Thomas and the New Atheists: Bishop Barron's Thomistic Institute Address 

Thomas Aquinas: We must love them both, those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject, for both have labored in search for truth, and both have helped us in finding it.

Dear Bishop Barron, found You Tube, found you, and found my beautiful Catholic faith. Thank you. I pray for you daily.

God bless Bishop Barron! We need more of this type of serious approach towards religion and all the deep questions of humanity. Thanks God that we can hear this speech! Thank you very much!

Riveting lecture. Over my head at times but that's Thomas Aquinas. Thank you Bishop Barron.

It's no wonder you are who you arefor the people of all faiths.your mission for us all.thank you.

Dear Bishop Barron, Your elocution and allocution are remarkable. Please keep this profundity flowing because it helps me and hopefully all to ascend the stairway of enlightenment. God's graced our lives with your presence.

Thank you Bishop! Even now at my great age (81) I still have problems with Thomas’s abstraction. However, amazing as it is I an still growing and learning in my faith. You have helped me and I thank you! 👏💕🇨🇦🙏

I am ashamed I ever turned my back on God, I told myself I was an Atheist. I was angry, full of hate, and resentment. I always knew God was there, and I'm so happy to be back in Christ's Church. Jesus, no matter how much I ran from him was right there waiting for me to come back.

Dios lo siga bendiciendo muchísimo

So glad this video is out. I randomly came across the original reading video years ago and it it turned me on to classical theism and eventually to being someone who tries to be a practicing Catholic. It’s great.

Thank you for your strength,insight, and intelligence all rooted in the love of our faith. Your media ministry is changing the world it's just not always obvious. Praying for your continued mission 🙏

Bishop Baron, Very deep meaningfully talk, spoken in exceptionally simplistic terms even a young person can unserstand. ( Harry Potter, J.K Rowlings reference) Fantastic! Thank you for sharing your Love of Theology and the Word of God. ❤ May God richly Bless you and us all with your talks and inciteful thoughts. 🙏🙏

I love every time you speak about Thomas Aquinas.. always something to learn from the infinity knowledge of GOD THE LORD. Blessings bishop Barron Grazzie Padre.. 🙏

Imagine how peaceful it would be to simply be! That sounds like heaven.

This is a great video Bishop Barron, thank you for sharing this (though I do recall you presenting a similar lecture some years ago). While we totally agree with you about many of the misrepresentations and misunderstandings that the New Atheists make when it comes to the Thomistic Classical Conception of God, we would point out that many contemporary analytic Atheist philosophers do not make the same mistakes as the New Atheists do. Unlike popular level atheists, many of these individuals understand the classical-theist tradition you belong to and have offered powerful critiques, that are respected and taken seriously by Theistic philosophers. We hope you will engage these individuals in the future.

¡¡Bravo!! Totalmente maravillosa :)

31:00 Sinking into God is as real as it gets. Underneath the noise of the mind, deeper, a little spark opens like a window to see. when God, Our Father, let’s us have a glimpse and says in ways only our heart can understand: hello my love, here you are. i’m right here with you and I love you. Our bodies Cannot contain the joy, joy itself, the sublimity of being. It’s heaven. I’m so happy when you also mention Thomas Merton, I still remember when I first read him and knew exactly what he was saying, he knew and he was able to explain as clearly as words allowed him. What a gift to see yourself in his experiences and know you’re in the right path. A teacher, such closeness through time, to guide us when we have no one else to explain. To help us reach for God through contemplation, he gives so much hope. Thank you, to Our Father, to Father Merton and to Bishop Barron for speaking the truth in ways we can comprehend, to guide us home.

Hi, YOUR EXCELLENCY BISHOP BARREN, YOU SOUNDS BRILLIANT ALWAYS! AND I CHECKED YOUR VIDEO WHEN YOU WAS HONORED BY GOOGLE AS THE MOST VIEWED ONLINE! AND I SHARE IT WITH OVER HUNDRED CATHOLICS, etc. MY THE LORD BLESS U ABUNDANTLY - Saba Koriale and I was born in Middle East, now Christian CATHOLIC & Canadian.

Excellent....thank you Bishop Barron

So much of this over my head, yet wanting , needing , to cling to every word. God bless Bishop Barron.

God isn't trying to compete with His creation. He is constantly reaching out to his creation-- like the Loving Creator he is-- to a higher communion. Believe, be strong.

Bishop, this talk is wonderful and exciting. Thank you so much for all of your work for the Church, and may God bless you!

