Being a Catholic Reader in the Modern World
One of the ideas that has animated this blog since its very beginning is that my understanding that a "Catholic reader" does not simply imply being a Catholic who likes to read nor that one prefers to read works written by Catholic writers or intended for Catholic audiences. In fact, in the sense I have always used the term on this blog, being a "Catholic reader" means having "catholic tastes"-- reading widely, not narrowly; being willing to confront ideas one does not already embrace, and to sift works for any truth they may contain. In fact, if the term means nothing else, being a Catholic reader means reading for truth even more than for enjoyment, truth being found even in works that don't pretend to be factual. I have often made the case that fiction and poetry are capable of conveying deeper truths than most nonfiction. Explicitly, I have presented a method for discerning the truth found in works of nonfiction, and implicitly, through my own disc