Popular writer/media-man/theologian, Fr. Robert Barron, came up with what he titles the four "Youtube Heresies". They refer to some of the major objections people have against faith; more specifically the Catholic faith. They are great at reasonably countering unreasonable objections to faith.
The Meaning of the Word "God"
Modern day atheism often tries to debunk faith by coming from a warped definition of the word "God". What I mean by that is that they have a concept of God as some kind of mythical sky fairy or magical being or better yet an invisible friend. Renowned atheist Christopher Hitchens came up with the laughable misnomer flying spaghetti monster referring to God. What he meant by that is that there is just about as much proof for the existence of said spaghetti monster as there is for the existence of God.
This has never been the traditional Catholic approach to the question. St. Thomas Aquinas said that God is best described not as ens summum (the highest being), but rather as ipsum esse (the subsistent act of being itself). God is not a being among many and cannot be placed in any genus of being. Along with St. Thomas' definitions for God are his classic proofs for His existence. Thomas' proofs are very logical and simple and follow along the common path of human reason. Among his arguments for the existence of God are the arguments from the first mover, contingency, natural hierarchy, and the list goes on. If you have never read them before, you must. I don't want to go on and on about Aquinas (because that would take days) and the vast treasure trove of knowledge he has left us, but his insights and observations help us to see the rich intellectual tradition of the Catholic faith.
God of course cannot be proven any more then a math formula can be proven. What I mean by that is that no one can argue the objective reality that 2 + 2 equals 4. Although you cannot touch or see the formula itself, it is true and does exist. God Himself, who is not a being among many, but the subsistent act of being itself cannot be put into a little box and captured as if He was. He is the ultimate transcendent reality.
The vast majority of atheists and agnostics today, I would argue, do not believe not because of some serious intellectual reasoning, but out of sheer indifference. Fr. Barron would argue as do I that the classic arguments for the existence of God need to be brought back into the discussion room. As for atheists, I don't believe in atheists, therefore they do not exist.
Stay tuned for part 2.
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