Is there a Secret Cause Underlying Man's Choice to Embrace Atheism?

The existence of God is able to be proven through  St Thomas’ Aquinas five ways.  Modern authors who use evidence from science also make powerful arguments for an ultimate designer, or a creator of the universe, based in part on the impossibility of an atheistic based, non created/designed universe that explains the precision of order required to have the current universe exist. As the existence of God can easily be proven deductively and very strong complementary, inductive based arguments for God’s existence are also present in modern scholarship, is there then a secret motive to embrace atheism apart from the deductive proofs and evidence from science?

 

I posit that there are several motives to embrace atheism in spite of the proofs for God. These motives all fall under one encompassing secret cause that provides some reasonable explanation for the existence of atheism. The secret cause is simply the Catholic doctrine of original sin with it's accompanying wounds in man's fallen nature. According to Catholic doctrine, man has a fallen nature, based upon the original sin that occurred after the creation event. Atheists and others who are not convinced of Christianity will however, probably deny the existence of original sin. Nevertheless, even if such denials exist as to the historicity of Adam's sin in the garden, the doctrine itself of original sin may be examined and shown to be a viable, secret cause for the existence of atheism.

 

The doctrine of original sin is stated by St Thomas Aquinas as an inordinate disposition, or a habit arising from the destruction of the harmony which was essential to original justice -

 

Question 82. Original sin, as to its essence.

 

I answer that, As stated above (I-II:49:4; I-II:50:1), habit is twofold. The first is a habit whereby power is inclined to an act: thus science and virtue are called habits. In this way original sin is not a habit. The second kind of habit is the disposition of a complex nature, whereby that nature is well or ill disposed to something, chiefly when such a disposition has become like a second nature, as in the case of sickness or health. In this sense original sin is a habit. For it is an inordinate disposition, arising from the destruction of the harmony which was essential to original justice, even as bodily sickness is an inordinate disposition of the body, by reason of the destruction of that equilibrium which is essential to health. Hence it is that original sin is called the "languor of nature" [Cf. Augustine, In Ps. 118, serm. iii].

 

The effects of original sin are said to be fourfold.

 

 Article 3. Whether weakness, ignorance, malice and concupiscence are suitably reckoned as the wounds of nature consequent upon sin?

 

I answer that, As a result of original justice, the reason had perfect hold over the lower parts of the soul, while reason itself was perfected by God, and was subject to Him. Now this same original justice was forfeited through the sin of our first parent, as already stated (I-II:81:2; so that all the powers of the soul are left, as it were, destitute of their proper order, whereby they are naturally directed to virtue; which destitution is called a wounding of nature.

 

Again, there are four of the soul's powers that can be subject of virtue, as stated above (I-II:61:2), viz. the reason, where prudence resides, the will, where justice is, the irascible, the subject of fortitude, and the concupiscible, the subject of temperance. Therefore in so far as the reason is deprived of its order to the true, there is the wound of ignorance; in so far as the will is deprived of its order of good, there is the wound of malice; in so far as the irascible is deprived of its order to the arduous, there is the wound of weakness; and in so far as the concupiscible is deprived of its order to the delectable, moderated by reason, there is the wound of concupiscence.

 

Accordingly these are the four wounds inflicted on the whole of human nature as a result of our first parent's sin. But since the inclination to the good of virtue is diminished in each individual on account of actual sin, as was explained above (I-II:1:2), these four wounds are also the result of other sins, in so far as, through sin, the reason is obscured, especially in practical matters, the will hardened to evil, good actions become more difficult and concupiscence more impetuous.

 

If we examine each of the wounds in relation to atheism we demonstrate atheists have a secret cause that motivates them to embrace atheism, in spite of the well known proofs and the strong support for theism from modern science.

 

1) The wound of ignorance.

 

The wound of ignorance is to have reason deprived of its order to the true. As all men have the wound of ignorance it becomes inevitable that men will embrace many and varied erroneous understandings of the universe. One example of many and erroneous beliefs is given by noting the history of religious belief, with its multiple competing contradictory truth claims. Logically only one or no religion is entirely true. So because there are many religions, humanity is largely in error on the matter of religion. Other examples could be given in the area of science, where many and varied theories have been proposed and abandoned, and contemporaneously held with contrary and contradictory truths claims. Again, logically there is only one reality, so only one, or no science theory on some part of the real can be true. Yet the history of science clearly shows science is a graveyard of failed theories in diverse fields of investigation. These two simple examples show man has the wound of ignorance.

