Fr. Philip Powell, OP makes some great points on seeking a good spiritual director.
For those who want to go deeper on the subject I highly recommend Seeking Spiritual Direction: How to Grow the Divine Life Within
One Christmas blessing this year was a couple days before Christmas The Raving Atheist announce he was now the Raving Theist in a post “Christ is Lord“. Three years ago he appeared in the atheist documentary “The God Who Wasn’t There” and so at first blush many might think this was a hoax. Especially since last year on April Fools another person who was part of the same documentary released a video singing a Christian praise song. Some of his friends such as Dawn Eden vouch for him on this and I believe that this is no joke.
I first became aware of the Raving Atheist blog over six years ago after he had commented on my old “Atheist to a Theist” blog. Some years later via Dawn Eden I discovered that he decided to rethink the language he used towards Christians and his “Godidiot of the Week.” From what I remember he as a pro-life atheist was reforming his opinions of Christians because of the ones he met in the pro-life movement. He decided to be much more civil in what he said. Since that time he would occasionally guest post on Dawn’s blog and helped produce the video for her book on chastity.
Over the years I have prayed for his conversion and I have tried to pray for a number of other atheists. Though I never prayed for them as consistently as I should. When I was an atheist I was also a pro-life atheist and so it was easy for me to identify with him. I am more happy than surprised by his conversion since I had thought him to be in the category of being an honest atheist – someone who would follow the truth wherever it lead. Most of the so-called “new atheists” I do not place in this category such as Professor Dawkins and his followers.
Conversions always give me great joy. Though part of it is a selfish joy since they remind me of my own conversion. I still like reading conversion stories and watching The Journey Home. Each person is an individual and while we are all touched by grace, we respond in different ways. There are often plenty of similarities, but each conversion is a unique answering to grace. I hope that the now “Raving Theist” will give us his conversion story.
As you might expect the atheist community is not exactly pleased by this announcement. Many of the “Now that you have been brainwashed into a cult” variety have commented in a post that has garnered so far almost 400 comments. I found it interesting that former atheist Jennifer of Conversion Diary noted that it was the comments by Christians on his blog that surprised her “they weren’t the unreasonable people I’d stereotyped them to be.” I can certainly relate to that sentiment. As a pro-life atheist I came in contact with pro-life Christians who I came to admire and they were not as brainwashed as I had come to believe. That they actually used reason to defend their pro-life beliefs and not just quoting scripture surprised me. Just as the first time I heard Saint Aquinas’ ways of knowing that God exists surprised me. People often build up stereotypes of groups of people they disagree with. As an atheist my stereotype of Christians was of unreasoning people who had blind faith and nothing more. This became more difficult to automatically go to with actual contact with Christians. Though since my conversion I have also found that many Christians have stereotypes of atheists. That their rejection of God is mainly a rejection of sin so that they can do as they please. While no doubt this is true of some, many atheists truly believe that reason leads you to reject the idea of God. I can only speak for myself and that I thought atheism to be true and even though it is quite stark as a philosophy I wanted to follow the truth.
P.Z. Myers (Biologist and Eucharist Desecrater) who use to be on the Raving Atheists forums had this response “Another mind poisoned“.
There’s an interesting analysis of the process of deconversion to be made here. I suspect he’s been getting a lot of personal support and attention from Christians actively interested in converting him over the years, and it’s that emotional massaging that convinced him to throw his brain out the window.
As somewhat who experienced that deconversion I missed out on the emotional massaging part since I didn’t have any personal attention and support from Christians other than prayer. It was an intellectual conversion inspired by grace. Though this is a concept that Myers and others are not enough of a “freethinker” to be able to see. His is the stereotype world where every Christian is a dumb ass fundamentalist with no brain. His world can not admit an intellect like Pope Benedict XVI or the Catholic intellects throughout history both theologically and scientifically. Somehow Mendel managed to be the father of genetics even though he was a monk that must have thrown his brain out the window. Louis Pasteur, Pascal, and countless others did quite well without their brains I guess. Think of what Thomas Aquinas could have done with a brain! But of course to admit that anybody could have an intellectual conversion and that reason could become a path to knowing God violates the atheist’s dogmas. So what part of the scientific method did P.Z. Myers use to determine Raving Theist’s conversion?
Raving Theist as of yet has not announced any details other than listing the Apostles Creed on his blog. While he gives the Catholic part of the Creed a capital letter we don’t know yet if he has become Catholic. I do hope he has simply because I believe the Catholic Church to be the truth, which is the only reason to believe anything. Besides if you are going to go with a “brain washing cult” why not go with the oldest one? We’ve have it down pat! Regardless I wish him the joy of the truth which takes much time adapting to after the desert of atheism.
“How much do you have to hate people to not proselytize.”
