ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT

OUR LADY OF VICTORY FEBRUARY 28, 2016 INTRODUCTION

• Roots of Modern Atheism

• French Enlightenment

• Modern Atheism

• Our Response ROOTS OF MODERN ATHEISM • Scientific Method • Growth of science led to disregard of non-scientific methods for arriving at truth • Individualism & Subjectivism • Rejects authority à Self-interpretation of the Scriptures • • Christianity without doctrine, churches, public revelation • Supreme Being, right and wrong, of reward or punishment • “Divine Watchmaker” • Permits existence of , but pushes God to the side • Transition to Atheism • Edward Herbert ROOTS OF MODERN ATHEISM • Idealism • Regression to Platonism and his concept of “ideals” • Separation of mind from world à Separation from reality • Separation of mind from body • Mind “uses” body • Senses cannot be trusted • George Berkeley • Empiricism • Reaction to Idealism and emphasis on reason • Placed emphasis on senses for acquiring knowledge • Search for practical information as opposed to eternal truths • “Does it work; is it useful?” versus “Is it true?” • Leads to extreme pragmatism, utilitarianism, positivism • John Locke, , ROOTS OF MODERN ATHEISM • • “Blind ” • Eventually, faith opposes reason

• • “God everywhere” • God is not in world; God is world • God is “life force” in world • Scientists today continue to search for the “God particle” of atoms • Giordano Bruno & Baruch de Spinoza FRENCH ENLIGHTENMENT • French culture dominated 19th century • Diderot, Voltaire, Rousseau’s Encyclopedia • Radical rejection of • () Primacy of reason and scientific method • Secular Culture and State

• American War for Independence • British versus French heritage • Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America MODERN ATHEISM • Materialism • Only reality is material universe • Deny existence of spiritual: God, angels, , free will • Difficulty with altruism, friendship, charity, mercy • Atheistic materialism à Communism

• Rationalism • Anything that cannot be known with certainty is false • Anything spiritual opposes reason, so it is false • Misuse the truth-finding power of reason to deny ultimate truth… God MODERN ATHEISM • Scientism • Scientific method is source of truth • If it can’t be measured, observed, or experimented…not truth • Modern science has made progress, but that doesn’t exalt it as only source of truth • Evolutionism • No need for Intelligent Designer to explain human life • Lots of Catholic misconceptions • Human race did not evolve from dead matter • Popes and “Big Bang” • Relativism • Einstein and relativity - “theory of invariance” • Speed of light is the same, invariant • “Everything is relative… even science.” • Relativity, Uncertainty Principle & Chaos Theory applied to modern society MODERN ATHEISM • Relativism • Tsunami of everything previous coming together • Truth cannot be known à moral relativism • Moral relativism – “You can do whatever you want, so long as it does not hurt me.” • Denies moral absolutes • Nietzsche: “You have your way, I have my way. As for the right way, it does not exist.” • Denial of truth

• Results • Abortion • Divorce CATHOLIC RESPONSE

• Pursuit of Truth à in God

• Proof of • • first cause • argument from contingency • argument from degree • ("argument from design”)

• World of relativism today does not accept truth CATHOLIC RESPONSE We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires.

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Homily 18 April 2005 CATHOLIC RESPONSE Transcendentals • One • True • Good • Beautiful

CATHOLIC RESPONSE The truth comes to rule, not through violence, but rather through its own power; this is the central theme of John's Gospel: When brought before Pilate, Jesus professes that He Himself is The Truth and the witness to the truth. He does not defend the truth with legions but rather makes it visible through His Passion and thereby also implements it. ~ Pope Benedict XVI Light of the World BEAUTIFUL CHURCHES

Make beauty visible! BEAUTIFUL LITURGY BEAUTIFUL MUSIC BEAUTIFUL LIFE BE BEAUTIFUL!

BE A SAINT!

CHANGE THE WORLD!