5 Catholic Teachings That Make Sense to Atheists

[trotsky]

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/5-catholic-teachings-that-make-sense-to-atheists

Got this via PZ Myers - basically, this list (composed by a Catholic, not an atheist, can you believe that?) needs to be prefaced with the comment: "If you can get an atheist to admit for the sake of argument that the Catholic god exists, the following 5 things will make perfect sense!"

Or in other words, if you can accept that a world of wizards and dragons and other magical creatures exists right under our noses but hidden from our perception, you will be able to understand the Harry Potter series as non-fiction!

[ZombieHorde]

1. "Finally, I saw a system that made sense."

I hope she was laughing when she wrote that. I know I was laughing when I read it.

[laconicsax]

3. Oh, come on...you know that Apostolic Authority makes perfect sense!

Now shut up and start venerating Mary, who was totally a real person who totally got pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

[roody]

12. So did her mother, I hope you know.

[laconicsax]

2. The first comment is pure gold!

Is there evidence for any of these? No? Then they’re about a stupid as anything else religion has.

[onager]

4. She probably means those milquetoasty Old Atheists.

Not us fire-breathing, baby-chomping Gnu Atheists.

Thanks for bringing this over here. I read the Pharyngula thread. I believe somebody did some searches on the author, and found another list of "n Arguments To Convert An Atheist" or some such fantasy.

The Pharyngulites jumped right on the big flaw in Fuloshitter's theory: for those 5 arguments to make sense to us, first we have to agree that god exists.

Say what? If I stipulate that right up front, then I could be converted by any old lame-ass Xian apologeticist, like C.S. Lewis or maybe even Josh MacDowell.

I had the same unoriginal thought years ago, when people said I would "get Xianity" if I only slogged thru Aquinas and Augustine..because they explained "faith thru reason."

OK, but...I remember having the same reaction - "This is only rational if I agree that their specific Xian god exists. And I can't agree to that." So I was right back where I started. Except for my new belief, that Aquinas and Augustine were just 2 more holy con artists.

[trotsky]

5. And to add to the frustration...

"Fuloshitter's" (hehe) arguments are still lame even IF you grant her the initial proposition (which is kind of the point)!

[awoke_in_2003]

6. wait a minute...

I thought we were kitten chompers :)

[LeftishBrit]

7. Well, it's a misleading title for most purposes

The author is not saying that these are things currently believed by atheists, but that they are arguments that might be taken seriously when attempting to convert atheists.

Some atheists - certainly not me - believe in a version of (2): that people continue to exist in some sort of spirit world and can communicate with living people after death. In other words, it's possible to believe in ghosts and spirits but not in a God. Indeed, there are non-theistic religions such as ancestor worship that are based on such a principle.

None of the other Catholic teachings have any relation to anything that any atheists believe while still being atheists.

However, I have no problem with Catholics believing any of these things, so long as they don't demand that I believe them too.

[mr blur]

8. Well, they make no sense to this one.

"an articulation of a spiritual truth known to the human heart from time immemorial." ?

Pure bullshit.

[Kerrytravelers]

9. Wow. Is she just dumb or what?

If she thinks because the cc holds up Mary that somehow makes up for all the wizardry and foolishness, not to mention the anti-woman attitudes, as a woman I will suddenly go Yes! That's it! I can now believe! is just patently stupid.

[Kolesar]

10. The commentor fed poor Jennifer through the woodchipper...eom

[LiberalFighter]

11. Beyond belief