Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Get Your Answer on Catholic Answers


Perhaps you have noticed the banner under the Joe Catholic logo from Catholic Answers. If you visit daily, you know that it changes each day. When you click on the banner you are taken to a page with questions that had previously been submitted to Catholic Answers. Before Catholic Answer existed as a radio program, it began as a series of written tracts created by Karl Keating in 1979. He wrote them in response to a Fundamentalist church that had left anti-Catholic leaflets on cars at a local San Diego parish during mass.

Eventually Keating wrote another series of tracts. Keating followed this up with a monthly newsletter in 1986. By 1988, Keating realized “real need for information on Catholic apologetics” and he quit his law practice and began work on a full-time apostolate. The apostolate grew quickly and the newsletter was soon replaced with This Rock, a 10-issue-a-year periodical. The magazine is arguably the best Catholic publication for the laity on the subject of apologetics and evangelization.

Catholic Answers also hosts one of the most comprehensive websites dedicated to providing solid catechesis. The site has a Library tab that contains a wealth of authentic Catholic material, including free tracts on frequent objections to Catholicism. The library also has Answer Guides, Special Reports, and online copies of some of their booklets. The site also contains an archive of This Rock back issues dating back to 1990 when the magazine was first published.

Catholic Answers also has an online store in which you can purchase books, CD’s and DVD’s of some of their speakers and writers. You can listen to Catholic Answers’ radio programming through the site. You can even schedule a Catholic cruise with members of the Catholic Answers team.

The one area that I think the site is lacking in is its forum where online discussions on various subjects take place. I don’t think the moderators are able to monitor well enough to respond to statements made by people who post who may not know what they are talking about. I would stay clear of this section if you are not firmly planted in your knowledge of Church teaching.

Overall the Catholic Answers website is a tremendous resource. I begin all of my research for presentations with a look at this site. I recommend you bookmark in your favorites.

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