House of Straw

Catholicism and atheism have two different types of philosophical foundations. While the former is based in the use of arguments which propose "positive" views - affirmative or creative, rather than detracting or denying - the latter utilizes a "negative" form of proposal. Atheists are not stereotypical or generic as many Christians vilify them to be, but as a philosophical belief system, atheism is founded on certain ideas which all atheists share, and which lead to their more positive beliefs.

The claims of Catholicism are affirmative: God exists; Christ lived, died, was buried and is resurrected; the Sacraments dispense grace from God; angels exist; etc. Any negative claims they make, such as moral prohibitions or the denial of heresies and fallacies, derive from and are a consequence of their fundamental positive dogmas.

Atheism, on the other hand, is based in denial: God doesn't exist; nothing immaterial exists; Christ possessed no supernatural quality; sin doesn't exist; resurrection has never and will never occur; miracles are fake; etc. All atheists share these claims, which are fundamentally negative. They deny, rather than affirm, propose or create, unlike Catholic dogma. And like Catholic beliefs, whether negative or positive, ultimately derive from these essential denials and depend upon them. As long as a positive version of their denials exist, they must continually deny it in order for their beliefs - negative and positive - to be valid. Otherwise, the existence of God is not a topic which can be believed in or denied with any real dedication, causing all their arguments to fall through.

Positive assertions, however, do not depend on negative assertions for their existence. While no negative proposal can be truly new, as it depends on the positive idea it is denying, affirmations can be wholly new and original, giving them validity even independently of any other factor. The denial of an affirmation simply illuminates it and assures its continuation, as denials must have their source positive idea to survive. While Catholicism or atheism can have constituent or subsidiary positive or negative beliefs, each has a foundation which is either positive or negative, an initial idea and position which determines the quality of all further assertions within it.

The positive beliefs which atheists create in the absence of God or theistic claims specifically rely on the denial of God. In my opinion, most of philosophy since the Renaissance has been the attempt to create a rational worldview without God and the claims of theism. Furthermore, as atheism is founded on negative claims, its affirmative beliefs can never have a true essential quality or substance. They will forever be arbitrary and dependant on the opinion of the individual atheist. While the individual may support his or her beliefs against another's, in truth, atheism itself lends no credibility to any specific positive assertion. A negative idea is solitary. Unlike affirmations, a denial has no necessary consequences, as the possibilities of a worldview without that which it denies are endless. For example, the denial of a theistic God does not guarantee that there is a spiritual force in life; it doesn't specify the nature of spirituality, or whether there is anything supernatural or not; and it gives no consequential message about the moral or theological, even the philosophical, aspects of life beyond its denial. The consequences of denials remain in the hands of the atheist to determine, an authority which many atheists seem to prefer to the magisterial authority of the Church or a similar religious institution.

Truly, I believe Catholicism is the only religion or philosophy with a purely affirmative foundation, with any denials being merely a consequence of its positive assertions. I believe this has led to the many wonderful Catholic ideas which have so fruitfully aided our society, such as humanistic principles, objectivity in science and academia, and the need for a just and impersonal standard of law. Further, the ultimate hope and certainty of all Christians is the eventual time when all the universe will be fully affirmed, all negativity removed and everything fulfilled to its truly intended state - the Kingdom of Heaven, the Redeemed Earth, and the Resurrection of Humanity. Christ is the penultimate affirmation, guaranteeing all God's promises and displaying the fullness of His love in His salvation from the negativity of sin. As Christians, we are called to live this affirmative life of love in the certain hope of resurrection, the knowledge of redemption, and the conversion unto salvation.