The Anchoress has a moving video of Penn Jillette encounter with a fan who gave him a bible. I also really liked what The Anchoress had to say in relation to this.
I remember Penn Jillette’s tirade against Blessed Mother Teresa which he has in common with fellow atheist Christopher Hitchens. Though Jillette seems like a much more honest atheist than Hitchens. So please send some prayers his way. Speaking as an ex-atheist I love the joy of truth and that truth was also born unto us.
On a side note I remember back in the early 90’s when Jillette was a columnist for PC/Computing magazine. He did one classic prank which I took advantage of. A fellow Chief who I had been working with at the time had just bought a new 386 computer and he was bragging about the price he got. I told him there was a better sale going on and have him a 1-800 number. Jillette had sat up and paid for the line and on the other end was a recording that sounded like a pitch from a computer business giving the specs on a great computer for the time at an extremely low price. The recording ends though berating the caller for believing such a amazing deal. It was a pretty cool prank.
From Fr. Jay Toborowsk
If a football coach tells parents their son needs to memorize plays to be on the team, the parents agree. If a priest tells parents their child needs to memorize prayers or facts about their faith to be a better Catholic, the parents argue.
If a soccer coach tells parents they need to get their child to team practices three times a week, the parents change work schedules and arrange carpools. If a priest tells parents they need to get their child to a practice before a big liturgy, the parents complain.
If a cheerleading coach tells parents that they need to raise money so the team can go to a competition at Disney World, the parents sell candy bars and wash cars. If a priest tells parents that they need to raise money so the altar servers can get new robes, the parents remark that “It’s always about money”.
If a school teacher isn’t pushing his/her students to read and do math beyond their grade level, then he/she isn’t thought to be doing their job. If a religious education program pushes students to know and understand their faith beyond their grade level, then the program is thought to be “unrealistic”.
Harry Forbes, the head movie and television reviewer for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) who previously had to change the rating on his review of Brokeback Mountain is at it again. This time he has given a quite favorable review to Milk based on Harvey Milk the first openly homosexual man elected to public office. Harvey Milk has become part of the martyrology of homosexual activists. The film which partly focuses on Milk’s assassin being a Catholic contains male nudity and male kissing and manages to get a L — limited adult audience rating.
LifesiteNews covers the story and has a statement from Fr. Euteneuer.
One thing cool about the internet is the international aspect. Last night I posted my YouTube parody video. This morning I am watching Fr. Roderick in the Netherlands as he records live his Daily Breakfast Show on ustream. During the show I see him go over to my blog.
and then plays the audio portion of my video on his show.
Today marks the sixth anniversary of when
I started blogging. So once again thanks to my readers for
having made blogging so much fun and for the many things I have learned
from you and other bloggers.
Speaking of bloggers who inspired me to
blog originally. Here I am sitting next to Mark Shea and Amy
Welborn whose comment sections on their blogs made me decide to start
blogging mysellf. Also in the picture is podcaster/blogger
Lisa Hendley.
In the decades immediately following the close of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), we witnessed an alarming deemphasis of doctrinal teaching in religious education in favor of an overly experiential approach. The result of this catechetical malfeasance was a generation-make that two generations-of poorly formed Catholics.
So while the feminists burned their bras and draft-dodgers burned their flags, catechists and pastors burned their Baltimore Catechisms, proclaiming liberation from the rote memorization of doctrinal formulas. But were we better off because of it? What were the fruits of the catechetical novelties of the 60s and 70s? Surely not practicing Catholics who know and love the Catholic faith.
Leon Suprenant goes on with the necessary caveats about memorization without a relationship with Christ and then quotes Church documents on the subject.
Archbishop Dolan tells the story of somebody he grew up with who was saved by the Baltimore Catechism. This man had become seriously drug addicted and the person he was with decided that they might as well just overdose themselves if they had no reason to go on living. That .unless he could come up with any reason to go on living he would just fix up an overdose. After some thought Dolan’s school friend replied "God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in heaven." This was enough to deter both of them.
Now I wonder how many people’s lives were saved by a felt banner?
John Gibson has some fun with a picture from the Call to Action conferences. I haven’t blogged about the larger than life puppets used at Mass there since CTA seems to do a good job of parodying themselves without my help.
Carnival of Homeschooling Mother’s Day edtion.World of Good.
Clayton reports on the numerous developments happening in the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis.
Feddie reports on the investigation by Senator Grassely in to prosperity gospel type ministries. While this idea is really bad theology it looks like the investigation is not much concerned about any actual wrongdoing.
TOR is giving away downloads of their book each week if you sign up at their site. The books come in PDF, html, and Mobi format. I have read the first two selections they have made available and enjoyed both novels so they are not just giving away stuff from the bottom of the pile. Baen Books has had their free library for awhile and I got introduced to some good authors and I later went on to buy some of their books and it looks like TOR will cause me to do the same.