Yep, it's back to our city's lovable old rag, the Sun.
Normally, Michael Coren is fairly reasonable, and willing to criticize religion when he feels it deserves it. So the following rant about how Christianity is true and atheism has nothing to offer caught me a little by surprise.
When in Rome
by Michael Coren
As you read this I am in Rome. Where so many founders of the church lived and were martyred and from where a pristine and sparkling truth emanates and then glides over us like some sweet-smelling cloud to provide shelter from the dark storm of materialism and self-worship.
I am here with my wife. We have been married for more than 20 years, have four children and know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that Easter commemorates His crucifixion and resurrection and that by belief in Him we are offered eternity with the God who made and loves us.
Because of this we are thought to be rather out of step with the times, old-fashioned, extreme or even offensive. Our faith is made fun of, abused and insulted in mainstream media on a daily basis and it has become popular to allege that the problems of the world are caused by people like us.
We are labeled as bigots, racists, fools and fascists. In the Middle East, China and Africa they torture and kill us, in Canada and Europe they marginalize and mock us. And none of it matters one little bit. In fact it is yet more proof that we are right.
If we didn't matter and had nothing of importance to say, nobody would pay us any attention or scream at us. The irrelevant are ignored, the blandly comforting are embraced, the cowardly conformist is adored. But we are mirrors, reflecting the sordid nature of a culture obsessed with itself. Oh how that image burns and hurts.
Legion are the new philosophers with the old philosophies. There is nothing new under the atheist sun, even when it comes in colourful dust jackets and is written by ostensibly clever professors and journalists. They are like tired echoes of ancient pagans, shouting their disbelief as they threw believers to wild animals and tame executioners.
Nothing new under the atheist sun, but everything new under the Son of God. Every morning unwraps with new possibilities of living the Gospel, or proclaiming truth, understanding and the promise of everlasting life.
Easter is love. Authentic, absolute love. Easter is the heavenly link, pulling us back to the creator. Easter is the door opened so we may see God's plan and truly know what, why and who He is. Easter is the sublime within the human, the opportunity for all of us to participate in a delight beyond full understanding.
I could counter the usual arguments with ease. Inquisition, Crusades, Galileo, wars in the name of Christ, bad Christians. All fatuous objections, but all -- and this is vital -- less objections than excuses. Far easier to hide behind digressions than to face head-on the most important question of all time.
Is it or is it not? Is He or is He not? The answer will decide not only the rest of your life, but also where you spend all of the Easters of time to come. The question is being asked now and will be until your body has lived its meager few decades.
Only you can answer. You have been given the freedom because freedom is a product of love. In Rome there are many who have seen and know. In Canada, right now, is it up to you. The cloud of truth hovers. It will never pass away but you will. Easter.
LINK.
I have no problem with Mr. Coren being a Christian, or professing his belief. I have a slight problem when he attempts to belittle and deride those who do not share his faith that Jesus is god, based solely upon his beliefs. I can not deny that many atheists are vehemently opposed to religion. He is correct there. But to purport that we all are that way while at the same time complaining about being labeled and stereotyped is somewhat hypocritical.
I am amused by his statement that atheism is not new. Not because of what it says. Atheism has been around for ages. I am more amused that his attack focuses on the fact that it is not new, while purporting that a 2000 year old religion is somehow new every day.
I'm also a little appalled he would equate atheism with the polytheistic Romans feeding early Christians to lions. He is implying that atheists did these things. This is not the case. Christianity was one of only two religions ever banned in Rome (the other being worship of Bacchus, the wine god, for reasons I'm sure you can imagine). Why as Christianity banned and disliked? Let's just say that in a polytheistic culture, interrupting other people's worship ceremonies to decry them and proclaim eternal punishment for their sins wasn't very popular.
And for the record, Constantine never converted to Christianity. He was a pagan through and through. Polytheistic faiths are often more than happy to add one more god to the pantheon. Constantine role in forming the Council of Nicea was to make Christianity into a religion that would not interfere with his Hellenism.
The other article that made me raise an eyebrow was
this one. I'll let you read it.
One final point: If we do decide to formulate a response to Mr. Coren, I feel it would be best to be polite, and refrain from attacking his beliefs. It is easter, and anyway, calling him delusional will just make us come across at the bigots he described us as. Besides, it's Easter. Why go out of our way to upset people by pissing on one of their most important celebrations?
