A paper written by Providence mayoral candidate Jorge Elorza, while a professor at Roger Williams University School of Law, has been reported but is not gaining widespread attention. In it, he indicates his preference for atheism, as it is commonly understood, in place of the God of the Judeo-Christian world. He argues that for most people God is simply a figment of one’s imagination. He contends that the faith which forms the basis of our nation’s constitution should be replaced with a completely secularized foundation.
Mr. Elorza’s argument is based significantly on his perceived tension between science and God. That very premise reveals his fatal flaw and the Achilles heel of most self-proclaimed and uninformed atheists. How could there be a conflict between science and God? God, as creator of heaven and earth, is the creator of science itself. The Catholic Church has long understood this and has lead the way in science and exploration. From the development of the “Big Bang Theory” to the pioneering of modern health care systems, the Church has been in the forefront seeking understanding of God by knowing his created world.
C.S. Lewis, in a fictitious dialogue between Satan and Satan’s apprentice-nephew, depicts Satan telling his nephew not to worry if he cannot fully possess human beings. He tells him it is just as good to simply make them think they are smarter than everyone else. Instead of asking whether or not Mr. Elorza is an atheist, a better question to ask is whether he thinks he is smarter than God. The apathy of a true atheist may not be much of threat, while someone who thinks he is smarter than God can do significant damage.
