Brought to you by Minnesota Athiests.
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New billboards have popped up in two locations in the Twin Cities. The message: the saving power of atheism. They read, “Please don’t indoctrinate me with religion. Teach me to think for myself,” and “We are all born without belief in gods. Learn how to be a born-again atheist.” this is missionary atheist evangelization loud and clear.
Did I just say atheist evangelization? Yes I did. These billboards proclaim the “gospel” of atheism. By ‘gospel’ I mean a proclamation that announces liberation to a world held captive in the darkness of evil & ignorance. Great, so the atheists agree with the Church that there is a problem with humanity; we just differ on the solution. As to the content of the messages: The Church does teach you to think for yourself. She recognizes that we were created to use both faith and reason to arrive at Truth. To try to use one without the other is bound to keep you in the clutches of ignorance. Are we really born without belief in gods and so should become born again atheists? Sure! If by atheist you mean not believing in (let alone worshipping) some petty deity or fairytale grandfather in the sky who just does things for you and makes you feel good Catholics neither believe in, nor worship, such a thing. Our God is not a thing – He is bigger than “thing-ness.” He is not a sort of being, He is Being itself. Everything else that exists only does so because it participates in His existence.
We agree with atheists that humanity is captive to evil and ignorance. This is the gospel that the Church proclaims: God became man (Jesus) to conquer evil and ignorance, and advance the kingdom of love by allowing humankind to share in his Divinity That man and woman can be “born again” (the sacred rite of baptism) to be made sons and daughters of God, is the fullest human dignity possible.
Actually, there is nothing “born-again” about atheism at all. Atheism is the narrowing of the universe to fit into a narrow mind. Atheists think all that exists is less than what can be conceived in the human mind. They only acknowledge what fallible human sense organs tell them; this is the darkness of ignorance. Catholicism recognizes that there are more things in heaven and on earth than can be dreamed of in our minds. Freedom from evil and ignorance comes from the liberating power of God. Christ’s mission on Earth was to be teacher and Savior. This is real enlightenment. This is real healing for a wounded humanity.
-Cameron Thompson