The Rise and Fall of the New Atheism

Friends, the New Atheism movement rose quickly in the early 2000s, led by vicious critics of religion such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. What made their polemics so popular and effective? And how did the New Atheist movement decline and fade almost as quickly over the past few years?
That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “Word on Fire Show” episode, with the help of an excellent new book by Justin Brierley titled “The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again” (amzn.to/3Ff0XhZ).
A listener asks, does the Catholic Church teach that the Holy Spirit has a gender?
00:00 | Intro
00:50 | Bishop Barron’s visit to Harvard University
02:55 | Justin Brierley - “The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God”
03:32 | What is the New Atheism?
07:17 | What led to the rise of the New Atheism?
10:22 | Why the New Atheism appealed to young people
12:46 | How the New Atheism began to unravel
15:43 | How the New Atheism revitalized Christian apologetics
17:19 | The New Atheism’s failure to provide a satisfying alternative to religion
21:50 | New questions being asked by seekers and skeptics
24:21 | Listener question
26:49 | New book - “Know Thyself: Catholic Classical Education and the Discovery of Self”
---SHOW NOTES---
“The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God” - amzn.to/3Ff0XhZ
“Know Thyself” - bit.ly/46QhSDa
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[@Intrepid_Insomniac]

This was happening just as I was entering college. It was very provocative and felt “edgy” to feel like we were much more critical thinkers than our elders. But then we grew up, and had families, and lived normal lives with sorrows and joys… We began to crave that relationship with God, or at least wonder who God was. We wanted something more for ourselves and for our children. Food for the soul. After being an atheist for most of my adulthood, here I stand a Catholic. Who still loves science and philosophy by the way!! 🙏🏻🕊️❤️‍🔥

[@anneturner2759]

Yay!

[@juliabuonincontro8617]

Amazing!

[@MoundShroudCreations]

Ditto, it was all my own pride.

[@jackiesojka9440]

A😅 😊I 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊Thank you😊😊😊😅😊😊😊Thank you Thank you 😊😊😊

[@evangarrett]

Same here, Christian to atheist for several years, then Christian again. (And then catholic)

[@stickyhairlesscats]

I was previously a self-described atheist, only because I was never exposed to the sophisticated arguments for God. This was despite attending Catholic school, where I never even heard the name "Thomas Aquinas" uttered. Bishop Barron is absolutely correct that the Church dropped the ball. It wasn't until Jordan Peterson started his commentaries on the Bible that I started to be receptive to the religious arguments. No one from the Church had appealed to my desire for answers, or satisfied my intellectual curiosity. This is absolutely puzzling given the rich philosophical and theological history of the Catholic Church.

[@yes2day100]

Interesting perspective. I don't disagree. But the Catholic Church has an impossibly vast area to cover. It is the "universal" church, and must therefore appeal to the lowest common denominator in order to touch and satisfy the spiritual needs of almost 2 billion people with all degrees of education and cultural backgrounds. Many of them respond more to mysticism and symbolic spirituality than to the intellectual (and this, too, is an essential part of the faith). The theological and scientific richness of Catholic history was always there, but it is hard to wrap that up in bite-sized Internet bon mots. I recently reread Augustine's Confessions, and it is incredibly engaging and it brings his time period to vivid life but it requires a real dedication in the reader to feel that engagement. And Aquinas's work is transcendent, but can you sum it up in three sentences for a general KZbin audience? I think Bishop Barron does about as good a job as possible in bringing the rich intellectualism of the faith to a general audience, so we are lucky to have him now!

[@xuvial1391]

Philosophy, theology, apologetics, etc has always been an incredibly niche field known to very few. I would wager that 99.9% of the human race has never been exposed to philosophical arguments and counter-arguments for God. Even back when most of the US population was Christian, almost nobody knew sophisticated arguments for God. To be Christian was just the cultural and societal default, it wasn't predicated on having knowledge of logical arguments. In fact awareness of those arguments is higher today than ever before, yet the decline of Christianity continues. The Church did not "drop the ball" because that implies the Church was once successfully carrying the ball in some prior era. It wasn't. Arguments for God is not the magic bullet that people think it is.

[@brendamyc3173]

Gnosticism was taught for decades which teaches that the body and its desires are evil. The teachings of this heresy splits the composition of the cosmos into evil and good matter. By teaching this way the culture was able to demonize the human body and it’s desires and daily actions. By infusing these teachings with Marxism the culture was able to erode and confuse human morality and the proper interpretation of the Faith. With the weaponizing of language through Marxism and atheistic philosophy the errors were sexualized leading people to be open to terrible sin. This confusion also led to the mislabeling of every day actions and work as evil as well as the sexualization of everyday material objects assigning evil meaning where none really exists. This includes the mislabeling of certain foods as evil. All this was presented as Christianity but this is not Catholic nor even Christian at all. It is a deception of the devil to make people accept the spirit of the age which was formed out of this heresy and corruption to hurt the Church and destroy souls.

[@williamhocter4658]

To some extent what you experienced was a function of the post Vatican II era. We were supposed to engage the world and attempted to do so in a naive, overly friendly manner. We couldn’t do that without forgetting a lot of history and deemphasizing a lot of important distinctions. This was the “dumbing down “ the good Bishop refers to.

[@newglof9558]

@@xuvial1391 neither are arguments for atheism, which is not a lack of belief :)

[@marypinakat8594]

*"The brotherhood of man follows from the Fatherhood of God."* - BISHOP BARRON

[@SS-zg6of]

Take that Lennon!

