Mother disappointed with atheism

[TaylorCat]

Further to my previous post, I have read through some of the book “The Irrational Atheist”. Whilst I think it is worthwhile to address the arguable shortcomings with some of the most prominent atheist thinkers, does the book ever address the heavy burden of proof that is required to substantiate god claims in general?

Am I right in assuming that the answer each time will be to “have faith”?

I’m only asking to better understand the position. Thanks in advance.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Further to my previous post, I have read through some of the book “The Irrational Atheist”. Whilst I think it is worthwhile to address the arguable shortcomings with some of the most prominent atheist thinkers, does the book ever address the heavy burden of proof that is required to substantiate god claims in general?

Am I right in assuming that the answer each time will be to “have faith”?

I’m only asking to better understand the position. Thanks in advance.

That’s a book I would never recommend. The guy who wrote it is a complete nut, not a theologian, a racist, and calls himself a Christian (Evangelical Southern Baptist), but does not believe in the trinity. If you’re interested in reading books that try to make a logical case for god, there are better ones out there.

I would recommend Robert Spitzer. He wrote a book a few years ago that tried to logically prove the existence of god. It was pretty good from a philosophical and even from a logical standpoint. However, he does misrepresent some of the aspects of physics that he talks about, so if something really stands out to you in that regard, verify it.

 

[TaylorCat]

Thanks for everyones replies.

Are there any books people would recommend that give an easy to understand history of the Catholic church?

I have been browsing the forums for a while now, and it sounds quite interesting.

 

[pensmama87]

Thanks for everyones replies.

Are there any books people would recommend that give an easy to understand history of the Catholic church?

I have been browsing the forums for a while now, and it sounds quite interesting.

Devin Rose’s If Protestantism is True is good for an introduction, although the book is aimed primarily at Protestant Christians. The book has been discontinued and has been revised into a new book called The Protestant’s Dilemma, which I think Catholic Answers is publishing, but it hasn’t come out yet. The author grew up atheist and then converted to Christianity as an evangelical, then became Catholic.

The book goes into some of the common myths believed about Catholic history and explains them, as well as what the implications for believers are (obviously taking a Catholic perspective). I found the book helpful because when I decided I needed to learn more I knew next to nothing about Catholicism besides the “everybody knows” parts, which are largely untrue or greatly exaggerated.

The Catechism is also good just for explaining what the beliefs are, and it references not only the Bible but also many documents throughout Church history. It’s not necessarily an “easy read,” but it’s a very good reference (you see it pop up here on the forums a lot.)

 

[TaylorCat]

Devin Rose’s If Protestantism is True is good for an introduction, although the book is aimed primarily at Protestant Christians. The book has been discontinued and has been revised into a new book called The Protestant’s Dilemma, which I think Catholic Answers is publishing, but it hasn’t come out yet. The author grew up atheist and then converted to Christianity as an evangelical, then became Catholic.

The book goes into some of the common myths believed about Catholic history and explains them, as well as what the implications for believers are (obviously taking a Catholic perspective). I found the book helpful because when I decided I needed to learn more I knew next to nothing about Catholicism besides the “everybody knows” parts, which are largely untrue or greatly exaggerated.

The Catechism is also good just for explaining what the beliefs are, and it references not only the Bible but also many documents throughout Church history. It’s not necessarily an “easy read,” but it’s a very good reference (you see it pop up here on the forums a lot.)

Thank you for the recommendation!

I think it will just be something “light” to begin with. I have read quite a number of atheistic books now so I suppose i need to address the imbalance.

 

[TarkanAttila]

Thank you for the recommendation!

I think it will just be something “light” to begin with. I have read quite a number of atheistic books now so I suppose i need to address the imbalance.

That’s a very reasonable approach.

Might I recommend a reference book about early Church history, “The Fathers Know Best” by Jimmy Akin. It lists a number of Catholic beliefs, and what the Church Fathers have to say about them in different places by different men - as well as giving different biographical sketches of who these men were. You can look at the references Jimmy makes, and you can find most of the books he references at places like ccel.org or newadvent.org.

Personally, I like the Church Fathers’ wisdom. Though you won’t find any great historical proofs there; it seems most of the Fathers “prove” Jesus is the Son of God and saved us from sin through prophecy. Make of that what you will. It says to me personally that, even as close to the events as Ignatius of Antioch (c. 108 AD) or Justin Martyr (c. 150 AD) are, the historicity of the existence of Jesus and His crucifixion are unquestionable. If His existence were questionable, it would seem to me they would need to address such the point. But that’s my amateur point-of-view; again, make of it what you will.

 

[Prodigal_Son]

TaylorCat,

I would highly recommend you read Peter Van Inwagen’s testimony. It’s a relatively short read. Van Inwagen was an atheist who became one of the three or four best philosophers of the 20th century. Then he converted to Christianity, and the entire philosophical community was dumbstruck. He has some really wise things to say about how both atheists and theists practice groupthink, and what it means to assent to Christian authority – which does not always involve actively being convinced by it.

The testimony is at:

informationphilosopher.com/solutions/philosophers/vaninwagen/quam_dilecta.html

Truth to tell, human beings don’t get much smarter than Peter. So I think he’s at least worth a listen for an intelligent young person like you.

Peace,
Prodigal