While different data sources provide different statistical figures regarding American atheist populations, there is general consensus that atheism is on the rise. Atheism, in its most basic meaning, refers to the lack of belief in the existence of god/gods. Complications, however, arise due to the divergent beliefs among atheists 1 . For instance, there are those who have known to identify with a religion and yet maintain that they do not believe in God, while there are self-professed atheists who believe in the existence of a higher power 2 . Catholicism refers to subscription to the doctrine issued by the Roman Catholic Church. This paper is based on the hypothesis that the increasing theism is not a threat to Catholicism in the United States.
Catholicism is the largest religious denomination in the US commanding approximately 20.8% of the population. The percentage of Catholics in the population has steadily reduced over seven decades since the 1960s whereby the percentage of Catholics stood at approximately 25% 3 . Loss of belief anddisaffiliation are some of the major factors that have led to the reduction in the US Catholic population. However, a majority of Christians who disassociate with the Catholic Church often move to Protestantism. Protestantism is the largest single religious group in the US.
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One of the most common reason given for atheist belief is the need for moral independence. As with any other religion, Catholicism has a code of behaviour that is prescribed for all its adherents, who are all expected to follow it 4 . Roman Catholic doctrine for instance requires that confession must be made to a priest to obtain absolution. Atheism does not subscribe to any such beliefs. Atheists are then able to dissociate from any responsibilities derived from the belief in a god, allowing them to have a sense of independence and freedom in decision making 5 . It is therefore plausible that atheism could result from a rebellion against Roman Catholic doctrine.
Atheists’ opposition to Roman Catholic doctrine has, however, had a negligible impact compared to that experienced during the reformation and the birth of Protestantism. The reformation was driven by a claim of doctrinal inconsistencies within the Catholic system of faith and operations. Aside from doctrine drawn from the Bible, Catholicism also uses traditional practice as a basis on which to approach faith 6 . This is essentially similar to the prescribed moral code which the Atheists seek to avoid. Unlike Protestantism, Catholicism does not recognize the functionality of all believer as priests or saints. These divergent beliefs, among others, led to the reformation movement which gave birth to Protestantism. There are currently approximately 900 million Protestants, compared to the 1.3 billion Catholics. Notably, atheism is not exclusively against Catholicism but against any religious belief in God 7 . Atheists simply do not recognize any god, whether it is prescribed by a religion or otherwise. It is therefore difficult to determine the percentage of atheists that were formerly Roman Catholics. Moreover, atheists are not against any religion. They simply fail to subscribe to any of them.
Catholicism also takes radical stands on many social subjects. As such, it often seems to be bigoted and does not accommodate contrary opinions. Most of the issues in which the Catholic Church has taken radical stances include birth control, abortion, and stem cell research. Catholicism, for instance, opposes the use of any artificial family planning methods notwithstanding any scientific backing that proves that they are safe. Some of the stands taken by Catholicism do not necessarily have scriptural backing and are often set as precedents that will influence future decision making on matters that are related. Any decision that is made without sound scriptural backing could easily rouse dissenting opinions even among members of the church 8 . However, even then, if the members were to opt out of Catholicism, there is a higher probability of joining Protestantism than becoming atheists.
Advancement in technology has also resulted in an increased capacity to do things which were previously impossible. Scientific knowledge is developing and advancing at an exponential rate. Scientists have attempted numerous experiments that seek to accomplish feats that were previously, or are currently, only attributable to God. Stem cell research, for instance, is an attempt to carry out artificial creation of a being. These scientific advancements have slowly eroded the perception of a God who is superior to man. Science has made it seem possible for man to be sufficient independent of any god, thereby fuelling the advancement of atheist agendas 9 .
Catholicism, nevertheless, supports scientific research, as long as it is within ethical boundaries. The Catholic Church opposes embryonic stem cell research because the embryo is destroyed during stem cell extraction but supports adult stem cell research because it does not cause any harm to the adult. The Catholic Church holds that life begins at conception. Catholicism is also known to encourage high education through sponsorship of its clergy 10 . Thus, Catholicism understands and supportsattainment of the highest levels of being. However, Catholicism holds that any scientific advancement that is made through ethical experimentation is endorsed by God. They are not proof that human beings are self sufficient. Rather, they represent the ability of human beings to use the resources that God has given for their benefits 11 . It is the responsibility of human beings to use their intelligent which was given by God during creation to create whatever is needed for their needs to be satisfied.
Atheism is also founded on the inability to find physical proof of the existence of God 12 . The doubt that results thereof has also been compounded by different theories that seek to explain existence such as the big bang theory and the evolution theory. The evolution theory, for instance, states that every creature resulted from evolution over millions of years into the forms in which they currently are. The theory negates the creation story outlined in the Bible. Notably, all theories that have been offered to explain the origin of the universe have major flaws and weaknesses 13 . Catholics who are not grounded in their faith could easily be swayed into adopting other beliefs or theories which do not involve God in them thereby negating the need of a god 14 .
Catholicism is also a very ancient and well established system of beliefs that is managed by a central structure whose overall commander is the pope. The Catholic Church is ranked as the wealthiest nongovernmental organization on earth. The church uses those resources to propagate its agenda and to ensure that all necessary needs are met 15 . The church has invested heavily in its administrative mechanism, and its members are found in all levels of society. Atheism, on the other hand, is a young religion with few members and no governance structure. There are a number of atheist organizations, but they are disunited and cannot effectively perpetuate their agenda 16 . This makes it very difficult for atheism to be a credible threat to Catholicism.