 

Now if we apply the same wound of ignorance shown to exist in other areas of knowledge as a cause of the phenomena of atheism, we can expect atheism to exist even in spite of the powerful arguments and evidence against atheism and for theism. In fact ignorance is a very good reason to expect atheism to exist in spite of the evidence, for not all men are privy to the arguments, nor the evidence. Hence men who are ignorant will be prone to atheism.

 

The wound of malice.

 

The wound of malice is to deprive the will of its order to good. Malice in the will disposes men to sin and thereby act to a good which is attained apart from the law. For example, a man steals money and thereby attains the good of money apart from the law. If we use the wound of malice as a cause of atheism we see those who are aware of the proofs for God, but reject them, can easily do so through the would of malice. For a proof is the use of reason in accord with the law. Hence a rejection of a proof is to reject the law, and then the good. Such rejection of proof for God is then malice.

 

The wound of malice is a motive for men of education to embrace atheism.

 

The wound of weakness.

 

The wound of weakness is to have the irascible deprived of its order to the arduous (good). If we note that much of modern western society is secular and thereby atheistic, we note that to adhere to the truth of theism requires the virtue of fortitude in the irascible appetite. As men have the wound of weakness, men are prone to follow the group no matter what the group beleives. As much of the modern group is atheistic, it is easily for men to follow the wound of weakness and live as though God does not exist.

 

The wound of weakness is a motive for men in a secular state to embrace atheism.

 

The wound of concupiscence.

 

The wound of concupiscence seems to be irrelevant to the phenomena of modern atheism, but in fact concupiscence is perhaps most relevant. Concupiscence disposes men to have an unreasonable sensitive love of eating, drinking and sex. Concupiscence is then a disposition that acts as a cause of gluttony and lust. When such sins are committed habitually, they become vices, and cause the passions to dominate reason. An impassioned man finds it difficult to follow reason in the practical order, especially when reason dictates the sins of gluttony and lust are to be both overcome and avoided. Consequently, if men fall into vices of gluttony or lust, the passions are easily aroused when men come to know of the existence of God who forbids both sins. The impassioned man is then likely to deny the proofs for God and live as though God does not exist. Concupiscence, when left unchecked leads directly to atheism.

 

The wound of concupiscence is a motive for men to embrace atheism.

 

If the reader wishes to confirm the above observations concerning the four wounds of original sin as a cause for atheism, just ponder the behaviour of prominent atheists. Often the atheist will not engage in theists arguments, demonstrating the wound of ignorance. Often the atheist will not peruse the good when presented to him, demonstrating the wound of malice. The atheist will not convert to theism if he is an academic, for the academy is largely atheistic. Thereby demonstrating weakness. Finally, the atheist both promotes sins of the flesh in fornication, adultery and homosexuality, and sees no reason to stop committing those same sins.

 

Consequent to the wounds of original sin, there are also the wounds of actual sin. When men sin, particularly with sins of the flesh, the reason becomes darkened and men cannot see truths presented, sometimes even when truths are well argued. Original sin disposes men to sin. Actual sin is sin. Both original sin and actual sin contribute towards the existence of atheism.

 

Effects of sin- Other effects of sins are: remorse of conscience (Wisdom 5:2-13); an inclination towards evil, as habits are formed by a repetition of similar acts; a darkening of the intelligence, a hardening of the will (Matthew 13:14-15; Romans 11:8); a general vitiating of nature, which does not however totally destroy the substance and faculties of the soul but merely weakens the right exercise of its faculties.

 

Conclusion -

 

The doctrine of original sin is a secret cause of the existence of atheism. For original sin causes four wounds. Each wound disposes men to embrace error over truth and disordered good over ordered good. As atheism is false and leads men to disordered goods, original sin is the secret cause that provides motives for men to become atheists.

 

JM