The Catholicism Answer Book Exposed

Brother Michael Dimond

The Catholicism Answer Book is another gigantic book authored by “Fr.” John Trigilio and “Fr.” Kenneth Brighenti. 

These men were also the authors of the heretical book, Catholicism for Dummies.  Please see my article and video on that heretical book.   They can be read and watched at: Catholicism for Dummies Exposed and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbZOWJfm_VI In this article, I will expose The Catholicism Answer Book.  The Catholicism Answer Book is a large book that claims to answer the 300 most frequently asked questions about Catholicism.  It is true that the book does accurately answer some questions about Catholicism.  Unfortunately, it gives heretical answers to many other questions, as I will prove.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 39: “Question 23. Which version of the Bible should I read?  [Answer] Someone of the Protestant Christian faith will want a Protestant Bible, whereas a Catholic Christian will want a Catholic Bible.” (Sourcebooks, Inc. PO BOX 4410, Naperville, IL.)

In answering the question: “Which version of the Bible should I read,” a Catholic would simply state, “A Catholic Bible.”  But no, the heretics give the ecumenical and heretical response: “Someone of the Protestant Christian faith will want a Protestant Bible, whereas a Catholic Christian will want a Catholic Bible.”  This “answer” is not even an answer.  Notice how they call a Protestant a Christian.  They also call Protestantism the “Christian faith.”  The Catholic Church only considers Catholics Christians, and it only considers Catholicism Christianity.  But, to the heretics who wrote this book, the fact that Protestants deny numerous critical teachings of the true Church means nothing.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 74: “If baptism is necessary and Christ is the only way to salvation, then does that mean only Christians go to Heaven? No.  Anyone who through no fault of his own has not consciously or willingly rejected Christ and His church is not culpable (guilty), and God does not punish us for things for which we are not responsible.  Besides the baptism of water, there are also the baptism of blood and the baptism of desire… If it is not their fault that they do not know and believe that Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation, or that he founded the Catholic Church to accomplish that [sic] salvation of souls, then their ignorance of the truth will excuse them from being deprived of the joys of heaven.  They will be judged according to the morality of the life they lived on earth.  Whatever faith they had, they will be judged as to what they did or did not do with that faith.  The Catholic Church condemned and excommunicated those who said only formal (baptized and registered in a parish) members of the Catholic Church are saved.  The proper understanding of the axiom extra ecclesia nulla salus (outside the church there is no salvation) is explained in Question #243.  Since the Church believes in the universal salvific will of God – that He offers everyone sufficient grace to be saved even though it is only efficacious to those who accept and cooperate with it – there is also the teaching that many non-Catholics and non–Christians are saved implicitly.  They are considered “anonymous” Catholic Christians.  God-fearing Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Taoists, Buddhists, and those of faiths who do not know that Christ and His Catholic Church are necessary for salvation, and as a result have not deliberately rejected Christ or His Church are not penalized for what they do not know.  So the Catholic Church does not teach that Protestants and Jews and Muslims and other non-Catholics go to hell simply because they are not Catholic.”

They teach that people of all religions will be saved as long as they maintained some level of morality in their false religions.  This is blatantly heretical.

Pope Gregory XVI, Mirari Vos (# 13), Aug. 15, 1832:  “This perverse opinion is spread on all sides by the fraud of the wicked who claim that it is possible to obtain the eternal salvation of the soul by the profession of any kind of religion, as long as morality is maintained… without a doubt, they will perish forever, unless they hold the Catholic faith whole and inviolate (Athanasian Creed).” The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 81: “Question 57.  What is Limbo? [Answer]  The word ‘limbo’ is not in Scripture, and it is not in the Catechism, either.  It was never a dogma or doctrine of the Catholic Church.  If anything, it was a theory or hypothesis of theology, technically called a theological conclusion or construct.”

