Thank God for Militant Atheists and Secularists!

The title of this post may seem strange to some. I really do mean it, though. The fact that militant atheists and secularists target the Catholic Church, specifically, and Christians, generally, is a great benefit to Christianity.

First, when atheists, specifically, and secularists, generally, attack the beliefs, traditions, and practices of the Christian faith, it does nothing but strengthen Christendom. After all the Christian worldview is solidly built on a reasonable, rational, historical, and internally consistent set of beliefs and values that are the under girding of the modern world. So, Christians have nothing to fear from secularism. A good read on this topic is the book by Thomas E. Woods Jr How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization. In that last 2,000 years, whenever a legitimate ideological threat has appeared to the Catholic Church, God has raised up a movement or person to respond to it. For example, God raised up St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, to organize to cogent system of philosophy to respond the Avicennism, and its misrepresented Aristotelian philosophy, that threatened the philosophical foundations of Catholicism. But wait, I am giving entirely to much credit to the "new atheism". I say this, chiefly, for one reason.

There is nothing NEW about this atheism. The likes of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett. Samuel Harris, and Christopher Hitchens have offered no new arguments against faith, Christianity, or Catholicism. There is no earth-shattering scientific discovery that they have presented. As for their arguments from philosophy or metaphysics, they are decidedly weak. At least, Jean-Paul Sartre and the old atheists like him were brave enough to draw out that the logical conclusion of their atheism and scientific naturalism was a complete collapse of any ethical system. All we are left with is the idea that might makes right; Friedrich Nietzsche's Übermensch (Superman). Remember the Holocaust? Ideas have consequences...or, does one easily forget the clear, ideological connection between Nietzsche and Hitler.

Second, I would like to express thanks to God Almighty for the bias of the secular media attack on the Catholic Church, in light of the child abuse issue. The secular media has done a worthy service in bringing this issue to the attention of the public. Truth be told, though, I would prefer that they give a more complete picture. The following points are good illustration of the manner in which the recent flurry is lacking.
1) Catholic Priests are, statistically, much less likely to be involved in sexual abuse of children that others.
2) Most of the reported cases involved priests and homosexual activity. Maybe a more fundamental problem has been turning a blind eye to priests with these tendencies.
3) Why the double standard? Why has the media and Hollywood types been so ambiguous about the heinous act of Roman Polanski and, conversely, led the charge to crucify priests? If Roman Polanski were a priest, would he have been given the same benefit of the doubt from the likes of MSNBC?
4) Much of the media coverage has been almost criminally inaccurate. See
From my point of view, all sexual activity, consensual or otherwise, between an adult and a child, is moral abhorrent and should be dealt with, legally. Also, I want to state clearly that my first concern is for those who have suffered such unjust abuse. My prayers are with them, and us all. Ruega por nosotros, Santa Madre de Dios!!!

If one is interested in the source of these points, please see "Pedophiles and Priests: Anatomy of a Contemporary Crisis" by Phillip Jenkins.

The bottom line, from where I sit, is that the gates of Hell with never stand against the Catholic Church, despite enemies internal and external. She, The Church, has taught consistently the same doctrines for the last 2,000 years, and several thousand more, if one considers the Jewish heritage of the Church. Therefore, I thank God for the recent attacks from atheists and secularist. On one hand, God will help Christians to answer the challenges; intellectually, spiritually, and more important, lovingly. Secondly, child abuse should be exposed and dealt with. As Saint Peter states in the Scriptures, "For it is time for the judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, how will it end for those who fail to obey the gospel of God?".

"Amados hermanos, ¿estáis afrontando muchas dificultades y pruebas?... Pues alegraos,
porque la prueba de vuestra fe da como fruto la paciencia, y el ejercitaros en la paciencia os hará perfectos y cabales, aptos para enfrentaros a cualquier circunstancia adversa que se os presente."