If you want great writing from an ex-atheist turned Catholic, well obviously you read Jennifer Fulwiler and not me. She has written a Catholic Guide to Atheists and “Five Common Misconception about Atheists.” Excellent article and I totally agree with what the advice she gives.
I would add one more misconception “They really know there is a God, but deny him so they don’t have to repent.”
No doubt there are some that do indeed fit that description, but there is no purpose in assuming this of them. In my own case the actual existence of God was something I never gave any credence for most of my life since I just assumed science can explain everything and any mystery will be known in the future.
Atheists certainly are not of one mold and their reasons range the gamut. Many though are simply seeking the truth and they see atheism as an unpopular embrace of truth. The advice Jennifer Fulwiler gives is good and it is best to follow St. Paul in his dialog with the Athenians and looking for common ground and leaning towards natural theology over reference to revelation. Plus as applies to all apologetics, plant the seeds and let God provide the water. Even a well-crafted intellectual argument is not going to make a truth-seeking atheist convert on the spot. Conversion is almost always a long process, but solid apologetics can provide steps along the way of that long path. Plus as Jennifer suggested, praying is not pointless even for hardened cases and I have no doubt it was years and years of prayers by my wife that fed my conversion.
3 comments
Thank you, Jeff! And that is an excellent addition to the list. So true.
Just as your wife prayed for you, I had some aunts who rediscovered faith later in life praying for me for years before my heart and mind changed. It’s interesting to note that they started praying for me almost exactly when the first small seeds of conversion were planted in my heart.
Anyway, thanks for the kind words and the insightful additions!
“They really know there is a God…”
Not only do they know there is a God, they know it is the God that the Pope worships.
St. Monica could tell everyone a thing or two about hanging in there with prayer.