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LINK: https://hanglberger-manfred.de/gaudium-et-spes-atheismus-en.htm |
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The Catholic
Church and Atheism 19. The root reason for human dignity lies in man's
call to communion with God. From the very circumstance of his origin man is already invited to converse with God. For
man would not exist were he not created by Gods love and constantly preserved
by it; and he cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely
acknowledges that love and devotes himself to His Creator. Still, many of our
contemporaries have never recognized this intimate and vital link with God,
or have explicitly rejected it. Thus atheism must be
accounted among the most serious problems of this age, and is deserving of
closer examination. The word atheism is applied to phenomena
which are quite distinct from one another. For while God is expressly
denied by some, others believe that man can assert absolutely nothing about
Him. Still others use such a method to scrutinize the question of God as to
make it seem devoid of meaning. Many, unduly transgressing the limits of the
positive sciences, contend that everything can be explained
by this kind of scientific reasoning alone, or by contrast, they altogether
disallow that there is any absolute truth. Some laud man so extravagantly
that their faith in God lapses into a kind of anemia, though they seem more
inclined to affirm man than to deny God. Again some
form for themselves such a fallacious idea of God that when they repudiate
this figment they are by no means rejecting the God of the Gospel. Some never
get to the point of raising questions about God, since they seem to
experience no religious stirrings nor do they see why they should trouble
themselves about religion. Moreover, atheism results not rarely from a
violent protest against the evil in this world, or from the absolute
character with which certain human values are unduly
invested, and which thereby already accords them the stature of God.
Modern civilization itself often complicates the approach to God not for any
essential reason but because it is so heavily engrossed in earthly affairs. Undeniably, those who willfully
shut out God from their hearts and try to dodge religious questions are not
following the dictates of their consciences, and hence are not free of blame;
yet believers themselves frequently bear some responsibility for this
situation. For, taken as a whole, atheism is not a spontaneous development
but stems from a variety of causes, including a critical reaction against
religious beliefs, and in some places against the Christian religion in
particular. Hence believers can have more than a
little to do with the birth of atheism. To the extent that they neglect their
own training in the faith, or teach erroneous
doctrine, or are deficient in their religious, moral or social life, they
must be said to conceal rather than reveal the authentic face of God and
religion. 20. Modern atheism often takes on a systematic expression which, in addition to other causes, stretches
the desires for human independence to such a point that it poses difficulties
against any kind of dependence on God. Those who profess atheism of this sort
maintain that it gives man freedom to be an end unto himself, the sole
artisan and creator of his own history. They claim that this freedom cannot
be reconciled with the affirmation of a Lord Who is author and purpose of all
things, or at least that this freedom makes such an affirmation altogether
superfluous. Favoring this doctrine can be the sense of power which modern
technical progress generates in man. Not to be overlooked among
the forms of modern atheism is that which anticipates the liberation of man
especially through his economic and social emancipation. This form argues
that by its nature religion thwarts this liberation by arousing man's hope
for a deceptive future life, thereby diverting him from the constructing of
the earthly city. Consequently when the proponents
of this doctrine gain governmental power they vigorously fight against
religion, and promote atheism by using, especially in the education of youth,
those means of pressure which public power has at its disposal. 21. In her loyal devotion to God and men, the Church
has already repudiated(16) and cannot cease
repudiating, sorrowfully but as firmly as possible, those poisonous doctrines
and actions which contradict reason and the common experience of humanity,
and dethrone man from his native excellence. Still, she strives to detect in the atheistic mind
the hidden causes for the denial of God; conscious of how weighty are the
questions which atheism raises, and motivated by love for all men, she
believes these questions ought to be examined
seriously and more profoundly. The Church holds that the recognition of God is in
no way hostile to man's dignity, since this dignity is rooted and perfected
in God. For man was made an intelligent and free member of society by God Who
created him, but even more important, he is called as a son to commune with
God and share in His happiness. She further teaches that a hope related to
the end of time does not diminish the importance of intervening duties but
rather undergirds the acquittal of them with fresh incentives. By contrast,
when a divine instruction and the hope of life eternal are wanting, man's
dignity is most grievously lacerated, as current events often attest; riddles
of life and death, of guilt and of grief go unsolved with the frequent result
that men succumb to despair. Meanwhile every man remains to himself an unsolved
puzzle, however obscurely he may perceive it. For on certain occasions no one
can entirely escape the kind of self-questioning mentioned earlier,
especially when life's major events take place. To this questioning only God
fully and most certainly provides an answer as He summons man to higher
knowledge and humbler probing. The remedy which must be
applied to atheism, however, is to be sought in a proper presentation of the
Church's teaching as well as in the integral life of the Church and her
members. For it is the function of the Church, led by the Holy Spirit Who
renews and purifies her ceaselessly,(17) to make God
the Father and His Incarnate Son present and in a sense visible. This result
is achieved chiefly by the witness of a living and mature faith, namely, one
trained to see difficulties clearly and to master them. Many
martyrs have given luminous witness to this faith and continue to do so.
This faith needs to prove its fruitfulness by penetrating the believer's
entire life, including its worldly dimensions, and by activating him toward
justice and love, especially regarding the needy. What does the most reveal
God's presence, however, is the brotherly charity of the faithful who are
united in spirit as they work together for the faith of the Gospel(18) and who prove themselves a sign of unity. While rejecting atheism, root and branch, the Church
sincerely professes that all men, believers and unbelievers alike, ought to
work for the rightful betterment of this world in which all alike live; such
an ideal cannot be realized, however, apart from sincere and prudent
dialogue. Hence the Church protests against the
distinction which some state authorities make between believers and
unbelievers, with prejudice to the fundamental rights of the human person.
The Church calls for the active liberty of believers to build up in this
world God's temple too. She courteously invites atheists to examine the Gospel
of Christ with an open mind. Above all the Church knows that her message is in
harmony with the most secret desires of the human heart when she champions
the dignity of the human vocation, restoring hope to those who have already
despaired of anything higher than their present lot. Far from diminishing
man, her message brings to his development light, life and freedom. Apart
from this message nothing will avail to fill up the
heart of man: "Thou hast made us for Thyself," O Lord, "and
our hearts are restless till they rest in Thee."(19) |
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LINK: https://hanglberger-manfred.de/gaudium-et-spes-atheismus-en.htm |
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