[@vanillagorilla2]

WRITE THIS DOWN

[@juliabuonincontro8617]

It’s not an original quote. He’s quoting an old Christian idea that also flows from Judaism

[@Jack.Jumper]

He's also quoting, or paraphrasing, Fulton Sheen, who said 'The Brotherhood of man without the Fatherhood of God makes men a race of bastards'.

[@lukebrasting5108]

​@@juliabuonincontro8617Jews don't believe that God is a father or refer to Him that way. They also believe that all non-jews are subhuman beasts and that only Jews are men. That's what Rabbinic Judaism teaches in the Talmud.

[@kieferonline]

My older brother became enamored with Hitchens and Dawkins years ago. Around 2017 or so I got switched onto Jordan Peterson. I have returned to the Church but my brother is still under the spell of the New Atheists. Im praying for him to come out of the cave and see the sky!

[@karlobulic2143]

As a young man trying to find my place in the world, listening to Bishop Barron gives me hope that God has a plan for my life. 🙏

[@blancalaura1]

He does ❤

[@swedendive]

😂😂😂😂

[@sirfluffybunnyvii6329]

Me too, bro. We're gonna make it someday.

[@confusedwarrior4495]

Less 'God's plan for your life' and more aligning your will with God's Will..

[@alexanderangelo7284]

Remember the New Atheist movement also flourished not just from 9/11, but also from the Catholic clergy sex abuse scandal that came out several months later in February 2002.

[@phyjcb]

And also because of the evangelicals who were convinced that they had a divine mission in Iraq.

[@mikedipeppino2248]

New Atheism drove me deeper into philosophy, science, ethics, theology and Church Tradition and came out a stronger theist for it.

[@MathewSteeleAtheology]

Then perhaps you should look into your unjustified assumptions, and the smuggled presuppositions in every theistic argument. If you care what's true more than what you want to be true, it is impossible to remain a theist.

[@newglof9558]

​@@MathewSteeleAtheologywhat presuppositions are those? And are you, an atheist, without presuppositions?

[@MathewSteeleAtheology]

@@newglof9558 The presuppositions that theism carries with it, are as follows, and every theistic argument and apologetic requires you make at least one of these, if not most of them: 1) Everything that exists as part of the cosmos is finite (where the cosmos is defined as all matter, energy and everything in between.) 2) Something can begin to exist where nothingness was the state of being before it. 3) An abstract or idea can exist independently of the cosmos. 4) The mind and body are separate. As for my own presuppositions, there is one: Experience of reality predates cognitive awareness... but even this is demonstrably the case through scientific experimentation, specifically the mark or lipstick test that proves that self-awareness only develops around age 18 months in babies. Before that, they were still experiencing life for 18 months.

[@MathewSteeleAtheology]

@@newglof9558 See my other reply to this comment of yours, if you want to know some of my criticisms. I have good reasons for objecting to all of the presuppositions I mentioned.

[@Success1-xc4by]

​@@MathewSteeleAtheologyit is impossible to remain an atheist if you reason yourself enough.

[@lapsedatheist]

I was an atheist for over two decades. I picked up on the new atheist movement as it started when I was entering college in 2000. I was very involved hosting atheist groups and meetings. I was just baptized this year as a 42 year old. The emptiness and shallowness of atheism. It offered nothing. Atheists adopting the SocJus religion of the left showed that a vacuum of amorality will eventually be filled by some religious dogma. It’s what really turned me against the movement and started moving me towards religion.

[@anneturner2759]

Isn’t it great ?!

[@xuvial1391]

I have no idea where people get the impression that atheism is some kind of alternative/substitute framework (or philosophy) on how to live life, derive meaning, obtain values, find purpose, etc. Atheism has never claimed to be a *substitute* for seeking spiritual fulfillment and finding meaning in life. It is simply a *lack* of belief in God/religion. Criticizing atheism for being "empty" is like criticizing water for being wet. Even the term "atheism" is largely a redundant term.

[@MathewSteeleAtheology]

@@xuvial1391 If you listen to what believers are really saying when they criticize atheism or say it's dying over time, they aren't addressing whether or not it's true. They're saying they don't want it to be true, therefore it isn't relevant to them. Make believe in its purest form.

[@ToxicPea]

@@xuvial1391Atheism is the absence of belief, and self-described atheists wouldn’t see it as a substitute; on that we definitely agree. But under the Catholic understanding of the nature of man it DOES serve as substitute to traditional religion, and a really shoddy one at that. It fails to fill the Purpose-shaped hole in the heart of man, as seen by New Atheism’s decline and the rise of mere-Christianity via figures like Jordan Peterson.

[@bluecomb5376]

Praise God for your journey!

[@MarkKamoski]

Bishop Barron, Dr. Peter Kreeft, Alvin Plantinga, Jimmy Akin, and many more crush any atheist argument. Your Excellency, thank you for answering God's call.

[@RealAtheology]

Not so sure if they can "crush" the arguments for Paul Draper, Graham Oppy, J.H. Sobel, etc.

[@racheleaggleston6410]

Wasn't Jesus a man in the flesh, but Bishop mentioned the Trinity is neither male nor female.

[@damaplehound]

I mean, the whole atheist/theist debate is kinda useless, there is no way of either proving or disproving God's existence, if we were to prove God's existence there would be no faith or free will, if we were to disprove God's existence, nihilism and depression would skyrocket. No point in proving either premise

[@kafon6368]

@@damaplehound Essentially, the basic principle of cause & effect requires God for the cause of the universe. Or some prime mover, of sorts.

