Prayer Challenge
Recently in the news has been the story of the blasphemy challenge where atheists post a video of themselves denying the Holy Spirit thus by their perspective invoking the unforgivable sin. Rational Responders suggest:
* Don't simply "deny the holy spirit." Give it your own personal touches. Possibly add extra blasphemy or maybe even a background story as to why you feel the way you do.
* Record your video in a Church or outside of a Church.
* Walk up to people on the streets exclaiming your joy that you deny the holy spirit, and how good it makes you feel inside!
* Mention "My name is ______ and I'm from the Rational Response Squad."
* Plug your own atheist website or project!
As with most atheists the thrust is mainly "that the Christian God doesn't exist" and if you have "the cojones to show the world." Of course they don't post videos of themselves denying that Mohammed was a prophet which might take a bit more cojones. No diatribes against Hindus or those of other religions.
Most of this is just dumb on so many levels and a total lack of even the basic understanding of what the sin against the Holy Spirit actually is - that it is final impenitence, perseverance till death in mortal sin. Something that can't exactly be uploaded to YouTube. If you deny what you conscience has already accepted as not true you are not exactly sinning in the first place. As a former atheist, atheist challenges like this don't really upset me - other than a touch of sadness of what they do not yet know.
I suggest a prayer project for these persons involved in this project. Simply pick one of the people who have posted a video for the Blasphemy challenge and pray for them and perhaps start a lovingly ironic Novena to the Holy Spirit for them. No need of posting a video to YouTube for this just pray and offer up any sacrifice you can for that person. I usually pick St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross as my choice for intercession for the conversion of atheists. She also passed through atheism on her journey into the Catholic Church who after the examples of some Christians she new and upon reading St. Teresa of Avila's biography exclaimed "This is the truth!" We can pray that they find who is the way, the truth, and the life.
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Great idea. I like Teresa Benedicta of the Cross but St. Anthony's my main man, so I'll check in with him. (St. Monica as well, of course.)
Divine Mercy chaplet would be a good addition as well!
St. Jude, as atheism is the truest lost cause.
Back in those thrilling days of yesteryear, when Catholic high schools still required two years of Latin, we had a beatnik kid in my sophomore Latin class who surreptiously wrote, "Non est Deus" on the blackboard (remember those?). He fancied himself as a great rebel, striking a pose for the liberty of all wacky sophomores to claim clandestine atheism. None of us thought much of the kid, his beat friends, his snake collection, nor his pose. And that is where the current struggle for the Rights of Atheists to be Imbeciles will wind up. Let us praise God for being the source and summit of humor as well.
Excellent idea. Thank you for posting it.
isn't the Word fantastic like that?! "This is the truth!" epiphanies are amazing. mine came as i was reading proverbs. i had been living the gay deathstyle to the hilt & was being drawn out of it in prayer. i was reading the book of proverbs when i came across 16:25 which changed my life: "there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." that turned me around. Deo Gratias!
Excellent post. I hope all of us do this. If we could only have the faith to believe in prayer like we say we do (and I speak to myself mostly) we would pray so much more than we do.
Jeron, do you have a website/blog/published testimony? I would be interested in hearing your story. God bless!
"The worst cross is to have no cross at all."~Bishop Fulton Sheen
connie, thanks for your support. i'm not a blogger; i only read them. no computer at home either - only at work. it's amazing i get anything done! lol.
I have been in argument with them on their website for the past few weeks. Pray for them! I especially ask for prayers for those among them who are ex-Catholics (especially Rook Hawkins).
Say, Jeron - get back to work! :) Seriously, you write very well. If you ever get a chance to blog, even just a livejournal, you might enjoy it.
I believe you used a word with a "c"that is a bad word in spanish.
If Michelle Malkin can say "balls", I think the Curt Jester can quote "cojones".
I never was an atheist, but I was an intellectual snob as an adolescent, thinking that I knew better than the Pope. So when I finally got confirmed at age 25, I picked Edith Stein/St. Teresa Benedicta as my confirmation name. Intellectual pride was (and is) my main failing, and I see how it operates in the militant atheist circles.
You see, "smart" people can't possibly believe such primitive twaddle about Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Sure, Augustine and Aquinas were smart fellas, but they were stuck in their particular times, and had no way of knowing any better. And on and on...
I definitely pray for them, as most of my friends from school are atheists. Most are not this childish, though.
Actually, it's 'cajones'. Originally I thought it meant 'boxes' (I confused the Tagalog word 'kahon'[box] with it).
On a more serious note, it is sad that people dare to do this now. But why do they only target Christians? They should target Jews,Muslims, Pagans, Animists, Hindus, Wiccans or anything else that believes in a Superior Being if they really are so strong and brave.
Actually, no, it's not "cajones", which means drawers. "Cojones" is Spanish slang for balls.