The Enlightenment Unbridled Today's Wickedness
- John Coffman
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Editor's Note: Today, this post offers a sample from the upcoming book Antidote to Atheism from our three book series Against the Enlightenment by St. Athanasius of Paros (now for pre-order!). One gets a strong sense of the pastoral urgency by which St. Athanasius criticizes these ideas coming out of Europe, in his time, and are characteristic of his approach to the many blasphemies this "Enlightenment" spirit threw towards the Christian Faith. This excerpt, in my opinion, is a strong and central conviction for St. Athanasius, which drives him to protect the Orthodox Faithful against the emerging atheistic ideas, which would come to dominate the West.
From Antidote to Atheism:
by St. Athansius of Paros
His [Voltaire's] method of abolishing religion was as follows. First, he attempted to dismantle the Holy Scriptures altogether, claiming that they are not authentic but falsely attributed. Second, he raised partial objections, selectively scrutinizing certain passages and labeling them, according to his own judgment, either as unjust, or irrational, or contradictory to reason, thus deeming them unworthy of God. The inevitable conclusion of all this is that the Christ whom Christians worship and in whom they believe, He of whom and by whom these things are spoken, is not God, but a deceiver and impostor.
What sensible man in his right mind would not shudder at hearing such conclusions? Nevertheless one wonders why so many not only do not shudder, nor grow indignant, nor react with outrage to these dreadful blasphemies, but rather, they run after him with delight, becoming his disciples and followers, reading and listening to his antichristian writings with utter indifference. Nay, did I say indifference? They even delight in them; they are pleased and rejoice in the mockery and blasphemy of the divine faith. And why so? Why such eagerness? Because faith restrains the irrational desires, the passionate and beastly impulses of the flesh. But he, by destroying the Scriptures, the roots, the foundation of the faith, destroys the faith itself. And once faith is overthrown, the bridle is cast off. And this bridle is the fear of punishment: “They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation… And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
Those who obey the Holy Scriptures and believe as they teach, that there shall be judgment and recompense, refrain from evil and perform good deeds; and so, being found righteous on the Day of Judgment, they shall enter into everlasting life. But those who cast off the bridle, that is, the fear of the coming judgment, and who commit wickedness without restraint or shame, shall be condemned to everlasting punishment.