[@damaplehound]

@@kafon6368 I'm not an atheist, I'm just stating my philosophical pov on the issue. The cosmological argument for God's existence is not that strong, the problem is that it makes the assumptiom that God is the most probable cause for the birth of the universe and that the universe even needs a cause to begin to exist; when in reality there are other possibilities, such as the multiverse theory or the big crunch theory (which is not that plausible either to br honest)

[@brycegladwin8087]

You have been with me every step of my Catholic journey, Bishop Baron. I am so grateful that you started your KZbin channel all those years ago. Your sermons, what you turned into podcast were also an invaluable source for me. God bless you.

[@angbandsbane]

So basically, as far as "The Four Horsemen" goes, they weren't so much Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death so much as the Common Cold, a Slapfight, the Munchies and a Nap.

[@triconcert]

"The brotherhood of man follows from the Fatherhood of God" So well put! Thanks Bishop Barron!

[@joshua_wherley]

Wonderfully said.

[@mjja00]

twaddley bollocks

[@user-ru4iq3ss9m]

Masonic statement of faith

[@danieldoherty5034]

You beat me to it. Great bumper sticker summary of the argument from Tom Holland's book "Dominion," which I highly recommend.

[@baustin11111]

As a Christian, I feel that the church failed by focusing on soft easy topics that make people feel good. They didn't stand up to the people who were focused on membership numbers and church amenities. And they didn't stand up to the people who couldn't accept scientific advancements. All truth is God's truth, and by not studying, addressing, and sharing our new understandings of God's creation and how it fits into God's plan, we abandoned this territory - territory that produces repeatable observable results that nonbelievers can witness - to people that hate our faith.

[@mashah1085]

So if atheism is "falling"...why aren't the churches filling back up?

[@Jackjohnjay]

Thank God you were at Harvard. Spread those prayers, invoke the Holy Spirit.

[@tomgreene1843]

Surprised they let him in!

[@charlesc.9012]

@@tomgreene1843 It is actually unsurprising is scripture is to be believed. It is written that Jesus will be betrayed by his own, and Judas was the one who fulfilled the scripture. It is written in the Gospels of the disciples that the devil planted the thought to betray Jesus in the heart of Judas, and also asked to thresh the disciples, which means even the devil is doing God's work whether he likes it or not

[@DocRunaway]

And may they stop abusing children.

[@johnh6106]

As a natural science teacher, i applaud the work of Dawkins in arguing for the soundness of the theory of evolution and the scientific method in general. It was and still is needed, especialy to evangelicals. But to my knowledge, the RCC does not reject the theory of evolution, same goes for the church of Norway (my native country). In painting every Christian as a backwards fundamentalist, they have created a monster that more and more people come to realise simply does not exist.

[@velkyn1]

alas, christians still all believe in the same hateful nonsense, that anyone who dares not agree with you deserves "hell". What's funny is that you claim you all of the truth about that, and you can't agree, or even show your imaginary friend exists or that any physical hell, seperation from this god, etc ever happens.

[@carlosgaspar8447]

dawkins is unable or unwilling to understand new evidence that questions his early work, by natural scientists like eric weinstein.

[@boom-bm1kl]

The big bang theory came from a Catholic scientist I believe

[@ob2249]

n0t every christian but ninety nine % 0f american christians are s0 badIy educated they scream the I0udest and whinge the m0st, but thats americans they are, after aII, the m0st imp0rtant pe0pIe in the w0rId

[@bigfootapologetics]

I was blessed to be briefly mentioned in this book after having sat down with Mr. Brierly for his previous podcast! It's amazing to see it taking off - it's an important work that I feel will define a new era that may well be a "third great awakening" within Christianity!

[@johnhahn9085]

“We don’t want that. We don’t want [a] God making demands of us.” (12: 10) Been puzzling over that recently, in a very personal way. Never mind, for a moment, the New Atheists. It rings so very and deeply true, and I can only speak for myself - internally. How I feel. Thank God for Bishop Bob, who understands this kind of thinking, and is always so reliable in explaining it, and so humble to throw himself in with “us sinners”. :-)

[@puritaumali932]

7v7

[@michigandersea3485]

I WANT God making demands of me, because I know just how bankrupt I am when I'm following my own emotional direction.

[@dugonman8360]

I believe that atheism is simply a smokescreen for hedonism. The 'secular inquiry' is nothing more than a Trojan horse to allow deviancy to be unjudged. I've confronted many atheists on this and none of them have been able to refute the claim without resorting to linguistic tricks.

[@ChristmasMelodies-hx3lx]

here I stand a Catholic. I don't know how many will read this message, but to those who read it, God visits you, renewing you and giving you Victory 🙏🏻 and receive by faith the healing, the miracle, the help from God 🙏🏻♥

[@CMVMic]

There is no God

[@wildmiloko]

​@@CMVMicso why are you watching?

[@CMVMic]

@@wildmiloko Interested to see if there is a rational argument for God and sad to see so much ppl convinced by such bad arguments.

[@wildmiloko]

@@CMVMic we're not here to debate, we are here to listen and learn

[@workinpromo]

Thank you brother, I needed that grace and encouragement, honestly it's been difficult. Thank you may God bless you abundantly.

[@happyfuture6515]

Great Bishop Barron! I was always critical of the atheist song "Imagine"!

[@sergiotasconmorales7021]

Amazing conversation. Thank God for the effectiveness of Bishop Barron in sharing our faith with the world

[@debbiegraham5585]

Hi, Bishop Barron, Brandon thank you for all you do sharing the Word with us 🙏

[@reginaldphillips7615]

“The brotherhood of man cannot happen without the fatherhood of God”. So elegantly put.

[@mjja00]

Vacuous twaddle!

