Mgr Paul Grogan

Mgr Paul Grogan
Mgr Paul Grogan

Friday, 2 March 2012

Atheists are worthy of respect too!

The public debate about atheism is having an impact at Leeds Trinity. It all began when somebody gave me a poster which I put up. It reads as follows: "Atheism. The belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing and then nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything and then a bunch of everything magically re-arranged itself for no reason whatsoever into self-replicating bits which turned into dinosaurs. Makes perfect sense." I must confess that I found this rather amusing but some students who enjoy the life of the Chaplaincy but who do not believe (yet: I'm working on them) were offended by it and I took it down. Then somebody from the United States posted on to the Chaplaincy Facebook site a YouTube clip of Bertrand Russell in which he purports to explain why faith in God is ridiculous. Some trusty Leeds Trinity students saw him off (verbally). I see now that both acts (mine and that of the American) were discourteous. None of us like to be ridiculed. I remember that Pope Benedict invited non-believers to join the representatives of many of the faiths of the world at Assisi last year: he was being characteristically respectful. He showed us that the key thing in evangelisation is to be present to the other, valuing the other's difference. (Having said this I must say, respectfully, that I cannot understand how people who are far more intelligent than I can deny the existence of God: if God does not exist, human life is ultimately purposeless; so what in their eyes is the purpose of the debate in which they are engaging? The hotter they get under the collar, the more I admire their intellects, and the more I wonder at the origin of such fine minds).

Thank you bookoverblue for the following comment: "I was once on a night out with a friend - he's an atheist, and I'm Catholic. We ended up having quite a in-depth discussion about why I believe in God and he doesn't. It became clear that both of us had valid reasons for our beliefs and could justify our choices.
I respect his views and he respects mine, and it's not fair to say that either of us is "stupid" just because we believe in God or not. I simply think that it's a matter of mutual respect."

1 comment:

  1. I was once on a night out with a friend - he's an atheist, and I'm Catholic. We ended up having quite a in-depth discussion about why I believe in God and he doesn't. It became clear that both of us had valid reasons for our beliefs and could justify our choices.
    I respect his views and he respects mine, and it's not fair to say that either of us is "stupid" just because we believe in God or not. I simply think that it's a matter of mutual respect.

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