I find myself dealing more with Athiests than fellow Christians nowadays. Does one take precedent over the other?

To tell the truth dealing with Athiests is much more difficult than with fellow Christians. And it also seems as if most of the Apologetics going on today is within the Christian community rather than with the rest of the world. Am I seeing things wrong?

Also, how should one go about evangelizing to an Athiest?

-- Presence (jacobrainey@hotmail.com), November 29, 2003

Answers

Who do we evangelize? Anyone who's not a Catholic. :) I agree with you that most Catholic liturature is targetted towards Protestants. There's certainly nothing wrong this abundance, but I am concerned with the terrible paucity of materials for agnostics and atheists, whose ideas constitute the greatest threat to the future's society and culture. IMO, the Protestants themselves are much further ahead in this area. Maybe we can just let them do all the work, and then convert Protestants. :) I think it was Cardinal Newman who called Protestantism the "halfway-house to atheism," but the way things are now, Protestantism is more often than not the halfway-house from atheism to Catholicism. :)

The dialogue with atheists/agnostics is a central theme in the curriculum at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and it's where my personal interests lie. We're in the culture wars now, and we have to make sure our battlefronts are not left lacking for soldiers.

In any case, I can suggest some materials. G.K. Chesterton's "Orthodoxy" is an absolute gem. Also, Evelin Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited" is a fictional conversion story of an intellectual Oxford agnostic to Catholicism. Also, look for Cardinal Newman's, "The Grammar of Assent," in which he defends not merely Catholicism, but absolute devotion.

-- Skoobouy (skoobouy@hotmail.com), November 29, 2003.

The Bible ... says that what would it credit you to save the world but lose your own family?

Book, chapter, and verse -- please.

(If what you say is true, your "family" needs to get busy and bring you back into the Catholic Church, the only church that Jesus founded.)

-- (Proud@ToBe.Catholic), November 29, 2003.

We must not speak to our sisters and brothers as though we have the answers to all and everything...... For we are very much sinners ourselves!!!! For we are very much sinners ourselves!!!! For we are very much sinners ourselves!!!! But very very much aware of this truth..... Guided most prenly by the promptings of the Most Holy Spirit

And if He wills it to speal His Most Holy Truth!!!!

-- Padraig Caughey (padraigcaughey@hotmail.com), November 29, 2003.

Apparently, if you see this 100 times, you still refuse to believe it! You twist it, turn it, explain it away, and every other thing that you can think of... but here it stands, like it or not!

It firmly believes, professes, and proclaims that those not living within the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart "into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels" [Matt. 25:41], unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock; and that the unity of the ecclesiastical body is so strong that only to those remaining in it are the sacraments of the Church of benefit for salvation, and do fastings, almsgiving, and other functions of piety and exercises of Christian service produce eternal reward, and that no one, whatever almsgiving he has practiced, even if he has shed blood for the name of Christ, can be saved, unless he has remained in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church.

-- Carlos DeAngelo (Carlos@appleand eve.com), November 29, 2003.

The Bible tells us that we should start within our own house! It says that what would it credit you to save the world but lose your own family?

I'm afraid no chapter or verse will be provided us. Scripture nor tradition tells us anything of the sort. On the contrary. Christ tells us, "Let the dead bury the dead," and, "these are my mother and brothers: the ones who hear and believe."

-- Skoobouy (skoobouy@hotmail.com), November 29, 2003.

Gosh, Carlos.... it is a big, big blow to me to hear that everyone who is not a Catholic is going to HELL forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever......but then...I suppose it deserves them right !!!!!!

-- Padraig Caughey (padraigcaughey@hotmail.com), November 29, 2003.

Carlos,

You are about eight centuries behind the Church in the understanding of Catholic doctrine. Why remain ignorant? Why not read something current? If the Church does not possess the ability to infallibly interpret its own doctrine today, then it didn't have that ability eight centuries ago either, so why read anything? Why even call yourself Catholic if the Church's current teaching is so faulty that you have to resort to ancient texts? If the Holy Spirit guides the Church, then obviously both texts must be essentially correct, with the most recent one expressing the fullest understanding. If the Holy Spirit doesn't guide the Church, then there is no reason to accept either text as worth anything at all. Take your pick; but if you are going to be Catholic, you can't live in the past. It's gone. But the Church's doctrine remains faithful and true.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), November 29, 2003.

Thank you Emerald.

My answer to the others, without being facetious, is that, unless they believe this with all their heart, the people on the end of that list, won't be the only ones going to hell. Believe it, or stop being Catholic!

-- Carlos DeAngelo (Carlos@apple@eve.co,), November 29, 2003.

Carlos - read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept what is in it, or stop claiming to be Catholic. I suggest articles 846 to 848 as a starting point, as they address the specific area of Catholic teaching about which you are expressing such confusion.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), November 29, 2003.

When you're done, I might be able to point out how those texts can be taken in two senses: one which is consistant with what Ex Cathedra statement of Eugene IV, which itself was consistent with all Catholic understanding of the same doctrine which came before it... and then show how the texts you've just read can also be taken in a different sense which is deviant from Catholic doctrine and just happens to be, of all things, the product of private interpretation.

But who knows, I probably would be preaching to the choir. At least I'm glad there's more than a handful of people out there that might be coming to re-understand the same thing. Perhaps I'm myopic in that regard, which is hopeful. May the Virgin Mary open everyone's eyes to the truth again.

"Was Pope Eugene a (gasp!) bigot? Are YOU, Carlos? Is Emmie?"

Good thing you're doing the asking instead of the answering for a change.

-- Emerald (emerald1@cox.net), November 30, 2003.