Atheists in C.S. Lewis' day were as snobbish and arrogant as they are now, but better educated and more capable of debate. Peter Kreeft More Quotes by Peter Kreeft More Quotes From Peter Kreeft I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers make, and all the people those...prayers were destined to affect...we would be so paralyzed with awe...that we would be unable to get up off our knees for the rest of our lives. Peter Kreeft differences prayer people If a person claims to have met Jesus without being changed then they have not met the real Jesus. Peter Kreeft mets real jesus Abortion is the Antichrist's demonic parody of the eucharist. That's why it uses the same holy words, "This is my body," with the blasphemous opposite meaning. Peter Kreeft abortion use opposites Our culture has filled our heads but emptied our hearts, stuffed our wallets but starved our wonder. It has fed our thirst for facts but not for meaning or mystery. It produces "nice" people, not heroes. Peter Kreeft nice hero heart Someone once said that if you sat a million monkeys at a million typewriters for a million years, one of them would eventually type out all of Hamlet by chance. But when we find the text of Hamlet, we don't wonder whether it came from chance and monkeys. Why then does the atheist use that incredibly improbable explanation for the universe? Clearly, because it is his only chance of remaining an atheist. At this point we need a psychological explanation of the atheist rather than a logical explanation of the universe. Peter Kreeft typewriters atheist years There are also two Christianities in the world today. There is (1) the Christianity of the New Testament, and there is (2) the Christianity of accommodation to modernism, egalitarianism, niceness, naturalism, pop psychology, secular humanism, relativism, subjectivism, individualism, "Enlightenment" rationalism or postmodern irrationalism. New converts to the first Christianity are constantly amazed and scandalized by finding many of their clergy to be in love with the second and in fear of the first. Peter Kreeft egalitarianism psychology two The secret of joy is hidden in the word itself: first J, then O, then Y: Jesus first, Others next, Yourself last. Peter Kreeft secret joy jesus If you love, you will suffer. The only way to protect yourself against suffering is to protect yourself against love - and that is the greatest suffering of all, loneliness. Peter Kreeft loneliness faith love-you The closer we are to God, to divine attributes - such as absolute truth, goodness, and beauty - the more we wonder. When we separate ourselves from truth, goodness, and beauty, we lose wonder and become cynical. The Enlightenment was basically the narrowing of our vision to a purely scientific, empirical, rationalistic worldview, screwing down the manhole covers on us so we became squinting underground creatures. Peter Kreeft squinting cynical vision Moral relativism has a reputation for being compassionate, caring and humane, but it is an extremely useful philosophy for tyrants. Peter Kreeft moral-absolutism caring philosophy In an age that has thrown off all tradition, the only rebellion possible is orthodoxy. Peter Kreeft inspiration age faith Moral stupidity comes in two different forms: relativism and legalism. Relativism sees no principles, only people; legalism sees no people, only principles. Peter Kreeft stupidity two people If the churches ever did reunite, it would have to be into something that was as sacramental and liturgical and authoritative as the Roman Catholic Church and as protesting against abuses and as much focused on the individual in his direct relationship with Christ as the Evangelicals, as charismatic as the Pentecostals, as missionary-minded as the old mainline denominations, as focused on holiness as the Methodists or the Quakers, as committed to the social aspects of the Gospel as the social activists, as Biblical as fundamentalists, and as mystical as the Eastern Orthodox. Peter Kreeft abuse biblical catholic No culture in history has ever embraced moral relativism and survived. Our own culture, therefore, will either (1) be the first, and disprove history's clearest lesson, or (2) persist in its relativism and die, or (3) repent of its relativism and live. There is no other option. Peter Kreeft lessons culture firsts Sinners think they are saints, but saints know they are sinners. Peter Kreeft saint knows thinking Don't be more serious than God. God invented dog farts. Peter Kreeft fart serious dog We are all insane. That is what original sin means. Sin is insanity. It is preferring finite joy to infinite joy, creatures to the Creator, an unhappy, Godless self to a happy, God-filled self Only God can save us from this disease. That is what the name "Jesus" means: 'God saves'. Peter Kreeft self mean jesus You see, God just will not let us flunk out of His school of love. He insists on remedial lessons until we get it right. For this whole world is a school set up by Love Himself to teach us to love. Peter Kreeft god world school God writes the story of our lives with the pen strokes of our own free choices. Peter Kreeft choices stories writing There is no scientific proof that only scientific proofs are good proofs; no way to prove by the scientific method that the scientific method is the only valid method. Peter Kreeft scientific-method way religion
