Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons? A good question.

The title may sound like a silly question, but it is really quite clever. The catchy title doesn't fail to draw people to the book either. Though the answer to this question is one of the few "we don't know" responses to 200 questions from Catholic teenagers, this book provides clear answers to many tough questions teenagers ask.

"Did Adam and Eve Have Belly Buttons?", written by Matthew J. Pinto and published in 1998 by Ascension Press, includes 12 chapters of questions on God, creation and man, religion and the Bible, Jesus Christ, Catholicism and The Church, Catholicism and other faiths, Catholicism and society, Catholic living, Catholic belief and practices, Catholic morality, Catholic prayer and worship and miscellaneous questions.

Other resources in the book include a guide to confession, examination of conscience, bibliography and other resources the reader can turn to.

Pinto gives answers to actual questions from Catholic teenagers. When the Catholic truth is presented clearly and with conviction, Pinto says that young people don't run away from the "tough" teachings. "Young Catholics are looking for a rock on which they can stand," he said. "They're looking for a firm foundation in a changing world. The Church's teaching offers this rock-solid foundation."

A visiting priest at my parish did a homily on Catholic apologetics prompted by an anti-Catholic tract he found in a Catechism at a local bookstore. This was one of the books he recommended not only for teenagers, but for adults as well. This was the first book to sell out at the next Lenten book fair. It's funny, the week before I had given this book to my nephew whom I sponsored at his Confirmation. My only hope was that he or at least someone in the family would read it. I went out and got another copy so I could read it further and maybe pass it on to someone else.

From question one-is there really a God, to question 200-As a youth, I feel alone and left out of the Church. Are we truly welcome to be a part of the parish family, this book covers a myriad of church teachings, some of which adults may be afraid to ask about. Take a look for yourself. You may learn something. I sure did.

Many of the books I talk about can be ordered through the various links I have listed. Check them out. You may also find them at your local Catholic bookstore if you are lucky enough to have one close by.

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