Short Answers to Common Objections Against Religion

First published in 1909, this sharp little volume from Mgr Louis Gaston de Segur packs considerable intellectual punch into its modest scope. Segur was no mild apologist; he possessed a wit that could cut and a precision that made short work of his opponents' arguments. The book tackles three distinct fronts: first, the broad objections raised by freethinkers against Christianity itself; then the specific Protestant critiques of Catholic doctrine; and finally, the uncomfortable gap that sometimes exists between what Catholics believe and how they live. Segur's method is refreshingly direct. He doesn't hedge or qualify. Each objection receives a concise, logical response that aims to expose either the flawed premise or the double standard at the heart of the criticism. The writing occasionally carries a delicious pungency, a certain pleasure in dismantling a weak argument. For readers interested in the history of religious debate, this offers a fascinating window into the intellectual warfare of early twentieth-century Catholicism, where defenders of the faith took their opponents' objections seriously enough to answer them thoroughly.