[@nicolorusso3646]

Such a great video. Please, keep producing them. Greetings from Italy

[@stevefaith165]

One of my favorite episodes! Keep up the fine educational work. ❤🙏

[@johncordoue7829]

Thank you to Bishop Barron and folks like Jordan Peterson using this wonderful forum of digital media to lead me and others out of new atheism’s “existential dessert”!

[@proverbios1820]

Thanks and God bless you Bishop Barron and team! I couldn't help but find your analysis reflected in Psalms 10 & 12: "...the faithful have vanished from the children of men. They tell lies to one another, speak with deceiving lips and a double heart." Then later: "You, O LORD, protect us always; preserve us from this generation."

[@betsalprince]

The movement was never intended to be a perpetual one. Its goal was to raise awareness of the dangers of religious indoctrination, encourage theists to think for themselves for once, and give nonbelievers the confidence to stand up against dogma and call a spade a spade. It did its job.

[@nickglaza]

Bishop Baron! We're watching your Catholicism program in our RCIA class, and I have to say, you're an amazing voice for the Church. I love your talk on Lord of the Rings, and thank you for doing what you do!

[@amaraheising4672]

Words of truth and life, thank you for sharing them Bishop.

[@torbjorntoll1481]

Thanks Bishop Barron and the team for bringing Brierley’s book to the fore of conversation. Perhaps it could be followed up by Brierley style conversations with some of those who were part of the New Atheist movement to move from confrontation to discussion on some of the more serious issues brought up by the movement?

[@filiamaria8]

Another very enlightening show tonight~ watching from the Philippines 😊 Thank you God and Thank you word on fire team esp Bishop Barron for all that you do❤❤❤ God bless you all🙏🙏🙏

[@godwinborg8916]

So UPLIFTING. Thank you

[@davideskridge9242]

Thank you guys! This was a great episode that gave me a lot to think about.

[@CMVMic]

There is no God

[@ChildofGod98765]

As a christian I still trust in Jesus and keep faith even though I’m constantly faced with hardships. I believe in God's promise trusting in his faithfulness, and relying on him. But at times it can be difficult. Especially as a single mother and having two children with autism. I’m overwhelmed. My husband passed away unexpectedly, I’m all alone. Lord give me strength as I struggle to support my children. But even as I struggle to pay rent and I struggle to buy groceries for my kids. I KEEP FAITH in you LORD JESUS. I’m so overwhelmed and discouraged. I’m so tired Lord! Please keep me encouraged because I want to give up.❤

[@SS-zg6of]

God Bless You....prayers for you. You are not alone and your faith is inspirational!

[@filiamaria8]

I pray you find your way back to the one only church instituted by Jesus and bask in the grace he instituted thru the sacraments esp the Holy Eucharist in the mass. He is there for all of us. I guarantee you, youll know all that is missing our suffering. God bless you always.🙏🙏🙏

[@lukebrasting5108]

Why have you been posting this comment everywhere for the last 2 years? So you can get people to send you money?

[@mariaogochukwumanu4236]

You are in my prayers. God will surely hear and listen to your prayers and answer you. Hang in there, my sister.

[@marthaaroh-onuoha8496]

JESUS said, if you want to be a follower of me; deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. His life is a good example. He suffered and died for us. His trust in his father is constant. The earth is not heaven. It is a trial place.

[@zrobert66]

Thank you Bishop Barron ❤

[@DUY-gs8qb]

So well put! Thanks Bishop Barron!

[@JamesRutherford-rn4ul]

I have a PhD in zoology from UC Berkeley with emphasis on evolution. Dawkins' book The Selfish Gene was not much better than his atheistic writing,

[@Nick-qf7vt]

It would be really great to hear your insights

[@dugonman8360]

I tossed the book over my shoulder when he started speaking about how animals were naturally altruistic due to tit-for-tat. If you studied any animal for longer than a year, the blind faith of natural benevolence should go out the door. It's a clear case of personal beliefs contaminating their work, since Dawkins is, much like most of his ilk, Rousseaun secular humanist and still believes in human ontological and moral innocence.

[@jhoughjr1]

I rose and fell with it. Im glad I saw the light.

[@michaelsalter3459]

This one will be good!

[@Anna-ii3ee]

Thanks, “Pain looks great on on other people. That’s what their for” by Sisters of Mercy. I now understand the dangers of secular becoming atheist. It persuades some to hate not only religion but also the people of religion.

[@emman71]

"The brotherhood of man follows from the fatherhood of God". This is etched in my mind

[@ob2249]

when ? he`s had 0ver 2000 yrs where is this br0therh00d 0f men ? gIib meaningIess statement and y0u wet y0ur drawers I0I

[@dixonbuttes]

Wonderful!!

[@jimmyross4352]

“The Beatles said all you need is love and then they broke up” Christian rock singer Larry Norman.

[@alexanderangelo7284]

The song never said anything about them being together forever.

[@carlingtonme]

While not a Catholic,John Lennox,the Irish non denominational engaged both Hitchens and Dawkins and pretty much disposed of them quite well. As someone else pointed out Jimmy Akins,Trent Horne continue to push book on atheism.I must admit Catholic laity dropped the ball,my Mom knew her Aquinas well,several of my Catholic acquaintances are just starting to catch up

[@tomgreene1843]

Lennox great guy and learned ...interesting that neither of his opponents in these debates engaged in their usual flamboyance or, as John Haldane pointed out in reference to Hitchens, color

[@marynayna6327]

John Lennox is an Irish Catholic and a wonderful apologist 🙏

[@ironymatt]

​@@marynayna6327John Lennox is Irish, but as he is from Northern Ireland - Belfast if I'm not mistaken - he isn't Catholic. I also enjoyed very much his debates with Hitchens, Dawkins et al, and frankly was surprised that so many supposedly educated people were lapping up the pablum they were dishing out

[@ironymatt]

​@@marynayna6327let's pray for his conversion. The stronger the protestant, the more likely he/she becomes Catholic

[@tomgreene1843]

He is not Catholic ...but indeed a great man on belief .@@marynayna6327

[@almayap2525]

Thank GOD BSHOPBARRON FOR BEING A GIFT TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, GODSENT AND A BLESSING TO MANY❤

[@newglof9558]

The new atheism was, first and foremost, indicative of a pastoral issue. The works of the four horsemen were not particularly rigorous books.

