THE GODLESS DELUSION

A Catholic Challenge to Modern Atheism

By Patrick Madrid and Kenneth Hensley

Our Sunday Visitor, 2010

255 pages, $14.95

To order: osv.com

(800) 348-2440

Contemporary Catholics are often without any defense against the argumentative qualities of the progressive atheists that are proliferating in American society.

When asked to defend precepts and doctrinal facets of Catholicism, the average faithful Catholic is unfortunately not always well-armed to repel the secular arguments against God, faith and Catholicism.

Thankfully, The Godless Delusion, A Catholic Challenge to Modern Atheism by Patrick Madrid and Kenneth Hensley provides a logical and rational point of reference for Catholic apologetics, based on traditional Catholic appreciations of natural law, reason and logic and a great presentation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church as the guide.

The book begins the discussion of Catholic defense by highlighting the flaws in the secular view of modern cosmology. Namely, the opposing worldviews of atheism and Catholicism and how political, social and economic factors have contributed to the demise of one (spiritual) worldview in favor of the more popular and favorite secular view of humanistic naturalism. While most people who expound the naturalist worldview don’t even realize the precepts they maintain, The Godless Delusion makes careful and critical observations on the erroneous points of the naturalist view of the world.

Most importantly, as I read this book, I was taken by the very well-written and keenly viewed perspective by the authors that the global society has lost a real and true understanding of the notions of right and wrong in favor of individual interpretations of morality.

Catholic readers will appreciate the manner in which this book utilizes the logic and reason made famous by the Catholic scholastic tradition and applies this methodology to the modern world. Atheism, secularism, humanism and even nihilism are all components of the New Age interpretations of the role of religion in modern secular society. Thankfully, through the use of reason and science, Catholic principles are defended in a manner even the most timid Catholic might apply to their rhetoric against secular atheists.

This book is a welcome addition to my Catholic apologetics bookshelf.

Register correspondent Hugh McNichol writes from Wilmington, Delaware.