The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-07-21
POPULAR APoLoeETlcs.
Adapted from the German of Rev
Peter Mikes, S. j., by Rev.
James Watcher.
5. And Still Better Men.

D. And Stlll Better Men.
Objection: Many men live without
religion and Christianity and still are
better men than the Christians.
Answer: u Not better than Chris
tians, but better than bad Christians,
who do not live according to their
faith.
Why are unbelievers sometimes
good mem? Not because of their
unbelief, but in spite of it. If unbe-
hevers would live consistently accord
ing to their principles, they would
have to become the worst of men, be-
cause without religion no system of
morality is possible. (Cf. 1st series
No. 49, But they are still Nuncon-
Sciously or half consciously under the
influence of Christianity, which exerts
its power for good also in the modern
world.
When the sun goes down in the
evening, the air is not suddenly dark,
nor the earth suddenly cold. For
many of our worldlings the sun of
Christianity has set, still they live in
Christian atmosphere and can not
escape it's influence. Nearly two
thousand years of civilization and
culture can not suddenly be blotted
out, though some men or even whole
nations may fall away from Chris
tianity.
Happy inconsistency, if one speaks
like an unbeliever but still believes in
his heart! Happy contradiction be-
tween theory and practice, if, for eX-
ample, infdels have their children
educated in Christian institutions!
y Human nature has not been en-
tirely corrupted by original sin, SO
that by purely natural powers man
could not do any good, though the
fulfillment of the whole moral law for
a long time is not possible without the
supernatural help of Christ. Hence ii
is possible that well-disposed and
gifted men, who, following their rea.
son, believe in God and eternity, dc
much good from a merely natural
standpoint, and often surpass luke
warm and careless Christians.
But all this is, according to st
Augustine, magni passus extra viam
great strides outside the way of saliva
ton, because they have not a super
natural motive, are therefore not
supernatural but only natural virtues
Moreover, it is not fair to compare the
bad Christian with the non-Christian
Compare the whole class, compare
nations with nations, and the result
will always be in favor of Christianity
g.. Above Religions.
Objection: An educated man stands
above the different religions.
Answer: If l know the different
religions" to be false, then of course
| stand above them and turn away
from them in disgust, and that from
the dictates of conscience; but | an
bound in conscience to seek the true
religion.
To reject all religion, even the true
without further investigation, shows g
lack of education and conscience.
z. Indifferentism.
Objection: Why dispute about the
different religions? 1t is all the same
to what religion one belongs
Answer: This indifferentism is con
cealed infidelity. Whoever considers
all religions equally true, no matter
how contradictory they may be, does
not believe any in real earnest; fol
nVnn a cimn1n+on cop ,1pdorCtopd +bot
contradictions can not be true at the
same time. In his eyes every religion
is Indifferent and only of value in as
far as it can serve temporal inter
ests. +,
By holding even the most contradic
tory religions as true, the Indifferent
list, to be consistent, must hold thai
God also is Indifferent as to truth anc
error, good and evil. He denies Gods
truthfulness and holiness. By deny
ing these essential attributes of God
he denies the existence of God, for E
God who is not truthful and holy, is
no God at all: he is in fact an in
fidel.
If all religions were false and the
true religion could not be found, mar
could not attain the end of his crea
ton (the glorification of God ant
union with God, his end. But he il
denying Gods wisdom and goodness
and hence again Gods existence.
Besides the more learned apologies
we have against indifferentism thu
popular works: Mclaughlin, Is On,
Religion as Good as Another? ant
Often, S. j., Does it Matter Mucl
What l Believe? The latter is tn,
shorter and of special excellence. SCI
also in the Cath. Encyclopedia The
article on Indifferentism.