Brillant as always. Best is how he makes St Thomas easy.

Thank you bishop Barron and God bless you 🙏

Thank you for your work to educate and evangelize, Bishop! I continue to pray for you and your work.

Wonderful stuff. The church and Aquinas are the key to understanding reality. Sanity and Truth.

Bishop, you are 100% correct that the post-Vatican II Church has been "inept" at evangelizing these truths. Thank you for being the change we so desperately need!

This was beautiful! We really need more sermons like this.

When it’s your right time, God says, “I, the Lord, will make it happen.” It may seem impossible; the experts say no way. But like Sarah, God is asking you, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” You don’t know what God is up to. There are right times that are not just ordinary, not just a good break, but they are supernatural. It’s the hand of God that defies the odds, that thrusts you into places you can’t go on your own, that makes ways where there is no way. What you’re up against may look bigger, stronger, more powerful, but it’s no match for our God. Stay in peace. You have the most powerful force in the universe on your side.

May God bless Bishop Barron

This was good Bishop, thank you!

Thank you!It is interesting to hear!God bless&protect🙏

Wonderful diction, I hung on and the ride was wholesome "trip", wow. Thanks, I grew from you explanation of God as Incomprable.

Thank you Bishop Barron! It sounds like I am listening to Thomas Aquinas himself!! You are Blessed 🙌 😇

Thank you for this, your explanation of the faith and Aquinas’ writings has transformed my own understanding of faith. You are doing God’s work, Bishop.

Wonderful - thank you Bishop Barron

Hi Bishop Barron. Great talk. Is this the same paper you gave at at The University of St. Thomas in Minnesota a couple of years ago? Have you considered writing a book on this topic? I think it may be helpful for a lot of people. Also are you aware of David Bentley Hart’s work on this topic? I see a lot of overlap between you guys. Regardless, very important work. Thanks and God Bless!

Wonderful Talk. Thanks Bishop.

Thank you for a brilliant lecture..Bishop Barron at his best.!

While I don’t worship in the tradition of Thomas Aquinas, this has to be one of the best and most relevant discussions of theology for our Postmodern times that I have heard in years. It allows us to leverage the New Atheist movement constructively, as a gift. However, I do suspect that many of the New Atheists would be incapable or unwilling to understand the metaphysics of this discussion. Some of the theological language is really beautiful and does make me think that there is something positive to take away from Aquinas for my own tradition.

Bishop Barron, Brilliant presentation!!!

Please come to Texas A&M sometime!

Thank you so much! I thoroughly enjoyed that!

Saint Thomas Aquinas has been the saint who has shown me that God is reached through reason and with this faith is defended, therefore, seeing people with masks in a conference of such a great and rational Saint is extremely irrational. In the words of Saint Thomas himself "if you can live in the midst of injustice without feeling anger, then you are both immoral and unjust"

St. John Vianney, St. John Bosco, Fulton Sheen, St. Peter Damian, Saint Augustine, St. Mary of Egypt, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, pray for us.

Thank you, Bishop Barron!

Dear Bishop Barron, excellent lecture! Now, I'm left with a footnote: around 5:30, you quoted Saint John of Cross ("the mind is an idol making machine"). But isn't that phrase from John Calvin? Thank you very much!

Thank you very much Bishop

Nous avons besoin de cette hypothèse!

True, very rich, powerful, deep and articulate! DEO Gratias!

Dear Bishop Robert Barron, It is with Great GRATITUDE that your teachings guided by the Holy Spirit has helped me (for years) more than I can say. While I appreciate your rich and deep accidemic theological understandings, I need to say that there are times, about 1/4 of what I've read & heard of your teachings; is that, I would hope sometimes you would not use such big words that don't meet the masses of people that listen. It is confusing and I shut down when I have to get out the dictionary to understand your Incredible Gifts of knowledge of our GOOD LORD. Please do not misunderstand me, I am writing this today because I find the way you understand and Express God is genius! I am afraid your genius way of teaching may not reach as many people as you could and maybe you could make your talks more "lay" appropriate without losing your deep rich messages of TRUTH! I feel people like myself... sometimes we cannot see ourselves as clearly and I know I appreciate others keeping me accountable to the things I do good, not so good & great. I know you have helped so many people and for your Gifts to me personally, I am Truly Grateful.

Bishop Barron , Your blessing! May we please have access to the text of your talk? God’s omnipotence establishes our freedom! “In Him we live and move and are…” Thank you!