They put Limbo in quotation marks as if it isn’t a teaching of the Catholic Church.  Contrary to what they state, Limbo is a defined teaching of the Catholic Church.  It’s a part of Hell where there is no fire.  It was defined at the Councils of Florence and Trent that unbaptized infants are not saved but go to a part of Hell.  This place was confirmed to be the Limbo of the Children by Pope Pius VI.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 89: “Question 61.  Can I get grace only from the sacraments?  [Answer] … There is a theological concept known as the ‘anonymous Christian.’  This means that if a person through no fault of his own did not consciously and deliberately reject Jesus Christ and His one true Church, and if that same person follows his faith to the best of his ability according to held beliefs, then by the merits of Christ on the cross, he can still be saved.  He is only accountable for that which he knows.”

There is no Catholic concept of an “anonymous Christian,” but only a heretical concept devised by modernist heretics.  The authors go on to state that if a person followed his false faith “to the best of his ability according to held beliefs,” he can be saved.  This means the person could have been a rabbi who followed modern Judaism or Talmudism.  He could have spent his life attempting to convince people that Jesus wasn’t God and that people who follow Jesus cannot be saved.  The person could be a viciously anti-Catholic Protestant “minister” who spent his life attempting to convince people that all Catholics will go to Hell and Catholicism is a counterfeit Christianity created by Satan.  The person could have been a Voodoo high priest and spent his life worshipping Satan, and he could be saved according to these heretics.  The more aggressive and the more energetic he was in following his “faith,” and attempting to get people to follow his “faith,” will increase his chances to be saved, according to these apostates.

Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, The Athanasian Creed, Sess. 8, Nov. 22, 1439: “But it is necessary for eternal salvation that he faithfully believe also in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ...the Son of God is God and man... This is the Catholic faith; unless each one believes this faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.” The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 93: “A famous declared excommunication took place in 1953 when the Vatican punished a Boston priest, Father Leonard Feeney, for his refusal to recant a distorted teaching on the principle of extra ecclesia nulla salus (outside the church there is no salvation) He erroneously and publicly maintained that only Catholic Christians could go to heaven and Protestants would go to hell unless they converted to Catholicism.”

This really shows the ignorance of these men.  When Father Feeney was “excommunicated,” absolutely nothing was stated that the “excommunication” was for a belief he held.  But that doesn’t matter to apostates like these men, because they are evil.  It’s also interesting to note that heretics like this, who do not believe one bit in the necessity of Jesus Christ or the Catholic faith, are major proponents of “baptism of desire” and the “excommunication” of Fr. Feeney.  That’s quite revealing about the forces behind those two ideas.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 94: “The sacraments of Penance, Holy Eucharist and Anointing of the Sick can be administered to members of Eastern Orthodox Churches not in full communion with the Catholic Church, if they spontaneously ask for them and are properly disposed.  The same applies to members of other Churches which have all seven valid Sacraments, like the Polish National Catholic Church in the USA and Canada.  Finally, a Catholic in confession who is not ready to give up the sin, confess, and make amends might be deterred from receiving absolution until a time when the penitent is ready to make the firm purpose of change.”

Here you have them admit what others have tried to deny, namely, that members of Churches not in full communion with the Catholic Church (non-Catholics) can receive Penance, the Holy Eucharist and the Anointing of the Sick from priests or Churches which profess to be Catholic.  This is completely heretical.  The Catholic Church teaches that no one outside the Church can have their sins remitted.  The Church also teaches that those who receive the Eucharist outside the Church receive it to their own condemnation.  They then state that a Catholic who is not ready to give up mortal sin “might be deterred” from absolution.  This is outrageous.  No, a Catholic who states he is not ready to give up his mortal sin must be refused absolution.  Their answer just proves once again how heretical these guys are.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 100: “The word martyrdom derives its meaning from the Greek martus which means “witness.”  A Christian martyr witnesses to Christ through thoughts, words, and actions; sometimes this comes into conflict with the society; and he is killed as a result.  One important distinction must be made between the original and authentic use of the word ‘martyr’ and the distorted and erroneous application used by terrorists and religious fanatics.  Martyrdom is a passive activity, that is, one is martyred for his or her faith.  People who intentionally kill themselves and others are not real martyrs.  The Christians who were slain by the Roman Empire for nearly three hundred years were martyrs.  The Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust (Shoah) were martyrs.  Anyone of the Islamic faith who is murdered just because of his or her religion is a martyr.”

