Musings of a Skeptic

By Frank J. Capone

It is only by abandoning all idea of considering itself as its own end that mankind can be gathered together.(1)

Now that I have your attention let me say that I have not rejected the Faith in any way , shape or form. I am still committed to the Gospel, however impure a vessel I may be. My imperfection is one reason I embrace the Good News because I know the kind of person I will become if I stray from way revealed by revelation! Another reason is my conviction that the appreciation most of humanity has for beauty, the desire for the good and the urge to relieve suffering, and the tendency to morality, imperfect though it may be , makes no sense without the conviction that the existence of humanity indicates the higher purpose of a transcendent Intelligence. So why is this essay titled the Musings of a Skeptic? It is precisely because I am a believer that I am skeptical. What is the meaning of this paradox, you ask? That’s the million dollar question!

A few months back I received in the mail an advertisement to subscribe to what is basically an atheistic magazine, complete with a form letter from the executive director and an offer for a free book with the subscription.( Ahh, they know the way to my heart) This magazine (called The Skeptical Inquirer) claims to be merely a magazine that will "subject the claims of the supernatural, the paranormal, and the occult to the scientific method (emphasis mine) and let the facts speak for themselves".

In the form letter the director writes:

"To one extent or another, all of us- you ,me, and even the most prestigious members of the scientific community, including Einstein himself-can all to easily fall under the near hypnotic spell of what’s been called the ‘transcendental temptation’...

...the longing for powers over and above the physical universe that we call upon in time of need to suspend the granite -hard, unyielding, often unsympathetic natural laws upon which this amazing universe of ours is founded.

And all of us have to constantly safeguard ourselves against letting this apparently innate, high-order wishful thinking take over and deal a knockout punch to our better judgement-to say nothing of our common sense."

Heavy stuff this. In other words we must suppress something that is innate in us! While it is true that these quotes do refer to belief in UFOs and ghost sightings and occult phenomena on the fringes that we ourselves don’t believe, these things are lumped in with faith in transcendence in general, not appreciating there are distinctions. But Here is another quote

"Skepticism ultimately leads to knowledge...which leads to effective action...which leads to success... which leads to optimism concerning one’s ability to deal with the world. It is faith, not skepticism, that leads to a childish reliance upon unproven notions... which leads to ineffective action...which leads to failure... and ultimately, to pessimism, cynicism, and bitterness."

Leaving aside the gaping holes in this statement (John Paul II, Martin Luther King, Ghandi, the abolitionist movement proponents of ineffective action? failures leading to pessimism and bitterness?!) It seemed to me rather ironic that I received an ad like this when in my feeble attempts at writing for TCR I did not give any indication of skeptical tendencies. Not according to atheistic definitions anyway. But then I thought, "Isn’t skepticism a matter of perspective? After all, if one believes in one concept then one is skeptical of the opposite!

I am skeptical of the notion that the supernatural yearnings of humanity can be lightly thrown aside and that doing so would lead to "optimism concerning one’s ability to deal with the world. I am skeptical that science has debunked the "transcendental temptation" I am skeptical that humanity is nothing more than an accidental conglomeration of carbon and other chemicals with no more significance than bacteria! I am skeptical of evolution and evolutionism! I am skeptical that the human tendency for love, beauty, goodness, morality, etc. ultimately means nothing..
To illustrate this last point I will take another example from another atheistic ad I saw in a magazine recently. This was for www.atheists .org . On page 15 of the June 2007 issue of The Nation. The ad was to call attention to the persecution that atheists sometimes go through and to offer help. Nothing wrong with that. Persecution is wrong and must be stopped. But what struck me was the picture of a beautiful family on it. Presumably this was the family that experienced some form of oppression that the ad referred to. This photo appeals to the best aspects of our humanity, calculated to evoke the dignity of people and their right to determine for themselves what they believe.

Again, nothing wrong with that but wait! Isn’t this is a contradiction of the atheistic creed? Think about it, the only way love of family and the dignity of people has any meaning beyond human emotionalism is if people are meant for something more than existing for a few decades , if there were a higher purpose to our existence. If you love family and morality, if you embrace the concept that people have infinite worth then this implies a sense that there is something beyond ourselves that gives meaning to these human aspirations! Reason and science aren’t sufficient foundations for this, only the "transcendental temptation"!

So in appealing to us in this way these atheists are really tapping into something that is (ahem) transcendent. While rejecting the concept of transcendence they appeal to the very part of human nature that intuits it! This would appear to validate what Thomas Merton wrote; " There is in every intellect a natural exigency for a true concept of God: we are born with the thirst to know and to see Him, and therefore it cannot be otherwise."(2)

Hence, I am skeptical that atheism is a sufficient basis for any concept of human existence and I wonder if many atheists are really atheists deep in their souls. What’s that atheists? You still don’t think I am a skeptic? Is it only skepticism if religious belief is being questioned? Or can the weapons of skepticism be wielded against any belief system? Make no mistake, your outlook is , in fact,a belief system . You , atheist, are no different from religious believers in this respect. You believe there is no supernatural being. You believe miracles don’t happen. You believe reason and science can bring about the perfect society. But you can’t prove any of this. Are we supposed to take it on faith that existence can be explained without reference to God?

I and many people of faith far more intelligent than I have critically examined these assumptions and have rejected them. As your Enlightenment forbears have done in the 18th century to the spiritual world view, so have we done to yours, wielding the skeptical weapons your Enlightenment ancestors themselves have forged .The Enlightenment is over. You who think that reason is enough to base society on are behind the times. Most of humanity is skeptical of that now. The spiritual aspect of humanity can’t be suppressed. We have not meekly submitted to the pronouncements of scientist and philosophers who have rejected spirituality out of hand as if they were the new priests and prophets of the atheistic secularism but have rejected the materialistic dogmatism that is prevalent in the academic world and have done it with objectivity and reason. In doing this it is we, people of faith, who are the "free thinkers" now!

Yes it can make one angry when atheists accuse believers being gullible and unintelligent. But Our Lord said to rejoice when we are reviled for His sake. After all, if they are trying to throw jabs at us this we must be doing something right! No need to be insecure. After all, this increased militancy of atheists may be a reaction to the fact that atheism has lost the war! Humanity, by and large, won’t give up belief in the transcendent even if many live as though God doesn’t care what we do. Notwithstanding secular propaganda much , if not all of the good done in human history has been inspired by belief in God and , by extension, belief in Humanity’s infinite worth. Contrary to their cherished beliefs theism can be and is defended by reason and logic, if not proven by the parameters of scientific philosophy.
It is our job as believing Catholics to do just that in a spirit of love and understanding. We cannot react with anger and rancor or we are just wasting our time. Keeping our cool may in the long run be more effective. In doing this, in doing the works of charity God wants of us, in living out the moral law we reflect the love of God and thus affirm His reality. Hopefully those who observe us will see this and, their spirits will open up to the proddings of the Holy Spirit deep in their souls.

End Notes

1. Henri Cardinal de Lubac, Catholicism, Christ and the Common Destiny of Man, Ignatious Press, San Francisco California, 1988, p. 367
2. Merton Thomas, A Thomas Merton Reader, Doubleday Dell Publishing
Group Inc. New York, 1989, p. 240