Ask a Catholic

[Randy Carson]

I have a serious question for you Randy.  What are you here for and how is that working out for you?

I'm really curious.  Are you hoping [1] that knowing more about catholicism will sway some lost souls to join you in your beliefs?  Do you [2] just want more people to know more about your faith than what certain priests do with certain youngsters?  Perhaps you [3] want atheists to see that smart people can be believers?  Or maybe [4] you just want to make sure that as many non-believers as possible are fully appraised of God so as to ensure they don't qualify for the ignorance exception, thereby ensuring their eternal damnation.  

If you don't mind speaking openly about your aspirations here I'm sure more than a few of us would be curious to know.

Thanks.

PS - just thought of a couple more theories for why you're here.  Are you [5] looking to deliver pay back for the atheists who crash your catholic site?  Or possibly you [6] find that site boring and just find your exchanges here a bit more exciting.

I came to learn more about atheism. I've been doing Catholic apologetics for 10 years or so. I thought it might be interesting to broaden my skills to Christian apologetics. Islam and Atheism are two areas of concern that I, as a Christian, have about the future of the world. So, I decided to chat with you folks.

And I must say, it's been a far different experience than I expected. Atheists are often depicted in the media as being the really smart people, the brainy science types, and the books and articles that I have read were based upon really complex philosophical arguments. 

So, to find that this site is mostly about venting anger and sophomoric humor has been a bit of an eye-opener...but that, too, has been educational.

For example, until a few days ago, I didn't really understand the depths of the 'myther' lunacy, but now I know that group is really a fringe of atheism...not taken terribly seriously by more educated atheists.

I'm also learning that a lot of atheists have emotional reasons for rejecting God. They were hurt as children, hurt in an abusive marriage, etc. These folks are just pissed off...and it's not terribly conducive to logical discourse when the other side is blinded by anger. I'm not saying I don't blame them, btw, but I think the anger is misplaced...and definitely misdirected at me. 

I think the other big category of atheists is the "volitional" atheists...the ones who simply don't WANT to acknowledge God - as God. They may be living with their boyfriend/girlfriend or using contraception or deeply addicted to pornography, etc. To admit that there is a holy God who expects all of us to be Holy (and makes it possible) requires giving up these pleasures. There's more to that, but the bottom line is that everybody wants to sit upon the throne of their own life...but there is another king to whom we owe fealty.

Finally, yes, there are intellectual objections to Christianity. Real ones that cannot be dismissed or taken lightly. This just doesn't seem to be the place where those issues are aired. Christianity is not being taken seriously enough here for that to happen.

So, I'm enjoying the discussions, learning a lot, and trying to provide Catholic Answers as best I can. Hopefully, you're benefiting in some way, too.

Peace.