hendrickson Publishers
Unlike the 3
Volume Set by William Jurgen's, published by Liturgical Press,
Eerdmans and Hendricks probably won't share with you the quotes that affirm
the Authority of the Pope or the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist,
though historically, those quotes exist and can by found in Jurgen's 3-Volume set.
I personally, would look for a similar 38 volume set of the Early
Church Fathers from a Catholic publisher.
I respect your approach to reading other religious sources first then comparing them with what the Catechism and Early Church:
- thought
- taught, and
- died for.
I developed another web site to assist faith-seekers like you atBibleBeltCatholics.com.
I break the patristic age into three sections:
- Pre-Christian to through the second century
- the third through the fourth century, and
- the fifth through the eighth century
and I list quotes from various Church Fathers, the very first Christians, in each century. I have a final category showing you want the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches.
This way, you can decide for yourself and ask the question:
- Is what the Early Church taught what the Catechism of the Catholic Church generally teaching today?
I leave it for you to decide! But let's say you have a friend who is a skeptic about the quotes
I have put on this site — no problem. I allow any skeptic to download all three PDF files which were the source of most of my quotes.
Hope this helps,
We always welcome new visitors to our web site!
Mike
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