[@xuvial1391]

Pastors weren't better in the past. Philosophy, theology, apologetics, etc has always been an incredibly niche field known to very few. I would wager that 99.9% of the human race has never been exposed to philosophical arguments and counter-arguments for God. Even back when most of the US population was Christian, almost nobody knew sophisticated arguments for God or Christianity. To be Christian was just the cultural and societal default, it wasn't predicated on having in-depth knowledge of theology or good pastors. In fact awareness of those arguments is higher today than ever before, yet the decline of Christianity continues.

[@newglof9558]

@@xuvial1391 "pastors weren't better in the past" I don't agree with this. You can't find a Jonathan Edwards or a St. John Vianney. Paul Vanderklay, a pretty good Reformed pastor, even said that Jordan Peterson's wildly popular stuff was effectively a sermon from a late 19th/early 20th century liberal Protestant pastor. Theology was clearly necessary, otherwise things like the Reformation, American Restorationist movements/First and Second Great Awakening wouldn't have happened. I'd say people in the past didn't know much about arguments for God because it was more ingrained in their lives. When we're fighting with the alternative narrative of atheism (which is an alternative narrative and the proposition that there is no God, not this "lack of belief" nonsense), arguments for God are more necessary. I'd say the decline of Christianity more or less has to do with competing with modernism and liberalism which are two distinct heresies so prevalent today.

[@ob2249]

@@xuvial1391 g00d p0int weII made

[@ob2249]

@@newglof9558 athesim is a Iack 0f beIief a Iack 0f beIief y0u fuIIy understand y0u have exactIy the same Iack 0f beIief ab0ut hinduism isIam bhuddism etc etc ad nauseum american christians take atheism pers0naIIy y0u dish0nestIy dismiss this characterisati0n because it s0 preciseIy iIIustrates y0ur hyp0crisy y0u kn0w exactIy what it means t0 be an athiest but y0u 0nIy see the w0rd as perj0rative

[@itinerantpatriot1196]

As far as the the notion that people are capable of providing a brotherhood of man, I think that experiment has been tried and found wanting. I used to work with a friend who was an atheist and we would talk about God from time-to-time. I wasn't especially religious at the time but I did believe in God. I remember telling him that a universe where God didn't would seem to me to me to be a pretty cold and lonely place. He agreed, but he said he was good with that. I remember feeling bad for him being okay with it, even though I wasn't practicing any particular faith.

[@Avalon-M.A.]

Bless you & wish you and your family well. Continue searching for God in all things we do.

[@dawnlapka3782]

Not surprised that this discussion started with popular culture about the Beatles. Many singers and songwriters are very good at using music and lyrics to preach the Gospel. I agree with what Bishop said about God's gender being both Him and Her. God doesn't need gender to be God. God just IS. Thank you, Brandon and Bishop Barron.

[@lindabonicelli6801]

Why would anyone believe that the best there could be is the world right now? How can people believe that there is nothing better than this life? It would be so disheartening to believe that this earthly life is the only thing to look forward to and believe in.

[@Gfish17]

Fact is i was doubting my faith for a long time and happily I discovered what atheism is. If you want to talk to me let's talk.

[@michaelhaywood8262]

The thing that has annoyed me most about Hitchens is the nasty libels he spread about St Teresa of Calcutta, and what surprised me is how many people including some Catholic fell for his lies.

[@LuzianJ]

New Atheism has become sort of a phase that young people mostly teenagers go through but as they grow older they realize how superficial it is and that the atheist/materialist worldview cannot comprehend the complexities of life so they abandon it even faster than they buy into it. Probably then move on to stoicism or deism or even the traditional religions.

[@alexanderangelo7284]

Or agnosticism.

[@georgeparowski1420]

Bishop Barron is a beacon of light in a sin darkened world

[@tonox0]

Amazing ep

[@billrevellese5635]

Awesome - intellecTually stimulating! Bishop Robert Barron raises the bar in dissecting the fallacies using reason and logic.

[@mjja00]

Are you a graduate of Trump University?

[@CyprianVox333]

Finally a genuinely good headline! Sadly, the struggle of the ‘nones’ continues. Onward Christian soldiers…

[@FrancesRobinson-yn2ks]

I am a "none". I beileve that there is some entity that we call 'God' -- but, aside from the laws of physics (which, by the way, are for our Universe only -- as far as we know today) -- I don't think we can begin to comprehend this God. I've been a 'none for 54 years. I am not struggling. I have had an incredibly good life. I am a good and generous person. I have not 'sinned' with 'canton abandonment' -- and I am not condemned. Gimme a break.

[@CyprianVox333]

@@FrancesRobinson-yn2ks I think we may have a different definition of “sin”. Regardless, I wish you nothing but love, peace and happiness. God bless.

[@FrancesRobinson-yn2ks]

@@CyprianVox333 We don't have a different definition of sin. I even looked up the definition (Webster's). The definition is what I was taught in Catholic school. 🙂 Our difference, of course, is that I haven't believed in Hell in 52 years. :🙂 People do not have to be threated with eternal punishment and damnation to be good. And I do hope for and envision a world where Christians practice Christianity without fear and do not practice primarily Catholicism. We are not POS. We are sparks of The Divine. With that said: thank you and same to you.

