Catholicism and The New Atheism
One of the less noted contributions of the Second Vatican Council is its brief treatment of atheism in its “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.” In that groundbreaking document, the council avoided the shrill condemnations of atheism that were so common in preconcili
True Believers: Have the new atheists adopted a faith of their own?
Have the new atheists adopted a faith of their own?
An Evangelical Moment?: To combat the rise of atheism, Christians must first look to themselves.
One of the best homilies I ever heard was based on the first chapter of the Book of Jonah. The preacher described the situation on board a ship that had run into a terrible storm on the way to Tarshish and a confrontation that ensued between some pagan sailors and a prophet of the true…
Editors’ Picks: The best of America on the Web
America’s Web site now features a range of Web-only content, from podcasts and videos, to television and film reviews and book discussions. Here are some of our favorite selections from the last year. The editors offer video reflections on the symbols of the Easter season. Veteran broadcaster and Ca
America’s First Issue
View a copy of our inaugural issue from April 1909
Called to Love: Christian witness can be the best response to atheist polemics.
Who are the “new atheists”? Broadly speaking, they are a collection of writers who have come together in recent years in their disdain for the very idea of God. They regard religion as the last bastion of superstition, obscurantism and fear and see the Christian churches as dedicated to
The Madman And the Crowd: For the new atheists, God is not worth a decent argument.
Gertrude Stein lay dying. Stomach cancer had finally forced her to undergo surgery in an American hospital on the fringes of Paris. Preparing for the operation, she asked her lifelong companion, Alice B. Toklas, “What is the answer?” Alice said nothing. Time passed. Gertrude spoke again:
The New Atheism
Five scholars on the “secret motives” of atheism, and how Christians might respond
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Faith and obedience, Pope Benedict XVI reminded Americans, are not easy words to speak nowadays.
Letters
Letters
The Hardest Word
As an Australian, I want to add to Margaret Silf’s “Sorry Business” (4/21): The apology given by our prime minister was extremely significant because it was delivered on behalf of the government to the indigenous peoples wronged by government policy. Because the wrong was a collective one (i.e., a social sin), it…
Editorials
Pastor and Prophet
The enduring impression Pope Benedict XVI left with most Americans following his recent visit to Washington, D.C., and New York was of a pastor ministering to his flock. In repeated gestures, from meeting with the victims of sexual abuse to blessing the disabled and speaking with the survivors of th
Books
Their Return to Grace
Attention all Democratic candidates campaign managers media consultants and constituency organizers If there is not a dog-eared frequently underlined copy of Amy Sullivan rsquo s The Party Faithful on your bookshelf soon please quit Sullivan who is the nation editor at Time magazine writes
Bipolar Disorder
Garry Wills's 'Head and Heart,” reviewed
A Grueling Test
There are millions of immigrant stories in the naked city Intern is one of them mdash the story of the New York cardiologist and author Sandeep Jauhar Born in India in 1968 he came to the United States nine years later with his parents and siblings His father was a plant geneticist who did not…
The Word
The Challenge of Pentecost
The word ldquo Pentecost rdquo derives from the Greek word for ldquo fifty rdquo It marks 50 days after Passover on the Jewish calendar and 50 days after Easter on the Christian calendar Among Jews it is known as Shebuot or ldquo Weeks rdquo and celebrates the giving of the Law to Moses on M
Columns
Against All Odds
Motherhood demands risk, personal danger and courage. When Mary said yes to life, to becoming the mother of God, she risked everything. As a young, unwed mother in a patriarchal society, she risked losing her family, her place in the community and thus her means of survival. Joseph’s first ins
News
Signs of the Times
White House Welcome Pope Benedict XVI, meeting at the White House with President George W. Bush, said it was important to preserve the traditional role of religion in American political and social life. Religious values helped forge “the soul of the nation” and should continue to inspire
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts