{"id":2440,"date":"2008-09-24T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-09-24T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/standingonmyhead\/2008\/09\/not-quite-an-atheist\/"},"modified":"2008-09-24T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2008-09-24T11:00:00","slug":"not-quite-an-atheist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/standingonmyhead\/2008\/09\/not-quite-an-atheist.html","title":{"rendered":"Not Quite an Atheist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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A friend and I drove up to Belmont College near Charlotte last night to hear Michael Novak deliver a lecture about his new book which counters atheism. It was a good chance to see the campus and learn more about the good things happening there. At these events it\u2019s amazing how many people I meet who are readers of this blog. <\/span><\/div>\n

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Novak said that in his discussions and debates with atheist Christopher Hitchens, that Hitchens once said, \u201cI don\u2019t believe in God, but I do believe in the numinous. I believe in the Transcendent.\u201d Duuh. That\u2019s what theists actually think God is. (We think He is more than that, but he is certainly not less than that) <\/span><\/div>\n

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What amazes me about the new wave of aggressive atheists like Dawkins and Hitchens is how little they actually know about real religion, real theology. Do they deliberately mis-characterize religious people? Do they deliberately propose that all religious people are ignorant flat earther, conspiracy type wackos? Surely they are aware that there are many people who are otherwise sensible, intelligent, accomplished, sophisticated and articulate people who are also devout believers. How do they deal with these obvious facts?<\/span><\/div>\n
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I suppose they would say, \u201cThese people may be smart, educated, articulate and cultured, but they just have an unfortunate blind spot. In that particular area they\u2019re just dumb.\u201d But the problem with this argument (apart from blatant bigotry) is that it cuts both ways. The religious person may well say of Dawkins and Hitchens etc: \u201cWell these guys are bright and articulate and witty and urbane and educated, but when it comes to spiritual matters they\u2019ve got a blind spot. in that area of life they\u2019re just dumb.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
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When faced with the great beauties of religion, the unparalleled sublimity of a Mozart Mass, Chartres Cathedral or Kings\u2019 College, Cambridge they are dolts. When faced with the complex masterpiece like the Ghent altarpiece, the humility of a hermit\u2019s cell, or the humane comfort that a priest brings to the deathbed of a dying woman, the heroic sacrifices of countless priests and religious for the poor and downtrodden, when confronted with the profound antiquity and timeless beauty of the Mass, the simple beauty of the face of a young Missionary of Charity or the grandeur of the Roman Church these guys are like pinheads in an art gallery who simply yawn. <\/span><\/div>\n

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They\u2019re like drug ridden rock and roll junkies at a concert of chamber music. Rather than being more sophisticated because of their atheism, they\u2019re less. They\u2019re like a junk food junkie who finds himself in a five star French restaurant. He would look at the exquisite menu in French and say, \u201cThis stuff is just dumb. I wanna hot dog and fries.\u201d Like any boorish adolescent they then think themselves clever and smart for rejecting what more enlightened people have discovered to be transcendental and sublime.<\/span><\/div>\n
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In many ways the proper response to them is not to get angry or argue or debate. Instead perhaps we should simply treat them like we do the idiot cousin in the family: we are patient and good humored because we realize part of them is missing. We are also compassionate and kind because they too are part of the family.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A friend and I drove up to Belmont College near Charlotte last night to hear Michael Novak deliver a lecture about his new book which counters atheism. It was a good chance to see the campus and learn more about the good things happening there. At these events it\u2019s amazing how many people I meet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":557,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nNot Quite an Atheist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A friend and I drove up to Belmont College near Charlotte last night to hear Michael Novak deliver a lecture about his new book which counters atheism. 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