If you are a Catholic who seriously takes your faith, or have been around religious discussion forums (online or offline) soon enough you will come across a barrage of very passionate anti-Catholic ideas and sentiments. There are certainly many religious groups with a bone to pick with Catholic Church and its teachings (it could hardly be otherwise with a religious group that counts more than a billion people as its members and a truly global reach over several millennia), but some of the most vociferous attacks seem to be coming from a particular kind of Protestant Fundamentalism. Many of us are frankly mildly shocked after our first encounters with this form of dogmatic anti-Catholicism. Not because they present new arguments that make us question our faith for the first time. On the contrary, most of the arguments are centuries old, and we are mostly shocked to find them repackaged in a new guise that is at times as childish and intellectually dishonest as they come. The only truly new invention seems to be the new level of animosity and vociferousness. If you have ever been in a situation where you have to talk to one of these Fundamentalists, you probably know what I mean. And if you would like to know more about where this "neofundamentalism" is coming from - historically and intellectually - then Karl Keating's book is the definitive resource. It covers most of the important topics that pertain to Fundamentalism - its origin, some of the current vocal fundamentalist Catholic-bashers, the tactics and arguments used by these groups, the long discussion on most prominent Catholic beliefs that are under the assault, and the most effective Catholic apologetic practices. The book was written in the late 80s, but for the most part it has aged well. Of course, one huge tectonic shift that has occurred over the past twenty years has been the advent of the internet, and many of the fundamentalist anti-Catholic groups have found this to be the most appealing and the easiest way of spreading their message. However, the message has remained largely the same, and in that respect "Catholicism and Fundamentalism" is as relevant today as when it was first written.
