[Greek] ἄθεος (atheos), [Latin] sine Deo (without God)

[Greek] ἄθεος (atheos), [Latin] sine Deo: without God, ungodly, godless; Eph2:12

Modernism is a synthesis of all heresies. One’s human reason and religious sense only comes from one’s subconsciousness and lived experiences. Anything that suggests God and the divine must be excluded. Modernism ultimately leads to atheism.

Background Information:

Origins and sources of atheism:

1. Practical atheism of the ignorant.
2. Self-glorification of the State and secularization of religion (Greek gods, Roman gods, emperors)
3. Philosophical and humanistic enlightenment and removal of God in the culture (French Enlightenment)

Greek Hellenism: This term means with out God. Socrates, believing truth as inner voice coming from God, was accused of being an atheist.  Pagans also called Christians as atheists for believing in only one God.

Plato’s Laws 967c : “These were the views which caused thinkers to incur many charges of atheism and odium, and which also incited the poets to abuse them by likening philosophers to dogs howling at the moon.”

Plato’s Laws 908b :”Those, though they utterly disbelieve in the existence of the gods, possess a just character and are incapable of being induced to commit unjust actions.”

Old Testament: Atheism refers to avoidance and rejection of God. God’s providence is dismissed and ignored. Belief in God can be turned to hatred to God. The demonic hatred of God seeks to destroy all His works.

New Testament: This term means without God. Gentiles were called the uncircumcision by Israel, the circumcision. The Gentiles lacked messianic expectations and covenants with God. But through Christ, these barriers between Jew and Gentile have been transcended.

Scripture:

“Remember, you Gentiles, were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.” Eph.2:11-12 (The Gentiles lacked messianic expectations and various covenants with God. But through Christ all these barriers between Jew and Gentile has been transcended. The Gentiles were morally godless in the sense that they were void of any recognition of God.)

Pope Pius X’s encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis prophetically warns about the evils, problems, heresies, and atheism of Modernism. (Aug. 7, 1907)

1. Pope X recognized that the Catholic Church was facing the rising threat of Modernism.
2. Modernism: human reason is confined to natural phenomena. Human reason cannot perceive the divine and supernatural realities. God and the divine must be excluded.
3. Vital  immanence: one’s religious sentiment (reaction or need) comes from within oneself but does not come from a response to God and the divine.
4. This human perspective allows Catholicism to be put on an equal footing with all other religions.
5. The Modernist is more easily able to reject Tradition and doctrines and to change or update other doctrines and teachings. Dogma becomes optional.
6. Those who seek to hold on to Tradition are perceived as rigid and “Pharasaic”.
7. The Modernist is more easily open to criticize and change (democratize) the Magisterium and Church teaching authority..
8. Pride, curiosity, error, and ignorance are the immediate causes of Modernism.
9. Modernism is the cumulative subjective human embracing of errors ultimately leading to atheism.

Practical atheism: (Cardinal Sarah warns of a subtle form of atheism):

1. God is no longer at the center of one’s center of divine worship. Modern man acts as if God does exist in his life.
2. Doctrine and faith are reduce to social activism.
3. One’s lived experiences becomes that basis for one’s moral guiding principles.
4. There is a continual need to adjust and change moral theology to the culture.
5. There is a greater focus on horizontal relationships (man to man) rather a vertical relationship (God to man).
6. There is a continual rejection of traditional Catholic morals and theology.
7. There is a suppression of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM).
8. Cafeteria Catholicism: one picks and choose what he like from Catholicism.
9. Synodal path: there are continual efforts to transform Jesus’ Church into a synodal Church in the image of man.
10. Clergy are becoming more concerned and conscious about their status (position) in the Church rather than focusing on Jesus.
11. Adoration of Jesus becomes a distraction in comparison to other Church matters.

3rd century papyrus

Conclusion:

Atheist, atheism, prosper

Atheism was originally defined by the number of gods. Now atheism is now defined by the denial of theism.