Think about those times in your life when you have felt inspired to something really great. Where does that inspiration come from?
The Holy Spirit. God inspires us to do great things with our lives.
----Matthew Kelly

Welcome to The Not So Perfect Catholic!

Disclaimer: I am not a theologian, just a Catholic empty-nester trying to figure it all out. The views on this blog are my own.

Thoughts on Dismantling the Biggest Lie

Picture of the book "The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity" (Matthew Kelly) on a patio table.
Dismantling the Biggest Lie could take a lifetime. Matthew Kelly has published another excellent thought-provoking book. I had the privilege of reading his latest book before it was available to the general public. (Being a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador provided me with that privilege).

A Lot of Quote-Worthy Material

This book is chock-full of quotes you'll want to remember, so make sure you have your highlighter with you each time you pick it up. There is a lot of information in this book, so you'll want to make sure you have time to really stew on it.
Some of my favorite quotes:
💜 Focus on affecting what you can affect and you will have the most effect. It all starts with you.

  • This quote was right at the beginning of the book and it grabbed me from the get-go. 

💜  We even want to be perceived positively by people we don't like.

  • Oh. My. Gosh. This is spot on. I know that I do that exact thing. I say I don't care what someone thinks about me, but boy do I ever. 

💜  The first Christians differentiated themselves from society. Modern Christians blend in.

  •  Isn't this so true? Our modern culture tells us that we have to blend in; we are "weird" if we're different. 

💜  Life is for living, and the best living is done amid the ordinary things of each day.

  • We don't have to do any big, great things. As St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, "Do small things with great love." 

💜 Jesus instructed the apostles to go out and transform the world by making disciples of all nations. 

  • That's the key, in my opinion, to dismantling the biggest lie in the history of Christianity. 

💜 God uses those who make themselves available to him.

  • How often am I really available to God? How many times do I skip evening prayer because I spent time on social media or watching tv instead of making myself available to God? 

💜 It isn't that God has stopped speaking but rather that we have stopped listening.

  • I used to have to have some noise in the background at all times, whether it be the radio or the tv, even when going to bed at night. We have so much "stuff" going on, so much noise that we have stopped listening to God. 

Real Life Applications, Lies, and a Common Denominator

There's even some apologetics included in this book. Real-life applications to help you out when someone makes a comment contrary to Christian belief. During a discussion with one of my sons, he mentioned that there were some really bad Catholics in history and that maybe Catholicism isn't so great. Mr. Kelly asks us to look at other groups of people. Chances are, you'll find some "bad people" within that group but that doesn't make the group as a whole bad. Unfortunately, there are some teachers who have been found in compromising situations/relationships with their students. That doesn't make all teachers sexual predators.
Five of the biggest lies about Christianity is briefly discussed in the book, along with the Biggest Lie. Find out what the first Christians did to change the world and what we can do in modern times. Read 10 things that Mr. Kelly believes every single person who walks through the church doors have on their minds. (He hit that nail right on the head.)

The Bible and Social Media

As Christians, why don't we read the Bible more than we do? Mr. Kelly gives some very strong arguments to answer that question. Good, solid arguments that will have you nodding your head in agreement.
As part of the Biggest LIe, Mr. Kelly discusses social media (you'll want to check out my post on social media) and its effect on the Biggest Lie. This wasn't so much of an eye-opener to me as it was an affirmation.

So what is the biggest lie?  You'll have to read the book for yourself to find out. I'll give you a hint: it starts with YOU.
These are only my thoughts on dismantling the biggest lie. What are yours?

**This post also appears on Association of Catholic Bloggers.

2 comments:

  1. That sounds like a great book and I appreciate the quotes you chose to share! I think many of us really have stopped listening. We need to listen to what God is telling us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It really is a good book...gave me a lot to think about!

    ReplyDelete

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