Friday, June 15, 2012

Vatican-Condemned Book Becomes Bestseller

A nun censured by the Vatican last week for writing a book on sexuality has gained national attention and her book has shot up the bestseller list, six years after it was first released. 

Sister Margaret A. Farley's book, "Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics," focuses on sexuality and veers from the Church's teachings on masturbation, homosexuality, remarriage after divorce, and gay marriage.

Before the Vatican censure, the book was listed as number 142,982 on Amazon.com's bestseller list. 

After news of the condemnation broke, the book shot up the lists, becoming the number one bestselling religious studies book on Amazon last week, and the sixteenth bestselling book overall.

This is the second recent censure of a text written by an American nun. In 2011, Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson's book, "Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God" was also censured by the Vatican. 

The criticism also follows the Bishops' recent investigations and censures of American Nuns and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). 

The investigation concluded that the nuns were promoting "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith," and were criticized for focusing on issues relating to poverty and healthcare.