Excellent !

If you can share the transcripts, Bishop Barron, I would be greatly appreciative. I took notes but I still missed much. Thank you.

Great talk, is there a transcript of this anywhere? Thanks.

Is the paper from which Bishop Barron reads available for download somewhere ?

Really appreciate this video.

Hey Bishop could you do a video on What is the self?

Thank you Bishop!!

God conceived as the rival of man, overpowering, governing his freedom, is one of the main reasons modern and new atheism is active.

I'm the type of atheist that can see a world operated by God, and also a world that is operated only by natural order. If I was born without a god detector, and no faith to lean against. What am I to do? My answer is to wait, listen, and carry on.

Bp very long days we cant send message to our friends cause of storm odette in our province almost all post electrecity full down ,just now is back to normal but not all,God bless & peace to the world,welcome 2022...

Excellent!!! 👏👏👏

Bishop Barron is a great example of the intellectual, spiritual and rational search for God in all his forms. The atheists idolise their own intellects and become imprisoned by them. The great theologians use their intellects in the service of others and for the worship of God and become freed by them, not imprisoned. It is a curse to be at the mercy of your own, cynical intellect. It is a blessing for all when you use your intellect in the service of God.

🙏 thank you

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:18 🕊️ Thomas Aquinas greatly influenced Bishop Barron's spiritual and intellectual journey, leading him to a life dedicated to God. 02:27 🧐 Bishop Barron's lecture title: "Thomas Aquinas and Why the New Atheists Are Right" explores the compatibility between Thomas's view of God and the critiques of the New Atheists. 05:37 🌌 New Atheists like Dawkins and Hitchens emphasize what God is not, exposing the limitations of their straw man conception of God. 10:07 🤔 New Atheists misconstrue God as just another cause in a chain of contingent causes, failing to grasp Thomas Aquinas's concept of God's uniqueness. 12:23 🚀 New Atheists' approach to God lacks depth and neglects the concept of divine transcendence. 13:50 🕊️ Thomas Aquinas emphasizes the agnosticism of human language when referring to God, highlighting that we can only describe what God is not. 16:08 🕊️ Thomas Aquinas's concept of God's simplicity means there's no distinction between essence and existence in God, setting God apart from created beings. 20:25 🕊️ God's self-designation as "I am who I am" to Moses signifies God's radical difference from any creaturely being. 23:07 🕊️ Thomas Aquinas's understanding of God as the creator ex nihilo (out of nothing) emphasizes the uniqueness of God's creative power. 24:39 🕊️ Bishop Barron suggests that understanding God's creative act ex nihilo helps address misconceptions raised by the New Atheists. 26:12 🌌 Thomas discusses the concept of time as a creature and how it relates to space, matter, and energy. 27:21 💡 Thomas explores the elusive nature of creation and its relationship with the creature and God. 28:13 🌟 Thomas describes how God's creative act defines the creature's ontological identity. 29:37 🙏 Thomas emphasizes the continuous relationship of creation, contrasting it with the notion of submission to a tyrant. 30:19 🌐 Thomas delves into God's transcendence and immanence, explaining how God's lordship over creation is gentle yet powerful. 32:13 📖 Thomas discusses the non-violent nature of creatio ex nihilo and how God's creative act contrasts with other ancient myths. 33:09 🎨 Thomas explores the reasons behind God's act of creation, emphasizing divine love and the lack of self-interest. 35:09 💭 Thomas addresses the challenge of divine providence and human freedom, demonstrating the synergy between God's causality and human agency. 37:03 🔗 Thomas explains how God's influence on creatures and events harmonizes with their unique causal efficacy. 42:56 🤝 Thomas connects God's involvement in the world to the incarnation, highlighting the unique relationship between the divine and the human. 48:02 🧬 Thomas explores the coexistence of human freedom and God's providence, with God energizing human will from within. 51:03 👥 Thomas clarifies the nature of personal relationship with God, emphasizing intimacy and non-competitive closeness. 53:05 🌌 God's omnipresence explained: God is everywhere but not as a dominant being, like the analogy of J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter stories. 54:27 🤔 The analogy of being: Explained as the prime reference for the word "to be" being God. Carl Barth's rejection based on drawing God and the world together too much. 57:13 🧐 Modernity's rejection of God's simplicity: Post-Aquinas, the analogical conception of being faded away, leading to a more contrastive understanding of God's relation to the world.

“The Glory of God is a human being fully alive” Irenaeus!

