Christianity and the Crisis of Cultures

I recently finished reading Christianity and the Crisis of Cultures by Pope Benedict XVI. This was actually a talk given while he was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. This was a very interesting little book in which our current pontiff shares a fair amount of wisdom. One of the more controversial thoughts (at least it is most likely to be controversial to atheists) was that atheists need to live veluti si Deus daretur as if God does exist.

Why does B16 ask this of atheists? because in short "The attempt, carried to extremes, to shape human affairs to the total exclusion of God leads us more and more to the brink of the abyss, toward the utter annihilation of man". The reasons for this seems to be more and more self-evident as the West expunges God from their everyday lives. Of course B16 touches on abortion and the right-to-live, but he presents it in a way not generally used by the pro-life crowd "every legalization of abortion implies the idea that law is based on power" and therefore threatens democracy itself.

It was a very powerful speech, and I would expect atheism to find it difficult to ignore this new take on Pascal's wager, not for the afterlife, but for the current civilization that is being threatened by a new atheism

I encourage you to Get The Book Now