Atheism is also being promoted through the dilution of Christian beliefs and way of life that were so prominent in the past 17 . Indeed, statistical data indicates that the number of atheists increases generationally especially in the last five decades. Christian values have not been passed down generationally with as much intensity as is necessary for the younger Christians to hold them in high regard 18 . In fact, lesser people within the younger generations have a deep understanding of their faith 19 . This makes it easy to prey on them by challenging their faith 20 . Moreover, scientific advancements and increased antitheism campaign are some of the factors that are making it increasingly difficult to argue a case for the existence of God.
The Catholic Church has mitigated against this threat by establishing courses that inculcate catholic values in children. These classes are referred to as catechism classes and are designed to give children a strong basis on which their faith should be built 21 . The challenge, however, is to ensure that children take these classes and handle them with the seriousness required. Catholics in the US have been heavily liberalized and take their faith less seriously as compared to those in other parts of the world such as Brazil 22 . As such, they are unlikely to emphasize on a mandatory attendance of these classes by their children 23 . This generational trend has produced weaker and weaker Catholics over time 24 . Most Roman Catholics and Christians in general are weak in their faith and can barely provide the rationale behind what they profess 25 . While this may predispose young believers to atheism, it is stillnot a significant threat.
Atheists have also not developed a definite belief system that can form the basis of their operations. Atheism has no specific agenda and is based on mere lack of belief. The inability of atheism to provide plausible alternatives for every doctrine that they oppose makes it ineffective on operations and gives it a weak foundation. Atheism simply disapproves any beliefs that support the existence of god/gods, and yet has not given any specific direction to be taken for those who end up convinced that there is no God 26 . This is evidenced by the diversity in the behaviour of self-professed atheists. The lack of a specific purpose makes atheism a weak threat against Catholicism.
In conclusion, it is evident that atheism does not threaten Catholicism. First, atheism challenges all religions and is therefore a threat to all religions. Catholicism is one of the most well established religious systems in the world and is easily able to withstand the pressure 27 . There are numerous other weaker religions or social belief systems to which atheism may be a much bigger threat. Atheism is also poorly structured and has no system of governance. Their efforts towards any cause continue to be heavily disunited and poorly managed 28 . The Catholic Church, on the other hand, has a centralized system of management that is headed by the papacy 29 . Such a system is very difficult to compromise. Finally, atheism has not defined a clear agenda or purpose and is based purely on the lack of belief in the existence of god/gods, which is one major weakness that makes it ineffective against Catholicism.
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1 Smith, George H. Why atheism? Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books. 2003.
2 Craig, William Lane, and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. God? A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
3 Pearcey, Nancy. Finding Truth - 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes . 2015.
4 Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God . London: Hodder & Stoughton. 2009.
5 Crane, Tim. The Meaning of Belief Religion from an Atheist's Point of View . Cambridge, Massachusetts Harvard University Press. 2017.
6 Cunningham, Lawrence. An Introduction to Catholicism . Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2011.
7 Hart, David Bentley. Atheist Delusions - the Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies . Yale University Press. 2010.
8 Smith, George H. Why atheism? Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books. 2003.
9 Craig, William Lane, and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. God? A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
10 Griffin, Aurora. How I Stayed Catholic at Harvard: Forty Tips for Faithful College Students . San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2016.
11 Horn, Trent. Answering atheism: how to make the case for God with logic and charity . San Diego [Calif.]: Catholic Answers Press. 2013.
12 Lubac, Henri de. The Drama of Atheistic Humanism . London: Sheed & Ward, 1949. Bottom of FormBottom of FormTop of Form
13 Hart, David Bentley. Atheist Delusions - the Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies . Yale University Press. 2010.
14 Griffin, Aurora. How I Stayed Catholic at Harvard: Forty Tips for Faithful College Students . San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2016.
15 Johns, Christopher M. S. The Visual Culture of Catholic Enlightenment . 2015. University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press .
16 Pearcey, Nancy. Finding Truth - 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes . 2015.
17 Taylor, Charles. Secular Age . Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2009.
18 Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God . London: Hodder & Stoughton. 2009.
19 Craig, William Lane, and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. God? A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
20 Taylor, Charles. Secular Age . Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2009.
21 Griffin, Aurora. How I Stayed Catholic at Harvard: Forty Tips for Faithful College Students . San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2016.
22 Cunningham, Lawrence. An Introduction to Catholicism . Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2011.
23 Taylor, Charles. Secular Age . Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2009.
24 Johns, Christopher M. S. The Visual Culture of Catholic Enlightenment . 2015. University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press .
25 Crane, Tim. The Meaning of Belief Religion from an Atheist's Point of View . Cambridge, Massachusetts Harvard University Press. 2017.
26 Horn, Trent. Answering atheism: how to make the case for God with logic and charity . San Diego [Calif.]: Catholic Answers Press. 2013.
27 Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God . London: Hodder & Stoughton. 2009.
28 Lubac, Henri de. The Drama of Atheistic Humanism . London: Sheed & Ward, 1949. Bottom of FormBottom of FormTop of Form
29 Cunningham, Lawrence. An Introduction to Catholicism . Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2011.