[@Lerian_V]

@@FrancesRobinson-yn2ks You hold Calvinist/Occamist beliefs, not Catholic. And it's fueling your rebellion. God is not threatening you with hell. God is a father. You will get what this means if you were raised by a good father.

[@FrancesRobinson-yn2ks]

@@Lerian_V No, you're wrong. I went to Catholic school (not college though). I was briefly in the convent. I majored in Philosophy and minored in Religious Studies. And for the past 52-54 years, I've been researching and studying Early Church History, Church History from The Council of Nicea to present day, and Catholic theology, dogma and doctrine as it relates to The Gospels (NOT as it relates to St. Paul), and not much Catholic theology, etc.., relates to The Gospels. As a beginning I suggest you read Fr. Raymond Brown (now long dead) or take a college/university course in Early Church History at any Catholic educational institution in good standing with The Church. And prepare to be very surprised. No one thought Jesus was God until Paul started (and finished) his Epistles. Oh, and God is not male. God isn't even human. You take care.

[@gdniteirene]

This was very interesting. I live in Western Canada and the Church seems to be behind the U.S. in using social media to reach people. We're old fashioned and traditional. I agree the Church allowed the atheists to get far ahead and I'm glad that we're fighting the good fight. I loved Imagine when I was a young teen but I often thought it was too simplistic as I grew older. Good for Dave Rubin, I liked his book.

[@Davidjune1970]

There are a lot of KZbin sites by Catholics in the USA which are far more popular than anything in Canada Council of Trent Jimmy Aiken Ascension Presents Scott Hahn Catholic Answers And many others … all based in the USA and all gaining popularity.

[@jerryg3524]

what a fabulous discussion! Thanks BB & Brandon, will get this book . To be fair to the New Atheists they scrutinized classic atheist arguments such as the silence & non-intervention of God (esp. Christopher Hitchens & more recently Alex O'Connor) before the suffering of individuals, animals or nations. Why doesn't God put a stop to such awful suffering? I was told that even St. Jerome once asked, where were you sweet Jesus? I'm looking forward to the answers given in Justin Bierley's new book

[@flintwestwood3596]

Why? Cuz of free will. God lets us experience the fruits of free will and the fruits they produce. It's the same reason why God put the tree of knowledge in the garden. He wants humans the free will to choose, be it suffering of sin or joy of God. EDIT: There is nothing admirable in "rethinking" the truth of of our salvation. It is dangerous and leads us away from God and towards our own destruction.

[@jerryg3524]

@@flintwestwood3596 I suppose. But why was God so active in the Old Testament? He actively punished Israel's enemies & punished Israel itself the moment it broke His laws. And through His prophets He didn't mince words, did He?

[@flintwestwood3596]

@@jerryg3524 He was active because things got out hand and he needed to interfere to get things back on course. Consider the following: the OT spans many thousands of years for the events it narrates, God intervenes multiple times. The NT by itself doesn't even span 100 years in the events it narrates. So apart from Jesus walking amongst humans and doing miracles, there isn't much of a long time window in the NT to witness God's longsuffering patience wear thin like in the OT. The NT does mention the apocalypse, which is yet to ocurr and where God's hand/interference will be seen again. EDIT: I sincerely hope you don't lukewarmly "suppose" it's a bad idea to careen off into our own destruction. If you're bent on your own spiritual death, then the community of Catholics should pray for good sense to prevail in you, but even if you insist on your own destruction, that's your self-destructive choice. It's evil to suggest that others should join in something that will ruin them by dressing it up as "rethinking religious belief." Why it's morally bankrupt to will harm to innocents should never be something that needs "rethinking."

[@jerryg3524]

@@flintwestwood3596 I have never suggested that others should join the New Atheist, you're a stranger to the truth.

[@organicpaul]

Well said.

[@bukurie6861]

Thank you for your video❤❤😍🎮

[@Carlos-ln8fd]

Yeah Sartre was (i think quite persuasively) insistent on the idea that you can't be an atheist and still believe in an objective morality. I think the quote is something like "there is no perfect good because there's not perfect mind to think what perfect good can be."

[@ob2249]

there is n0 0bjective m0raIity sartre is saying there is n0 g0d and n0 0bjective m0raIity g0d`s handIing 0f the canaanites indicates his Iack 0f 0bjective m0raIity and y0u accepting his w0rd is an indicati0n that y0u have fIexibIe m0raIity t0 acc0m0date g0ds imm0raI acti0ns, 0f which there are many way t0 misread sartre

[@dawithileyesus448]

God bless you

[@Swatta637]

Robert Barron is awesome. William Lane Craig - man. This guy is incredibly intelligent. I've never seen a Christian make such a compelling and rational argument for Jesus. He's pretty incredible!

[@justbarelysociable2211]

William Lane Craig is a clown just like all other apologists who lies to support his version of Christianity.

[@philsdon8932]

Carl Jung stated that he had never treated a middle aged (35 and above) persons whose problems were not spiritual in nature. Not one. By spiritual, he meant the fundamental religions practiced throughout the world. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism etc.

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

I was an Atheist for such a long time, but what compounded my situation was the fact that I was already drifting away from a certain Protestant church. I had just finished high school and I realized there was something deeply wrong with the church I was in. These people who called themselves "Christian" but spoke nothing but hate towards outsiders, and constantly gaslighted the members of its church so they would not try to reach out. So I went from church to church and was met with the same toxic atmosphere, the same toxic attitudes. I thought all these so-called "Christians" were all that there was. I thought all Christians were hypocrites led by charlatans and narcissists. I had abandoned God but God did not abandon me. In college I met someone who is now the love of my life. A Catholic. She knew I was Atheist. She had heard every argument I had about religion. And with immense patience and love, she brought me into the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Only then did I truly feel the presence of the Lord.

