My father-in-law is one of the fairest, most patient, and most virtuous people that I know. Hes always available to help out, his capacity for forgiveness is immense, and when hes unavailable its usually because hes caring for or teaching people in his community. Hes intellectual honest, and hes a profoundly decent human being. Hes also an atheist.
Hes part of the reason why I have respect for people in the atheist community, and why when I write about atheism I usually have positive things to say. I dont think its true that all atheists are fundamentally driven by selfishness, pride or immorality. Sometimes people are atheists because theyve been intellectual or morally scandalized by poor catechesis or by the bad behavior of those who represent the gospel. Others may just be like those laborers standing around in the marketplace who havent yet been called into the fields. Conversion, after all, is a grace that comes to us according to Gods timetable.
Ive found, though, that when I speak well of the atheist community people often believe that I must be one of them or very shortly about to join their ranks. Of course I cant guarantee that I will never lose my faith (nobody can), but an atheist Im definitely not.
I am a skeptic, and Ive been around for long enough to know that skepticism is a deep-seated personality trait that isnt going anywhere. Ive never been capable of the kind of faith that is comfortable and stable. I constantly question everything and Im always searching for better answers not just in order to be able to better answer other peoples doubts, but also in order to be able to answer my own. I have tremendous respect for those who are capable of simple childlike trust in God and in the Church. Im just not that kind of kid. For me, being like a little child means being like that 3-year-old who always has to ask a hundred-thousand whys.
This kind of skepticism does, I think, represent a kind of sincere fidelity to truth. Its a difficult form of fidelity, however, because Christianity is not simple, easy or clean. I dont just mean that in the sense that its complex, demanding and youll get dirty so you should gird up your loins and take up your cross. I mean that the beauty of the faith is constantly obscured by power games, superstition, simony, charlatanism and various other forms of self-serving vainglory. We dont receive a pristine doctrine, because the teaching that we receive is presented to us by sinful human beings. We receive the Body of Christ the Body of Truth scarred, broken, pierced and crucified.
Because religious truth is so often abused and misused, it can be tempting to just be done with it. For me, though, thats not really a live option. Basically, whenever I get to the point where I can no longer see God through all of the mirages and smokescreens that men have erected in order to make God into an instrument of human purposes, I have a crisis of faith. Usually, I decide that Im for sure leaving the Church. Often, I conclude that atheism is the only intellectually honest option.
Now, this is the point where I do something that I wouldnt do if I actually were an atheist. I go and talk to God about it. And God listens very patiently while I explain all of the reasons why I cant believe anymore. And we talk it through. And usually there are some jokes at my expense. And by the end of the conversation, I remember that ultimately religion is about forging a relationship with a Being who is my author, my creator, my lover and my friend. A Being who is infinitely greater than even the most beautiful human representations, and who can never be reduced to any simple human agenda. A Being who is both revealed and concealed in every molecule, every galaxy, every human heart, every word that is uttered, every inmost thought, and every grand historical movement. A God who is in all, with all, through all, for all, of all, beyond all, beneath all, and above all.
When it comes right down to it, this relationship is sufficiently real, sufficiently profound, and sufficiently important to me that Im not sure that Im actually capable of atheism. No matter how skeptical I may be, the fundamental claim that there is a God with whom it is possible to have a deep and life-giving relationship is one I find it impossible to deny. I just have way more first-hand experience of grace than I can easily explain away.
For me this is the bottom line. I know God. I love God. And having encountered Him, I cannot go back to being an atheist.
