 | Father Richard James Cleary was born and reared in Wichita. After graduation from Cathedral High School in 1947, he attended the seminary operated by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey in Northwestern Missouri. There he came to appreciate the life of the monks and, having obtained the permission of Bishop Mark Carroll of Wichita, he became a monk of that monastery. After being ordained a priest in 1955, his superiors sent him to get his master’s degree at the University of Ottawa, Canada, then to study in Athens, Greece, and then in Rome, Italy, where he obtained his doctor’s degree in Theology. Finally, he spent a year of study at Harvard University. Later, Fr. Cleary was assigned to teach for many years in Rome. In 1998, he returned to Wichita, where he served in parish ministry at St. Mary’s Cathedral and at Blessed Sacrament parishes. In 2001, his abbot (superior) transferred him to Arkansas, where he served as chaplain of the Benedictine Sisters of Holy Angels Convent in Jonesboro, and helped in the parishes of northeast Arkansas. In March 2010, he was re-assigned to his monastery, Conception Abbey, Conception, in Missouri 64433. He can be contacted there at, 660-944-2877, or by email: rjcleary@juno.com. |
Religion
2003-08-01 11:28:00
What's the best way to approach an atheist?
Question: I have a good friend who has chosen to be an atheist. He is in his eighties. I cannot understand how anyone can choose a belief like this. I think if I was an atheist, I'd switch just in case the theists were right. Is there anything I can say that might persuade him to change his beliefs before it's too late?
Answer: In the Bible, in Psalms 14 and 53, it is stated: "The fool has said in his heart: 'There is no God.' They are corrupt and have done terrible things." The denial of God's existence is often a wish or a hope that there is no God, Who sees and knows the evil such an alleged atheist has done. Deep in their soul lies a suspicion that perhaps there might be an awful reckoning and punishment after death, which is "payback-time." So although your friend might claim to be an atheist, it is quite possible that he is not sure and, in expressing his lack of belief, is hoping you might confirm it. But, allowing that your friend is a convinced atheist, then he is indeed a fool! And "there's no fool like an old fool!" I don't think there is any argument that will persuade an old fool. Still, if he is really a friend, you might attempt to unsettle his conviction and plant some seeds of doubt about his position. If the theists (those who believe in God) are right, then he/she is dreadfully wrong, and in danger of the eternal punishment reserved for fools. If the theists are wrong, then neither they nor the atheists have lost anything. If the theists are wrong, then they have come from nowhere and are going nowhere. But, just in case God does exist, then wouldn't it make sense to get on God's good side before it's too late? Generally, theists are happier people than atheists.Usually by age eighty, the human mind is set in it's convictions; but not always. Everyday the Church receives new members, some of whom are elderly. As the atheist is your friend, you might present to him the ancient arguments for the existence of God. Some of these are: the established order of the universe, the regular recurrence of the seasons and climates, the balance in nature, the intricate construction of the human body - particularly the human mind, the great works of genius (e.g. the Mona Lisa by Leonardo DaVinci, the pyramids of Egypt, the marvelous discoveries of science, the compositions of Shakespeare, the variety and beauty of flowers and plants and animals, the fact that each snowflake differs from every other snowflake, etc.) These cannot happen by chance. Their very existence requires an ultimate Maker, an unmoved Mover, Who is able to create things and preserve them in existence and order. Theists call that unmoved Mover: God. The atheist has the problem of explaining how all these things came to be, if there is no God. Can a primordial "big-bang" theory explain the delicate designs of frost on a windowpane or a butterfly's wings? If chance or luck is the atheist's explanation, then how come chance or luck has allowed him/her a well-functioning body rather than a human head with the body of a snake, the hands of a bear and the legs of a jackass? How come your atheist is able to think, but his canary or his pet-rock cannot think? Is it conceivable that devils like Hitler and Stalin and Mao and Saddam should have the same end as Moses and Jesus and Ghandi and Mother Teresa and other great benefactors of mankind? Does not the atheist's sense of justice demand retribution for evil, as well as for good done in this world? God, by definition, is supreme Justice and Goodness and Wisdom and Love and Perfection. Why not join the billions of theists, who have decided to go with the idea of God, rather than opposing it with the stupidity of atheism, which is unable to explain the existence of the universe? Just because he denies the existence of God, does not make it so! After death, the alleged atheist will see clearly how foolish is the choice they made for atheism.