[@iqgustavo]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 📜 The new atheism, which emerged in the early 2000s, was fueled by the 9/11 attacks, reviving the idea that religion is inherently irrational and violent. 05:04 🎙️ The new atheism's impact was largely due to the rhetorical style of its proponents, such as Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and Sam Harris. 13:04 💥 The new atheism began to decline in the early 2010s due to infighting, scandals, and the lack of a positive alternative to religion. 18:46 🌍 The new atheism failed to provide a satisfying alternative to the religious longing for meaning and purpose in life. 21:46 🧐 A shift is occurring in the conversation, with newer skeptics and non-believers like Jordan Peterson, Douglas Murray, and Tom Holland asking different questions and showing interest in the spiritual dimension. 25:07 🙏 The Catholic Church does not teach that the Holy Spirit has a gender because God is a spirit and not material. 26:01 💡 The use of masculine pronouns for God is not to deify the male gender but rather to associate God with generative aspects, though feminine metaphors for God can also be used. 27:10 📚 A new book titled "Know Thyself: Catholic Classical Education and the Discovery of Self" by Andrew Youngblood is being launched, addressing classical education's resurgence and its benefits.

[@marylynnmazzocco5367]

Thank you

[@TheCrusaderKing]

I beg to differ sir. Sam Harris has proven himself to be not that bright.

[@malice836]

Not at all bright. Becomes clearer and clearer the more you listen to him.

[@2010Juve]

Sam Harris has a low iq.

[@neoarmour]

Hes retarded

[@dugganclhallrentals2089]

Sam is a brilliant man. You just disagree with him that’s all

[@Thomas-bq4ed]

Yes he said he didn’t like Trump. We get it

[@hopaideia]

John Lennox is another great intelectual defending faith in God

[@gailwedgeworth7517]

I am deeply grateful daily for the logic, reason and depth of understanding in the Catholic faith and the church's contributions to academic life. I am today 300 days into the Catechism In a Year. As a convert, I am deeply grateful for the intellectual foundation and history that underpins the catechism. I only wish I had read this when I first converted, for it provides the most fascinating in-depth look at the human condition and our relationship with the God that created all things -- Powerful. Please pray for all the young men and women lead astray by that new atheism, it has impacted so many I know, and their lives have been so hard as a result. Come home, come home.

[@poynt7957]

Wow I see you've embraced the catholic church tradition of talking ridiculous waffle. Reason and logic are left well behind in the catholic church, to believe in 900 year old noah bouncing around goes against logic, just one example. There are some 2 thousand different religions in use today to go with over 8000 god's that can be listed, to claim 1 of these is true and the rest are not, completely goes against reason and logic. What you have gained is belief and some ignorance because you have to ignore what reason and logic tell you.

[@joe5959]

​​@@poynt7957Thats a bunch of word salad and you made zero coherent points. We can objectively demonstrate the catholic church is the one true faith, because of the total quality of the history, philosophical arguments, and what it accepts from science. We dont just have the bible, we have a lineage of people explaining how the church explains and interprets the bible. So any counterargument agaisnt the genesis account effectively becomes deflated. ●Jesus Christ actually existed ●He convinced those who witnessed his bodily ressurection of his diety ●It is the most in line with reality, as far as its theological explanation of what truth and reality are. ●Subsistence existence

[@poynt7957]

@@joe5959 yeah one true church yeah yeah of course it is, its such ignorant delusional thing to say, it encapsulates the stupidity of believe. Genesis is ridiculous there so much wrong in it and as for the gospels just made up crap, there was no census sending Joseph to his ancestral home. This is pure invention which is what most of the Jesus story and those twisted narcissist church elders who layered and layered lies to sell bs to people. If there was a catholic god he would have shut the organisation down, saved millions of kids being abused.

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

As someone who grew up with this battle around while actively attempting to look in on it. I agree with every point made! I especially agree with the strategies for what needs to happen moving forward. That involves the Church, and everyone including myself.

[@alexanderangelo7284]

Part of the reason was that the New Atheists were too extreme, pompous, cruel, and prejudicial for most people. They were the merely the opposite side of the right wing Christian evangelist coin. Combine that with Islamophobia and the passage of time, and there you have it.

[@brendamyc3173]

According to Perla Moran the new atheists were formed at current college and university campuses where all their philosophies and theories are routinely taught and applied. However, Chelsey Evangeline disagrees, she believes it’s all controlled by the donors of the money. It’s simply a given that she will attend school after she completes RCIA as the tests are predetermined based on her assumed ID. Be that as it may seem, unfortunately, due to the bad formation given in the program that she currently attends, her ID is rendered fake and can not admit her to the program.

[@jamescole322]

I am an atheist, but appreciate religion and enjoy being part of my church (I am just unable to find belief in God). I always found the New Athiests off-putting, with straw man arguments against a naive litteral reading of the bible, combined with anti-islamic opinions that were troubling. But it was hard to find the counter arguments. Here i think people like Jordan Perterson did a lot. He demolished Sam Harris' arguments thoroughly

[@gaborlaszlo8389]

It’s too bad John Lennox’s name is not mentioned in this video. In my view, he’s by far the most important figure countering the new atheists. He simply destroys them in the kindest fashion possible. See, for instance, his “Gunning for God”. A great deal of credit should also be given to the Intelligent Design people, especially Stephen C. Meyer with his latest book titled “Return to the God hypothesis”.

