How Atheism Is Being Sold to Your Children

January 1, 2009

From Patrick Madrid:

David Kupelian, author of the best-selling The Marketing of Evil, offers a meaty analysis of how militant atheism is gaining ground — lots of ground — across the United States, particularly in our schools and universities. 

 

One technique employed by atheists to discredit religion is to constantly equate the ongoing violence of Muslims around the world with “religion.” The fallacy runs along these lines: Muslims believe in God and are religious fanatics who murder people in the name of God and religion. Catholics, Protestants, and others also believe in God and are therefore also religious fanatics who [would if they felt they needed to] murder people in the name of God and religion.” That’s not a true categorical syllogism, but you get the idea.

 

Kupelian says:

 

“Remember, to atheists, Christianity, Judaism and Islam are all pretty much the same —dangerous monotheistic fairy tales that induce people to oppress and kill each other — the only difference being the particular myths, superstitions and rules they impose on followers based on each religion’s traditions and supposed ‘holy books.’


“Thus, the pathological fanaticism and hair-trigger violence exhibited by brainwashed jihadists around the world today are easily associated by atheists with all religions, especially when they call to mind abuses committed in past centuries — say, the Inquisition or the Salem witch trials – in the name of Christianity.


“Another major, if more long-term, factor contributing to the popularity of atheist books, Prager notes, is the ‘secular indoctrination of a generation,’ thanks to our de facto atheistic public school system:


“‘Unless one receives a strong religious grounding in a religious school and/or religious home, the average young person in the Western world is immersed in a secular cocoon. From elementary school through graduate school, only one way of looking at the world – the secular — is presented.

 

“‘The typical individual in the Western world receives as secular an indoctrination as the typical European received a religious one in the Middle Ages. I have taught college students and have found that their ignorance not only of the Bible but of the most elementary religious arguments and concepts — such as the truism that if there is no God, morality is subjective — is total. So the generation that has been secularly brainwashed is now buying books that reconfirm that brainwash – especially now, given the evil coming from religious people.’


“Finally, observes Prager, Christianity and Judaism have, with some notable exceptions, failed to effectively counter the ever-rising tide of atheistic secularism in the Western world. Pointing out that ‘it is virtually impossible to distinguish between a liberal Christian or Jew and a liberal secularist,’ he notes that all three ‘regard the human fetus as morally worthless; regard the man-woman definition of marriage as a form of bigotry; and come close to holding pacifist beliefs, to cite but a few examples.’

 

“Thus, with religious evil increasing in the world – thanks to Islam — and fewer and fewer people willing and able to confront it, Prager concludes ‘the case for atheism will seem even more compelling.’”

 

(read article)

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Father Barron on Spiritual New Year’s Resolutions

January 1, 2009

Satan: 2008 Was a Good Year For Me

January 1, 2009

From CMR:

Hi! Satan here. 2008 is gone and I’m quite frankly feeling a little sad about it. I don’t expect sympathy but looking back at the past year I’m stunned how productive I was and how great things went. I haven’t had this good of a year since…I can’t remember when.

First, the American election couldn’t have gone better. Barack Obama. Wow! One of the most religious countries (nominally anyway, heh heh) in the world just elected a guy who said he didn’t want his daughter “punished with a baby.” Folks, hehehe, Americans just elected a President who boasted that he would push for the killing of his own grandchild and nobody even cared. I mean, this guy bragged that he would lift any and all restrictions on abortions and America yawned. Now, I don’t mean to get all Darth Vader here by my victory is just about complete. It’s not the law I’m interested in. It’s all those men and women who are going to find it so easy to procure an abortion even though they secretly know that it’s wrong. That’s where I really make my bones.

Then you got my girl Oprah doing her thing with The Secret and all my New Age garbage. Now, I’m not going to get into all the contracts I’ve got with her but boy is she useful. And as much as she does for me I can’t help but keep messing with her by sending her authors who make up their books. I don’t know. I just can’t help it. You can’t trust me. I even let my boy OJ go to jail.

And then there’s the whole gay marriage thing. Yeah, you might consider that whole California referendum thing a defeat for me but is there really one of you who thinks that gay marriage isn’t the next hot thing. I’ve successfully labeled it a “civil rights” issue and I’m using the “virtue” of compassion against religious people. I would say I love irony if I was capable of love but using compassion against religion was a master stroke.

But all in all, 2008 was a great year for me. I’ll always look back fondly on it. We had the man who had a baby publicized like it was perfectly wonderful. China keeps blocking any UN resolutions to do any thing about Darfur and the world blusters on and on. Russia invaded Georgia and the world blustered some more. I’ve got Iran almost completing their nukes while the world stands by and blusters and blusters.

I made the Mets lose again on the last day of the season. I’ve done this three years in a row and each time their stupid fans are surprised. Priceless. And hey, pirates are back! That can’t be underestimated. Those are my peeps! I’ve got Israel and Palestine at war. I essentially destroyed the reputation of the only pro-life candidate in the election this November in Sarah Palin. We mocked her every step of the way and muddied her reputation with the help of my friends in the media. What was she thinking having that Down’s Syndrome baby? How did she not think that we had to destroy her. Does anybody realize what kind of example she could set if I let her rise to power?

So all in all 2008 was a very very good year. This recession has me a little worried about 2009. When things get bad, people have a tendency to do kind things for each other and help each other. I hate that. But all in all the wind was at my back in 2008. I’m going to miss it.