A martyr is a witness who dies for the Catholic faith.  These apostates state that Jews and Muslims who died for their false religions are martyrs.  What incredible apostasy!

The Catholicism Answer Book, Pages 101-102: … all religions have bits of truth in them, and if a person follows his or her religion to the best of their ability according to the rules of their religion, then it is believed that he intuitively desired baptism… It is not enough to be satisfied with being an anonymous Christian.  Rather, it is better to know the one true Lord and Savior.”

This is truly ridiculous.  According to them, it’s not necessary to be baptized; it’s also not necessary to know or believe in Christ; and, on top of that, it’s not necessary to even desire baptism.  According to them, if you follow your religion (whatever it may be) you are counted as having desired baptism.  They state that someone who follows his religion to the best of his ability is to be believed to have desired baptism.  This is heretical nonsense.  They then say it is better, not necessary, to know the Lord and Savior.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 142: “The Catholic Church has always taught that the homosexual inclination is disordered.  It distinguishes the sexual orientation from sexual activity.  Whether the orientation is biological, psychological, or social, in most cases it is believed to be involuntary; hence, there is no culpability merely for the inclination.  The sinfulness comes not in the homosexual orientation, which is, however, disordered, but in the acting out of the orientation – any and all acts of homosexual activity.  It is not sinful to have the homosexual orientation, but it is sinful to engage in homosexual behavior.  The Church still considers the orientation disordered but recognizes many homosexuals do not choose to have this inclination.”

By stating that many homosexuals do not choose to have their homosexual inclinations, they are stating that God created them with their perverted inclinations, which is a total blasphemy.  They also repeat their belief on this matter numerous times in the paragraph.  It’s clear they don’t want to offend the homosexuals.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 137: “Natural Family Planning is a moral and ethical way to use morally acceptable means to guide the number and frequency of pregnancies.”

According to these ministers of Lucifer, you can guide the number and frequency of pregnancies.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Pages 200-201: “The husband and wife, as mother and father, have a right to make moral and reasonable plans in terms of the size and spacing of their children.  As long as moral means are used, then it is up to the couple to decide when and how many children to have with the constant proviso that God may have other plans…  Finally, recent studies have shown that long-term use of birth control pills has increased the risk of breast and uterine cancer in many women.  Natural Family Planning needs no prescription, has no health risk, costs nothing, and involves both the husband and wife (so that one spouse isn’t taking it easy while the other assumes all the responsibility).  It can be used to space births, and to avoid pregnancy or to facilitate it, since it is based on the unique and personal fertility cycle of the woman.”

Contrary to what they say, a husband and wife have no right to determine how many children they are going to have.  Notice how much they love to promote the diabolical contraceptive practice of NFP.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 142: “…the original intention that God has for marriage, namely love (unitive dimension) and life (procreative dimension).”

Throughout this book, the authors, when talking about marriage, always list love first and children second as the order in marriage.  This was taught by the arch-apostate John Paul II.  This was never taught until after Vatican II.

Pope Pius XI, Casti Connubii (# 17), Dec. 31, 1930: “The primary end of marriage is the procreation and the education of children.” Pope Pius XI, Casti Connubii (# 54), Dec. 31, 1930: “Since, therefore, the conjugal act is destined primarily by nature for the begetting of children, those who in exercising it deliberately frustrate its natural powers and purpose sin against nature and commit a deed which is shameful and intrinsically vicious.”

Besides this primary purpose, there are also secondary purposes for marriage, such as mutual aid, the quieting of concupiscence and the cultivating of mutual love.  But these secondary purposes must always remain subordinate to the primary purpose of marriage (the procreation and education of children). 

Pope Pius XI, Casti Connubii (# 59), Dec. 31, 1930: “For in matrimony as well as in the use of the matrimonial right there are also secondary ends, such as mutual aid, the cultivating of mutual love, and the quieting of concupiscence which husband and wife are not forbidden to consider SO LONG AS THEY ARE SUBORDINATED TO THE PRIMARY END and so long as the intrinsic nature of the act is preserved.” The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 148: “Deacons may proclaim and preach the word of God and distribute Holy Communion that was consecrated at a Mass previously.  A religious sister, brother, or nun may also lead a celebration outside of Mass and also distribute Holy Communion consecrated at another Mass.” The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 155: “A person who is dealing with habitual sin in the sacrament of Penance might not be in the state of mortal sin because the freedom of the will has been reduced.”

