Are we all fooling ourselves?

Paul said:
A very convincing atheist...

This may be indicative of how weak and fragile my Faith is (i'll be the first to admit it) but I recently came across this website written by an atheist and expert debater, Adam Marczyk.

Suffice it to say, I am very impressed. He has some compelling arguments for his beliefs (or lack thereof) and I am at a loss to find any satisfactory theistic response. His articles are relatively short but are poignant and cover a lot of ground. The top seven (from "All Possible Worlds" to "Unmoved Mover") are particularly arresting. Seriously, it's stuff like this that really shakens, and threatens to shatter, my faith. This bothers me because... why should I fear the Truth? Why should any of us fear it? If Christianity is wrong (and face it.. we HAVE to face this possibility or we are closed-minded) than we should feel liberated, right?

I suppose I'm still young and inexperienced (I'm not as deeply educated--in theology and philosophy--as I'd like to be) but Mr. Marczyk seems to sweep away with majestic style any and all reasons for a Christian worldview. The deconversion stories on the site really hit a nerve. What do you all think? If you have the time, please click on the above link and check it out (but a warning to those who don't want to test their faith). Am I overreacting? Are there any good apologetic responses to all of this? Are we all fooling ourselves?

1 Cor. 15:19

Hi Paul, Coming from a background of atheism, maybe I can be of help. Quote: Originally Posted by Paul This may be indicative of how weak and fragile my Faith is (i'll be the first to admit it) but I recently came across this website written by an atheist and expert debater, Adam Marczyk. I disagree. Without meaning to justify my many years as an atheist, I would say that it was my desire to know God that led me there. That desire, which was the grace of God led me back. It is those who don't care whether God exists whom God will spit out of his mouth. In other words, never be ashamed to ask and inquire and learn about the love of God. Quote: Suffice it to say, I am very impressed. He has some compelling arguments for his beliefs (or lack thereof) and I am at a loss to find any satisfactory theistic response. His articles are relatively short but are poignant and cover a lot of ground. The top seven (from "All Possible Worlds" to "Unmoved Mover") are particularly arresting. I don't have room to address all of them. But let me just make the point that in "All Possible Worlds", Adam does not succeed in proving the nonexistence of God, but only in questioning the existence of a *benevolent* God. Adam proves the existence of evil and then makes an assumption which does not follow. He assumes that because evil exists, an all loving God does not exist. The Catholic Church already knows that evil exists. The Church teaches that God does not create evil but permits it to bring a greater good. But how do we prove that Adam's assumption is wrong? How do we prove that God is all good? We can't really. Just as Adam can't prove the opposite. He can only prove something that we already know. Evil exists. So what's the next step? The next step is faith. Faith and reason do not contradict, but faith is superior to reason. What does our Faith tell us? Our Faith tells us that God came and suffered for our sins. It is through suffering that we achieve eternal life. God, Himself suffered to give us a model that we should follow. Our human reaction is to abhor suffering, yet the Saints have taught us that we should embrace suffering and should indeed thank God for the opportunity to suffer. This can not be understood by the eyes of the flesh but only by the eyes of the Spirit. Pray about it. Quote: Seriously, it's stuff like this that really shakens, and threatens to shatter, my faith. This bothers me because... why should I fear the Truth? Why should any of us fear it? If Christianity is wrong (and face it.. we HAVE to face this possibility or we are closed-minded) than we should feel liberated, right? It has shaken many people's faith and I consider the problem of the existence of evil to have been the main reason why I left my Catholic faith for many years. Quote: I suppose I'm still young and inexperienced (I'm not as deeply educated--in theology and philosophy--as I'd like to be) but Mr. Marczyk seems to sweep away with majestic style any and all reasons for a Christian worldview. The deconversion stories on the site really hit a nerve. What do you all think? I didn't read those. Unfortunately I don't have time. Quote: If you have the time, please click on the above link and check it out (but a warning to those who don't want to test their faith). Am I overreacting? Yes. But that isn't a bad thing. Let your fear impel you to find the Catholic Answer. Quote: Are there any good apologetic responses to all of this? Yes. The Catholic Church has the answer to all those problems. Quote: Are we all fooling ourselves? No. But don't let them fool you into thinking that we are. Put on the armour of Christ, place all your troubles in his hands and he will comfort you. Sincerely, De Maria