Read the rest here:
Why I cannot go back to being an atheist - Aleteia EN
- Chapel Hill police: Parking dispute may have led to triple shooting - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Chapel Hill killings shine light on particular tensions between Islam and atheism - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism and obesity - Main Page - Conservapedia - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Demographics of atheism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism - Main Page - Conservapedia - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- science against atheism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Conversations Regarding Atheism & Theism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- My Journey to Atheism - Part 5: Faith in God as an Adult - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Russell Brand Rips Stephen Fry's Atheism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Book about Jaclyn Glenn @jaclynglenn #freespeech #atheism #freethought - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Response to Atheism Episode 6 - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheist Analysis S04 E07: Interview With Peter Boghossian/ Street Epistemology /Atheism Evangelism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism Unleashed Presents.. 5 Stupid Questions... - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Follow-up to "Defining Atheism" - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism Implodes Hard - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- God, Science & the Big Questions: Leading Christian Thinkers Respond to the New Atheism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Does Atheism Lead To A Bad Society? - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism vs India Revisited 9 - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Robert Richert 'Communicating Atheism' - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- John Lennox exposes Peter Atkins and the truth of his Atheism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- My Testimony - from Atheism to Biblical Christian - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- How to Convert a Theist to Atheism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Materialism begets atheism removing inherent spiritualistic realization *Nouman Ali Khan* - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Creation,Evolution, Christianity and Atheism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism, World Religions 1 - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- How I Got Saved From Evolution/Atheism To Christ - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism - Why Atheists Are Atheists - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism Not Belief - War on Easter - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- A Christian defines Atheism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheist Dan Barker proves Atheism is madness - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- St. Athanasius & Why Atheism in on the Rise - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- LIVE Multi-Topic Hangout. Atheism, Christianity, My Personal Life With Sarah - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- The Deceit Of Atheism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism-is-Unstoppable-2: What a moronic video! - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Cool People in Heaven Song #freespeech #atheism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism-is-Unstoppable-2 is a douche. - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism - Man's Biggest Delusion - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism Unleashed Presents.. The Animated Atheist. - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Atheism is Irrational - Crazy Atheists Compilation - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Response to Atheism Episode 5 - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Neil deGrasse Tyson Talk Science Religion Morality and atheism. - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Is Atheism of the Devil? - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Is Atheism a "Man Thing"? - The Stats (+ muslims) - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Fr. Barron on Atheism and Philosophy - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Part 1 Election: Jacob and Esau; Atheism & Agnosticism Debunked - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- A Short Talk About Christianity VS Atheism - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- The Rules Of Atheism - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- A few current events relevant to atheism - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- Finish Drive Into City Of Lancaster, PA 2/11/15, Atheism Is An Ideology - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- 'The Atheist Experience' Responds To Me - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- Atheist Psychologist Admits Atheism is Unscientific - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- Understanding Atheism | Session 1 | Asadullah Ali - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- Atheism: No Good, No Evil, No Hope | Big Objections | Andrew Wilson - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- Atheism vs India Revisited 9a - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- Atheism is... - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- Hamza Tzortzis vs Lawrence Krauss - Islam or Atheism which one makes more sense? The Big Debate - Video - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Stupid Anti-Vaxxers - Eric Hovid on How Atheism Causes Suicide - Stupid Ads - DPP #83 - Video - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Theism vs Atheism with Christjahn Beck - Video - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Session 1|| Understanding Atheism|| Asadullah Ali - Video - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- New Atheism and a Meaningless Universe | William Lane Craig, PhD - Video - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Richard Dawkins slams video that claims to 'destroy atheism' - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- Atheism - New World Encyclopedia - Info:Main Page - New ... - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- Does Atheism Exist? - Video - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- Understanding Atheism | Session 5 | Asadullah Ali - Video - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- Understanding Atheism | Session 3 | Asadullah Ali - Video - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- Meeting of the Minds: Eve Reele - Moderate vs. Extreme Atheism 2/3/15 - Video - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- Understanding Atheism | Session 2 | Asadullah Ali - Video - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- Don't blame Atheism. - Video - February 17th, 2015 [February 17th, 2015]
- Bibles atheism moms why me? - Video - February 17th, 2015 [February 17th, 2015]
- A C Grayling - Atheism, Theism and Proof - Video - February 17th, 2015 [February 17th, 2015]
- 2 reasons why it's a bad week to be an atheist - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- North Carolina shootings do not represent Atheism - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Godless Voices Podcast 2/10/2015: Atheism is a Suicide Risk - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Religious Atheism - Video - February 19th, 2015 [February 19th, 2015]
- Session 3|| Understanding Atheism|| Asadullah Ali - Video - February 19th, 2015 [February 19th, 2015]
- Muslims targeted in the US - February 20th, 2015 [February 20th, 2015]
- Atheism can't CAUSE anything - Video - February 20th, 2015 [February 20th, 2015]
- Atheism is a Terrible Motivator - Video - February 20th, 2015 [February 20th, 2015]
- Oh No Is Atheism Destroyed - Video - February 21st, 2015 [February 21st, 2015]