A few good links

Every couple of weeks the Catholic Educator’s Resource Center sends out an e-mail containing links to some of the best articles and editorials recently written. It’s especially nice when it comes on a holy day when the office is quiet.

Three of this week’s links on the following topics caught my attention:

The Twilight of Atheism

Over the past couple of months you might have seen Dinesh D’Souza with Raymond Arroyo on EWTN’s The World Over. I’ve listened to their conversations with great interest and find D’Souza possesses a very sharp mind.

I’ve had the opportunity to read the first chapter of his recent book, The Twilight of Atheism: The Global Triumph of Christianity. D’Souza contends:

We live among people who are practically atheist. Of course my neighbors do not think of themselves as atheist. Very few of them belong to atheist organizations or subscribe to atheist literature. Some of them who are highly educated like to think of themselves as agnostic: they haven’t made up their minds because the evidence simply isn’t in yet. Others even consider themselves Christian, either because they were born that way or because they attend church occasionally. The distinguishing characteristic of these people is that they live as if God did not exist. God makes no difference in their lives. This is “practical atheism.” We all know people like this. Some of us hardly know anyone not like this. And sometimes we live this way ourselves.

Our problem, he says, is that “we live in the wrong neighborhood.” We should take a look at Africa and Asia where Christianity is booming. He also points that religion in general is increasing across the globe.

This first chapter is excellent and well worth a read. I look forward to reading the rest of the book when I pick it up.

Of ecclesial structures

Thomas J. Craughwell has a good article discussing the differences between cathedrals, basilicas and shrines.

On religious pluralism

Peter Kreeft has an article on “The Uniqueness of Christianity.”

Throughout the article he debunks many of the most common arguments that suggest all religions are equally good.

My favorite line runs as follows:

Christianity is not a system of man’s search for God but a story of God’s search for man. True religion is not like a cloud of incense wafting up from special spirits into the nostrils of a waiting God, but like a Father’s hand thrust downward to rescue the fallen.