Would the Catholic Verbum Free Book end up hindering the clarity of my Logos?

Benjamin Quek · 2024-12-02T21:08:34+00:00

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Hi, I'm new to Logos, would the Verbum free book end up hindering my Logos functions?

I've noticed Verbum Free Books but I am an evangelical Christian. I hope to start logos to get a more efficient and accurate search for sound Biblical theology, but I am concerned that the free books will hinder my search engine, AI and other functions.

e.g. I am searching for the meaning of a Bible text, read an incorrect explanation then realise it comes from the free catholic books. This would make me have to back track.

My alternative option which I feel is more efficient and respectful to Catholics is to buy 1 top-quality Catholic encyclopaedia or doctrine stance explanation, and then use it whenever I need to reply to someone.

Would be grateful if anyone could speak from experience. If I collect the free book, can I hide it away in Logos or find some way to bury it forever until I need to answer a Catholic?

Thank you

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MJ. Smith

Yes, you can hide books that you fear. From the Help file:

Hide Resources
Resources can be hidden so that they don’t appear in Library, Search, etc. There are two ways to accomplish this in Logos:
Note: This is not permanent. All hidden resources can be restored from the Hidden Resources section of Program Settings.
From the Context Menu
Open the Library (docking the panel may simplify the process).
Select one or more resources.
Note: Users can either hold Ctrl and select multiple resources one by one; or they can click the first resource and then click the last resource while holding Shift to select the first and last resources in addition to all those in between.
3. Hold down Opt (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) and right-click part of the selected area.
4. Choose Hide this resource from the menu to move the selected resource(s) to the Hidden Resources section in the Program Settings panel.
From Program Settings
Open the Library as a docked panel on one side of the screen and Tools>Program Settings on the other.
Scroll down to Hidden Resources in the [Program Settings] panel, and expand it.
Select one or more resources.
Note: Users can either hold Ctrl and select multiple resources one by one, or they can click the first resource and then click the last resource while holding Shift to select the first and last resources in addition to all those in between.
4. Drag the selected resources from the Library to the Hidden Resources section of the Program Settings panel.
Unhide resources
To unhide resources, do one of the following:
• Hover over the resource(s) in Hidden Resources and click x.
• Right-click the resource(s) and click Unhide.
Unhidden resources will be re-downloaded and re-indexed the next time Logos restarts.
Logos Help (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2024).

However, you will be hiding some very good scholarship because you don't have confidence in your ability to recognize errors. Unfortunately, all commentators make errors- including evangelical commentators so you will still get trash theology although it may be more subtle. You will also get some errors in the Logos tagging that could lead you astray. If you use any aids in Bible Study you are adding human error into your equation. Study and prayer are a better solution than hiding.

Benjamin Quek

Thank you for the guide. Will I be able to bulk reveal then hide them? E.g. If I want to temporarily reveal them, then hide them again.

MJ. Smith

You can hide multiples but revealing them is one by one. The way I actually handle the problem is by creating a collection of the books I trust most and search that collection when I want something resembling theological purity.

Aaron Hamilton

My suggestion would be to grab the majority of free books, unless something looks particularly off-putting to you. I would suggest adding a "Catholic" tag in your library to easily identify all the books that you consider to be Catholic for the future (it is certainly not always clear what a "Catholic" book is vs what is not a "Catholic" book. For example, consider the church fathers. Catholic or not Catholic? How about anyone before the Reformation for that matter? There's a lot of overlap and ambiguity between Catholic and non-Catholic resources.).

You may well find that as learning increases, many resources that you previously found undesirable begin to take on greater appeal.

Frank Hodges

https://community.logos.com/discussion/243904/would-the-catholic-verbum-free-book-end-up-hindering-the-clarity-of-my-logos

You can either hide it or tag it. Either way, I'd take advantage of the free Verbum book each month, there's some real gems in there. I personally would say just tag it and use it. The Catholic authors aren't as interested in converting us to Catholicism as we tend to think. Actually, us evangelicals are the ones who seem to be focused on converting them 😆.

Mateus de Castro

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1346987#Comment_1346987

From a Catholic: thanks for the honesty, brother. :)

P.S. - joking aside, never felt pressure from my protestant friends and colleagues. Just the occasional friendly quip and meaningful dialogue. God bless!