[@alexanderangelo7284]

I think people also need to remember the role the internet played in spreading New Atheism. For 10 years or so the groundwork had been laid online. Then 9/11 and the Catholic sex abuse scandal came within months of each other

[@loveandmercy9664]

After watching all the protest lately I think its Islam we need to be little more worried about.

[@tonyiguess424]

Go back to Go back to Go back to Go back to Just messing with you. Great stuff as always

[@maxwatson6953]

Loved the video! When you said that no person of the trinity has a gender, I got confused when applying this to Jesus(2nd member of the trinity). Would your answer to Jesus not having a gender have something to do with the hypostatic union? Thank you

[@adaff7522]

For his part, Dennett is an academically trained, influential philosopher that can‘t be simply written off as a „rhetorician“

[@drrepair]

He’s not very good at particle physics. He said the world began from nothing or something very small. So which is it?

[@Carlos-ln8fd]

I don't think he's being written off here. Barron is complimenting him for his abilities as a communicator. His credentials as an academic are irrelevant to the argument. Barron is trying to explain the success of the movement and to him that had to so with these people's rethoric abilities and not necessarily their ideas because secular irreligiosity precedes them.

[@adaff7522]

@@drrepair I can‘t imagine a world where this is relevant to my comment.

[@adaff7522]

@@Carlos-ln8fd I find it hard to consider the reduction of his influence in religious debates to emotionally compelling rhetoric an honest compliment. But, point taken.

[@1080lights]

@@drrepair Unknown

[@0_3_6_9_0]

20:25 Accurate! Perfect. Thank you Bishop.

[@heronofheaven]

The Four Horsemen of Atheism (Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett) astrological signs are all Aries.

[@gnosticmonk2019]

Recovering new atheist. I rediscovered Faith as I lost faith in the modern false idols of scientism, politics, culture, etc. Faith explains AND guides.

[@danielwarwick8086]

I agree.

[@JuanRamirez-di9bl]

Oh yes!!!!!

[@pepinperalta]

Einstein: "The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible"

[@christophermiller3031]

@6:30 Richard Dawkins wrote several books that emphasize the gene as the driving force of evolution, The Selfish Gene (1976), The Blind Watchmaker (1986), and The God Delusion (2006) being among the most famous.

[@christophermiller3031]

I hope the channel mod understands that these messages aren't a form of irrational emotional response, but literally am attempt to communicate the inappropriate reaction to the use of Dawkins clearly scientific language...

[@christiandpaul2022]

People feel superior in doubting in religion. They feel that if there is a god they will find out when they die and this god will judge them well. They don't feel they will be harshly judged and are betting on both sides of the coin. They have no concept of what hell is or that they may go there because of their disbelief. (Also if you tell an ashiest they can NOT go to heaven they get REALLY REALLY MAD! if you say they will go to hel l they tell you how foolish you are for believing all of that nonsense.)

[@michaelwyka9585]

I would argue that it (the New Atheists) hasn't declined. It has changed. They may not be writing books about it anymore, but the damage is done, they're goal(s) have been (mostly) achieved. The great majority of people, especially young people, do not believe and don't see a reason to justify their unbelief. To them, the New Atheists "answered the question" and that's that.

[@splinterbyrd]

Bp Barron is the American equivalent of David Attenborough; that same calm reassuring voice

[@aprylvanryn5898]

I'm not sure what he meant by existential angst. My life as plenty of meaning. I find joy in my family and friends and children. I find joy in creative expression. That is a significant amount of meaning for me.

[@samuelalli5086]

Amen

[@cyndichanou]

Brandon, where are the "show notes" where you include links? I don't see them.

[@TyroneBeiron]

Surprised no one has collated the words of recent Popes and their encyclicals on atheism and the Church’s response and rejection of it. Surely what we are hearing - even from Bishop Barron - can’t be ‘new material’ regarding new atheism and modern relativism.

[@michaelmicek]

Do you have an encyclical in mind? I can think of Benedict XVI (maybe before he became pope) trying to counter a "hermeneutic of suspicion" but that's a centuries-old problem.

[@TyroneBeiron]

@@michaelmicek Just off the cuff, and not being an academic, I don’t believe there is one specific one. I sense that one has to go through the recent 20th Century ones to glean principles and commentaries that can be applied to New Atheism and what it seems to offer. Even so, that is relatively malleable, hence the challenge.

[@lyndaandrian7204]

Bishop , what is a good beginning book to start with to learn about St. Thomas Aquinas?

[@benhills1340]

GK Chesterton wrote The Dumb Ox.

[@mariaogochukwumanu4236]

How can you make your books and journal more available or accessible to us your followers in Africa who can't access or afford them except listening to you in the KZbin? Thank you for your services to enrich our faith and aid us towards growth in Christ.

[@Tellios]

A quote I saved some time ago describes this pretty well: “Christians have been and are capable of barbarity but at least in that case their actions contradict their principles. The necessary moral nihilism induced by materialist metaphysics, however, means hoping positivists remain hypocrites. The hypocrisy of a Christian means not living up to an injunction like ‘love your enemy.’ The hypocrisy of a materialist is treating anyone as more than a worthless bunch of atoms.” It is quite simple, remove the cause and you remove the effect. What is "The Brotherhood of Man" if chance and atomic flux are our parents? At best it's a delusion that is upgraded to a Great Lie, and that can hardly be counted as following the evidence where it leads.

[@brianw.5230]

I'm an ex-atheist. I only leads to misery. I mean supernatural. They will have a bad experience unless they change. I did. 😞

[@damyankuzmic5605]

hi God Bless YoU Greetings and Blessings from Me