Tools Of Satan: Secularism, Atheism, Materialism & Idolatry

Secularism is (quoted in part) "a system of political or social philosophy that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship." [1]

Atheism is "[d]isbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods" [2]

Materialism is "[a] tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values." [3] [Hyperlink omitted.]

Idolatry is "[e]xtreme admiration, love, or reverence for [or obsession with] something or someone." [4]

Nones are "the religiously unaffiliated." [5]

Secularism, atheism, materialism and idolatry have given rise to nones.  In the United States, "[f]or Millennials and even GenXers, the most common religion is no religion at all. The Nones claim 44% of the 18–29 age group, and nearly that (43%) among those who are 30–44." [6]

Secularism has expanded beyond the mere the separation of church and state.  It has permeated the Catholic Church which now has its focus on political struggles and economic poverty as opposed to interior struggles and spiritual poverty.  If suffering is so repugnant to the Catholic Church, then why does it even bother to exist?  Did Christ not undertake pain and suffering for the forgiveness of sins?  If every refugee and poor person is given shelter, food, a smart phone and medical care, would then the giver and the receiver be saved and enter Heaven regardless of how sinful they may be?  In other words, can a sinful rich person with plenty of money and goods to donate to charities buy his or her way into Heaven?  Is that not what the Catholic Church seems to be implying these days, that donation is the key to Heaven?  The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) is not about handing money to the man unable to help himself, but is about showing one's love, by "bandag[ing] his wounds, pouring on oil and wine ... [and putting] the man on his own donkey, [bringing] him to an inn and [taking] care of him." [7], [8].   These days, not many Catholic clerics care to or want to do what the Good Samaritan did.  Priests are probably more concerned with choosing their vestments than making personal sacrifices and caring for the needy personally.

Personal poverty, and spiritual poverty, it seems, have become new unstated sins of the Catholic Church that are to be avoided in homilies.  This stands in stark contrast to Saint Francis of Assisi, the true stigmatist, who gave up all his wealth to become poor (Luke 6:20) and poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) by his humility.

If money were as important as the Catholic Church sees it these days, then Christ would have bowed to Satan and worshipped it in order to have all the kingdoms of the world. (Matthew 4:1-11).  The poor, the sick and those who are needy do need help but not at the expense of ignoring spiritual poverty and not talking about the ways to enter into Heaven through the narrow gate. (Matthew 7:13-14).  A priest's main purpose is to lead all souls to Heaven by word and by example.  Nothing is more important; everything else is secondary.  By not "lead[ing] folks more deeply into themselves to see where conversion (turning to God in Jesus Christ) needs more and more to occur," [9] a priest becomes a tool of Satan.

Atheists, rich and poor alike, are not merely spiritually poor; they are spiritually bankrupt.  Neither an atheist nor Satan prays to God, but Satan is not an atheist.  Satan knows God very well, but promotes atheism and wants people to choose to believe that God does not exist lest they be saved.  Without prayer, there is no need for humility before God, for self-examination of conscience and for God's Truth.  What is left is one's pride without a moral compass, resulting in one's inability to tell which direction is right from wrong in the eyes of God.

Materialism blinds one to things that are spiritual.  This cannot be good on the one hand if a person is unable to realize that he or she is being led into spiritual darkness by the Evil One or on the other is too preoccupied with what Satan has to offer the world to see the spiritual path that leads to God.  Materialism often leads to hedonism which includes unbridled sexual gratification, alcoholism and drug addiction.

Materialism and idolatry often go hand in hand.  These days, the smart phone, a material possession, is being idolized, as if one's very existence depends on it, perhaps even God's.  One ought to wonder if people can live and businesses can survive without smart phones these days.  The smart phone opens up a world of possibilities, secular and perhaps even sacrilegious (like a prayer app, treating the smart phone as if it were God, as if without it, or an internet connection, one does not have to, or cannot, pray).

For nones, it would probably be more terrifying if all of the world's cell phone towers were to suddenly fail to function due to a cosmic event than having to face what could occur under the Book of Revelations.



[1] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/secularism
[2] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/atheism
[3] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/materialism
[4] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/idolatry
[5] https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160422-atheism-agnostic-secular-nones-rising-religion/
[6] https://religionnews.com/2018/12/10/religion-declining-in-importance-for-many-americans-especially-for-millennials/
[7] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A25-37&version=NIV
[8] A present day example of this kind of personal care given to the poor, the sick, the elderly and the abandoned are the brothers of the Missionaries Of The Poor, founded by Fr. Ho Lung, in Kingston, Jamaica.  This is just one example.  There are others, but it is this charity to which this blogger is attached for reasons not yet known to him.
[9] http://www.oursaviorparish.org/2016/11/16/what-is-the-purpose-of-a-priest/