This is outrageous heresy.  A person who commits a clear mortal sin is in a state of mortal sin.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 164: “The possessed rarely become possessed because of something they have said or done.  Just like physical injury can indiscriminately hit the good and the bad alike, one should never think or conclude that only the sinful, evil or immoral people get possessed.  The only reason these things happen is so that the power and majesty of God can be manifested when the possessed are delivered from their bondage, and we see clearly that good triumphs and is victorious over evil.”

Did you get that?  They say that a possessed person rarely gets possessed because of something he has said or done.  Then they state that “the only reason these things happen is so that the power and majesty of God can be manifested when the possessed are delivered from their bondage, and we see clearly that good triumphs and is victorious over evil.”  In other words, the sins and wicked decisions of men play no role at all in why people become possessed!  According to them, it’s only for God’s glory!  That is totally contrary to the teaching of the Catholic Church throughout history.  These guys are just apostates!

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 168: “Question 125.  Can Catholics be cremated? [Answer] At one time, cremation was not permitted for many reasons.  First, pagans often cremated their dead, so for Christians to bury the dead in sacred ground was a firm statement of belief in the resurrection of the dead and the afterlife… The old Code of Canon Law of 1917 forbade the practice of cremation as recently as 1963.  In 1963, a concession was provided in limited circumstance as long as the Christian did not deny the resurrection of the dead and the immortality of the soul…. In 1997, the Catholic Church allowed cremated remains to be brought into the Church for the Mass of Christian burial.  Before this date, the body had to come to the church first for the funeral Mass, and then sent to the crematorium.”

They admit that the traditional practice of the Church, which is reflected in the 1917 Code of Canon Law, is that those who wished to be cremated were automatically excommunicated and refused Church burial.  Of course, all of that has now been changed by the Vatican II Counter Church.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 190: “Eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia are not gluttony since they are illnesses.”

Bulimia is definitely a sin.  It involves the sins of gluttony and vanity, and it’s sinful because it contradicts the right use of reason.  But these apostates believe that you can be saved in any religion, so it’s not a surprise that they don’t believe almost anything is a sin.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 211: “The previous law (1917 Code) considered the burial of a publicly excommunicated person in a Catholic cemetery or blessed grave to be sacrilege.  The current law (1983 Code) makes no mention of it.”

That’s right; nothing is sacred to the Vatican II Counter Church.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 219: “If an employed man robs a homeless woman of her one and only dollar, that would be a mortal sin.  Were the same person to rob a millionaire, it would be sinful, but only a venial sin.”

To deliberately take a dollar from another man is a mortal sin.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 54: “As Pope John Paul the Great once said…” The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 301: “Pope John Paul the Great allowed them…” The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 378: “Pope John Paul the Great who shepherded the church…” The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 294: “When Pope John Paul II is canonized a saint, he will very likely be given the title of ‘Great’ and be made a Doctor of the Church.  He wrote extensively in philosophy and theology, and was the greatest teacher of our time.  In addition to his holiness, Pope John Paul II was an erudite teacher, who instructed not only his Church but also the world in the areas of morality.  These are some of the qualities that the Church looks at when it proclaims a saint to be a Doctor of the Church.”

No comment is necessary to describe the evil of these statements, if you are familiar with what John Paul II taught, did and promoted.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 312: “Ex cathedra statements are part of the extraordinary papal Magisterium.  Since only two of these have ever been made so far, that tells you how extraordinary and rare these are.”

As covered in the article Catholicism for Dummies Exposed, this statement is completely wrong.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Pages 317-318: “Does this mean that the Catholic Church is right and the others are wrong?  No.  It means that the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth (revelation) and the fullness of grace (sacraments), whereas the other churches have some but not all.  If there are seven sacraments and a church only offers two, or if divine revelation comes from both Sacred Scripture (Bible) and Sacred Tradition, but a church only teaches from one source, then the members are only getting part of the graces and part of the truth available.  What they are getting is real, but it is not the totality and fullness of what God offers.  Think of it as attending a school where only addition and subtraction are taught.  What you learn is true.  The school across the street, however, teaches addition and subtraction but also multiplication and division.  One place you get some truth, the other you get all of it.  Rather than who’s right and who’s wrong, the question is who has the most to offer?... Many good Protestants, Jews, and other non-Catholics can and do get to heaven by living good moral lives and trying to conform to the will of God; they just do not know what they were missing.”

