Regardless, Mr. Head-Disillusionment-Causing himself spoke recently on the topics of algebra, atheists, and humanitarian aid. Okay, so he switches the "responsibly" phrase to mean conversion rather than aid at the end of his paragraph-- but they're the same thing, right? Anyway, without further speculation (well, at least not for another 5 lines)... the pope and his concerns with secularism!
....something is missing from the equation! When God is subtracted, something doesn’t add up for man, the world, the whole vast universe.”
Math!
So, a + v + m + g = u?
One important note: if g equals 0, as I believe it does, then subtracting it from the left will have no effect on the equation.
The pope did not make direct reference to the age-old controversy between evolution and creation but noted that “we end up with two alternatives. What came first? Creative Reason, the Spirit who makes all things and gives them growth, or Unreason, which, lacking any meaning, yet somehow brings forth a mathematically ordered cosmos, as well as man and his reason. The latter, however, would then be nothing more than a chance result of evolution and thus, in the end, equally meaningless.
FALSE DICHOTOMY AND STRAW MAN!
(I’ve always wanted to just type fallacies in capital letters and leave it at that. It’s never seemed very nice in actual discussions. However, I highly doubt the pope is reading this, so I feel no guilt.)
Today, when we have learned to recognize the pathologies and the life-threatening diseases associated with religion and reason...
I wanted to make some statement about how, with scientific knowledge, we no longer need a “god of the gaps” in areas such as “where did this plague come from?”. However, the pope's entire statement baffles me and I’m not sure I would be answering what he is saying. Are these pathologies and life-threatening diseases infecting religion and reason? Or, since they are merely associated, do they just see each other periodically among mutual acquaintances?
Only this can free us from being afraid of God - which is ultimately at the root of modern atheism. Only this God saves us from being afraid of the world and from anxiety before the emptiness of life.”
(SIGH)
I’m not scared of god. I just don’t believe in god. Atheism isn’t a tree we hide behind to avoid a father-figure coming after us with a lightening bolt. It’s more like standing in the middle of a field and stating calmly, “there isn't a deity to be afraid of.” As of yet, no lightening bolts have hit me while I’m standing in my field. (Then again, I go inside when it’s storming. I’m atheist, not a-lighting-bolt-hit-able.)
We are not meant to waste our lives, misuse them, or spend them selfishly. In the face of injustice we must not remain indifferent and thus end up as silent collaborators or outright accomplices. We need to recognize our mission in history and to strive to carry it out. What is needed is not fear, but responsibility - responsibility and concern for our own salvation, and for the salvation of the whole world.
Oooooh... you were doing so well! If you’d just take off that last appositive phrase, “responsibility and concern for our own salvation, and for the salvation of the whole world”, you’d have such a dandy, quotable paragraph.
At least in part, science has vainly sought to make God unnecessary in the universe and hence to man himself.
So, science makes god unnecessary, huh? Even though the rest of the speech seems rather silly to me, based on that one statement I fear I’m going to have to reconsider my previously supportive view of science. If science manages to make god unnecessary, will I eventually run out of disillusioned Catholics to prey (not pray) upon? The horror!
All of the above quotes are cherry picked from the Pope’s recent address explaining how science seeks vainly to make God unnecessary in the universe and our lives. If you want to be fair, you could go read the entire thing. However, it’s not that exciting, I promise.
* though, I most note, of all the types of dissilusioned Catholics I've encountered, my current variety of atheist-disillusioned-Catholic is certainly the best
