Top 12 Reasons Atheism = Stupidity (#10)

(This is my revised version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" renamed "The 12 Days of Atheism = Stupidity" -- it's basically the top 12 reasons why atheism is so securely grounded in stupidity -- the song goes like this...)

On the tenth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me...

Science

It's nice to see Catholics and Fundamentalist Protestants starting to come together on the age of the Earth and how to interpret the Biblical account of Creation written in the book of Genesis.

Pat Robertson of the 700 Club/Christian Broadcasting Network recently remarked "I know people will probably lynch me for this, but Bishop (James) Ussher, God bless him, wasn't inspired by the Lord when he said it all took 6,000 years. It just didn't." Ussher was a 17th century clergyman who first argued that the Earth was created in 4004 BC.

Pope John Paul II put it this way: "The Bible itself speaks to us of the origin of the universe and its make-up, not in order to provide us with a scientific treatise, but in order to state the correct relationship of man with God and with the universe. Sacred Scripture wishes simply to declare that the world was created by God, and in order to teach this truth it expresses itself in the terms of the cosmology in use at the time of the writer."

None of this contradicts the fact that the entire Bible (both Old and New testaments) is:

1) Inspired by the Holy Spirit
2) Inerrant in the original manuscripts
3) The infallible and authoritative Word of God

You might ask, "How can the Earth be 4.5 billion years old while at the same time the entire Bible is inerrant and infallible?" It's because the Bible isn't a book about science. The Bible is a book about faith, religion and a relationship with God.

The Bible doesn't contain any mistakes, and the Bible never has to be corrected. The thing is this... scientific data and Sacred Scripture both have to be interpreted by human beings -- and human beings make a lot of mistakes.

There's nothing incompatible between science and the Bible. For example, if the theory of evolution appears to be incompatible with the Bible, then maybe the theory of evolution is wrong (more likely, though, it's not that the theory of evolution is "wrong" but that the theory of evolution is "incomplete" -- and the theory of evolution will remain "incomplete" until it is in perfect alignment with the inerrant and infallible Word of God written in the Bible). 

Building a Civilization of Love

The Catholic Church helps build a civilization of love by sharing the good news about Jesus Christ: that a relationship with Jesus transforms a person's life in ways that have eternal consequences. But the "eternal consequences" don't just start after your biological body dies. The beautiful and wonderful consequences start now, and the consequences enable people to make the best possible contributions to building a civilization of love.

What does this civilization look like? It's a society and culture that is the most humane, just, and compassionate possible, and one which is the most conducive to the flourishing of human life. To make all of this possible, the Catholic Church also administers the seven sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick).

The sacraments literally contain the power, the energy and the love of God (grace). For example, when you get baptized, the same energy that powered Christ’s Resurrection becomes infused in you. That power and energy is what lifts you up from being a mere biological human to a child of God that can attain the fullest possible relationship with God Himself.

When you receive the Holy Eucharist at Mass, the actual body, blood, soul and divine nature of God penetrates your biological body in a unique way, unlike all of the other sacraments. The Eucharist is “the sacrament of sacraments” and, if you are predisposed to receive the power and energy contained in the Eucharist, your life will be transformed and raised to a more God-like level every time you receive it worthily. (Isn’t that a great reason to go to daily Mass?!)

The sacrament of Marriage gives you the power and energy of God you need to truly love your spouse (to put the needs of your spouse before your own needs). When you see so many Catholic marriages falling apart, that’s because one or both spouses are not keeping the fire of the Holy Spirit kindled in their Marriage.

Maybe someone stopped going to Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation. Maybe someone stopped going to Reconciliation (Confession) even though they really need it. And maybe someone just “fell away” from the Catholic Church because they were never properly educated (catechized) about the immense beauty, wonder and power available within the Catholic Church. If that sounds like you, well it’s time to come back! Visit CatholicsComeHome.org to learn more!

Building a civilization of love is also about helping poor people get the basic things they need to survive and even thrive. It’s about reaching out to people who are disabled or who are sick and need your help to get along in life. And most importantly, it’s about protecting the lives of the unborn and the lives of elderly people who are in jeopardy of being killed because their rights aren't recognized by the government’s laws.

When you actively participate in the Catholic Church and actively embrace the official teachings of the Catholic Church, you are playing a huge role in building a civilization of love. If you consciously reject any part of the official teachings of the Catholic Church you’re at big disadvantage in your ability to grow as a Catholic Christian. Your growth is stunted. You’re like a physicist who studies subatomic particles but doesn’t agree with Einstein’s famous equation E = MC2 because it doesn’t “make sense” to you.

If some official teachings of the Catholic Church don’t “make sense” to you, it’s because you haven’t fully explored them. Really.

For example, if you don’t understand E = MC2, you should try to understand it because that “learning process” will help educate you – help catechize you – about how and why the truth about reality isn’t always so obvious or so easily understood.

You can watch a movie called Einstein’s Big Idea or read an easy-to-understand book called E=MC2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation – and then start to think about the Catechism of the Catholic Church as the spiritual equivalent to E = MC2 (that is, if you find it difficult to agree with the official teachings of the Catholic Church).

If E = MC2 is too mundane for you, then just apply the same process to String Theory while reading a great little book called The Elegant Universe.