I don’t like to doubt people on spec and I don’t like to toss conspiracy theories around for the sake of it but the idea of an Atheist converting to Catholicism, as C&C Music Factory once said, makes me say hmmm.
I am not so naïve as to think that converting to Atheism is a one way street. I understand that there will be Atheists who convert to religion for one reason or another. Perhaps the scientific process of inquiry and thinking that is promoted among Atheists actually invites people to convert if they find a way of thinking that they think is better. This is the nature of what we promote – free thought – so I imagine from time to time it would bite us in the ass and take a person or two away (I fought hard to not use a ‘sheep from the flock’ metaphor!).
But despite this understanding and my ability to see this perspective, when I read that a well known Atheist blogger, Leah Libresco, had converted to Catholicism I had to shake my head as many red flags went up. Of all the religions for an Atheist to choose? Catholicism? Really? I just can’t wrap my head around it.
Libresco claims that her conversion is based around morality. So again I ask, Catholicism? Really?
She said in her conversion announcement blog:
…he prodded me on where I thought moral law came from in my metaphysics. I talked about morality as though it were some kind of Platonic form, remote from the plane that humans existed on.
Then adds:
…I didn’t have an analogue for how humans got bootstrap up to get even a partial understanding of objective moral law.
So it turns out that:
I believed that the Moral Law wasn’t just a Platonic truth, abstract and distant. It turns out I actually believed it was some kind of Person, as well as Truth. And there was one religion that seemed like the most promising way to reach back to that living Truth.
So Catholicism is the best religious choice for someone who has questions about morality? Really? A Church that can barely go a month without another pedophilia scandal hitting? A Church that uses the threat of burning alive in Hell for all eternity to keep its congregation in line? A Church that attacks nuns for speaking their minds and using their supposedly “God Given” free will? This is the church that an Atheist choses to answer her questions on morality? Really?
So I just have such a hard time understanding this move that I’m led to wonder if it’s at all possible that the Catholic church would have the balls to plant one of their own among Atheists with the diabolical plan for her to “convert” to Catholicism at a chosen time once she has become well known enough so her “conversion” actually makes the mainstream media?
But that would be baring false witness wouldn’t it? And Catholics are far too moral to promote such sinful activity…