This is outrageously heretical, illogical and dishonest.  It’s a complete lie.  They declare that Protestants are only getting some of the truth, but what they get is valid.  They use the example of a church that might teach only from one source (Scripture or Tradition), instead of both Scripture and Tradition as the Catholic Church accepts.  They also give the example of a church that might only have two sacraments, instead of seven.  What they have is valid, they say, even if it’s not complete.  This is illogical and false.  For even if we compare what the Protestants say about the two sacraments they accept (baptism and marriage) with what the Catholic Church teaches on those two, there are contradictions.  Likewise, if we compare what the Protestants say is the meaning of certain verses of the Bible, with what Catholicism teaches about the same verses, they are contradictory.  Hence, both cannot be valid.  One is true and the other is false.  To declare that the other religions are not wrong, as they do, is astounding apostasy!  They also say that Jews and others will get to Heaven by “living good moral lives.”  This has been specifically condemned by the Catholic Church.   These guys are rank apostates whose unbelief emanates from the stinking pits of Hell.  They are right there with the worst idolaters in the Old Testament who spiritually prostituted themselves on every hill, accepting and worshipping all kinds of false gods.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 373: “The word ‘militant’ in ‘Church Militant’ does not mean the church is hostile to nonmembers; it is not making war between Catholics and Protestants, or Christians and Jews or Muslims.  It is militant in that the church is at war with sin and Satan.  Racism, bigotry, terrorism, exploitation of women and children, pornography, abortion, euthanasia, sexual licentiousness, lust, greed, anger, and sin in all its forms are the enemies of the church.”

This paragraph is heretical.  They indicate that their war is not against false teachings and religions but only against the sins they list.  That means that heresy is not a grave sin!

Pope St. Pius X (1910): “It is a certain, well-established fact that no other crime so seriously offends God and provokes His greatest wrath as the vice of heresy.” (Editae Saepe # 43) The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 383: “Catholic ecumenism does not try to impose unity, nor does it pretend complete unity exists… Ecumenism seeks to avoid name-calling, and rather than presenting doctrines in an either-or context, tries to show that Catholicism firmly believes she has the fullness of truth and grace, but that other churches also have some truth and some grace.  So, it is no longer ‘We’re right, and you’re wrong;’ rather it is ‘We have the full and complete story.’”

In the real Catholic Church, true unity always exists.  Since these heretics are in a heretical “Church,” unity does not exist in their sect.  They also state that non-Catholic Churches have some grace.  No sins are remitted outside the Catholic Church and no graces flow from non-Catholics churches.  They also teach the heresy that heretical sects are not wrong.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 383: “… the Catholic Church does not mean that Catholics are somehow better than anyone else, since they’re not.  All men and women are equal in terms of their human dignity, worth, and value in the eyes of God and the Church.”

This is totally outrageous heresy.  All men and women are most certainly not equal in the eyes of God and the Church.

The Catholicism Answer Book, Page 385: “Question 300: Are Catholics Christian? [Answer] Yes, Catholics are Christian, as are Protestants and Eastern Orthodox Christians… Catholics are not better, smarter, holier, or more fun than Protestants, Orthodox, Jews, or Muslims.  Catholicism as a religion does see herself as having and providing more for her members, and the Church believes she can give all that her members need for their spiritual life.”

They say that non-Catholics are most certainly Christians.  This is heresy.  Then they go on to state that Catholics are not holier than non-Catholics.   This is also heresy.  Notice how often these disgusting heretics go out of their way to announce that they have no problem with false religions, that they believe non-Catholics (pagans and heretics) are fine and have salvation. Books like this are revealing because they demonstrate the level of apostasy and darkness that permeates the Vatican II Counter Church and those who embrace its teaching.