Thank you Bishop Barron, God bless always. They also like to argue why there are great evils if God is all loving and powerful, why God doesn't or can't cure children with cancer, war victims, etc. Prevention of evil, or death, is one act of good, but it is not the only good nor it is the highest good, again placing God as a kind of variable, or a constant, to be added to balance an equation for our own limited and imperfect purposes. Our human operations, or any creaturely, are limited to the present and hence our own greatest acts of good can only be manifested by changing things presently; such as to undo bad things, to not do bad things, to do good things, to believe and follow God, and to love others. One or series of acts of preventing evil or illnesses or death, will never stop evil or illnesses or death to occur again and hence it will never be a true act of goodness, and it will not stop evil overall without having to compromise the act of genuine love, that is freedom of will and liberation in truth. On the contrary, God is not constrained by needs to prevent or to do constant act of balancing the equation, something like a plane that needs to do constant flight adjustments to maintain its trajectory. God's very own essence as Love that sustains all things in all spaces and times, no matter how fallen or broken a creature is, or how sad or tragic a situation is (since God always desires a change of heart to His goodness for salvation before His justice is delivered, that is God's steadfast love), means God will never lose anything in all instances possible, and in His divine justice, full control, and fullness of providence, God brings forth the greatest manifestation of love by taking on evil, the taking away of goodness, not in necessitated momentary corrections (although God can bring about signs and miracles to open our hearts), but ultimately in the act of redemption, Himself as the Sacrifice, that makes certain a perfectly just conclusion for everything, and at the same time allows freedom of will, which is a gift of genuine love, to manifest and take part. And hence everything from God is pure, loving, honest, and never forceful or manipulative, but freeing and life-giving to the very end, culminating eventually in the coming eternal and glorious resurrected life, justified by being fully in communion with God when evil is still present, for every rational creature that is justified in God, by cooperating in His divine will, in His Sacrifice.

Question for astrophysicists, scientists and mathematicians: If all you need in geometry is two points to draw and ellipse, how is it that only the Sun located on one focus of the earth orbit pulls the earth steadily, when nothing lies on the other focus? how is it that the earth keeps rotating on its elliptical orbit steadily as if in a circle???? what is it on the other focus that causes our planet to follow the elliptical path?

Thats what the atheists do, they put the words in your mouth saying what is God, eternity and so on and then they say "I don't believe in God" but the God they put in our mouth is the God that we don't believe as well. Seems that the concept of God is much more close to an atheist than a believer. The believer can barely say what is God and how God operates in the world, even though we believe by an act of faith.

It's also worth pointing out that theres is controversy on wether Pierre Simon Laplace said that or what he meant by it.

"EXCELLENT"

Bishop Barron as his best!

Some of the Bishop's address would have been beyond me if I hadn't some time ago, watched his Pivotal Players DVD on Thomas Aquinas. It's kind of Thomas & the New Atheists--light.

My life is a dance with God with Him leading. My cooperating and dancing well is entirely attributed to Him. If I’m uncooperative, dance poorly, it’s all on me. 🙏Lord, help us to surrender our will to you!🔥

Could you translate yours speeches in French. Blessings from Lyon,father Barron

Towards the end you talked about the Incarnation in response to a question around the 48 minute mark. You talk about the unity of two natures being possible because God is "radically so other." Does the same principle work for Transubstantiation - how what looks like Bread and Wine is infact Christ Himself?

Absolutely incredible

Would love to see a written copy of this, a book perhaps?

"Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am* they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world."-Jesus on humanity John Chapter 17 verse 24.

God is the box you put him in. God is the will to create the box you put him in. God is the you, you can't escape. God is the escape you wish to find. God is in the corner you've painted to elude him. God is kind. God is just. God is just the kind of box we find the divine in all of us to paint a box to find GOD in all of us.

God chosen you for a reason!! You are gooood!!

that was awesome ty

“Lord, you will decree peace for us, for you have accomplished all we have done.” Isaiah‬ ‭26:12‬ ‭NABRE

Always loved Thomas Aquinas ❤️

38:32 (Obj. 16) Lord, you have wrought all our works in us (Isa 26:12)

On the Bright side the new atheist are now on the decline. Heck you @Bishop Robert Barron are more searched than them. Keep it up

Bishop Barron, please talk with Cornel West and publish it on here and Word on Fire!

So we've seen God come together with material world in the Incarnation. Does this not give credence to the idea of consubstantiation in the Eucharist?

At about 13:00 what Thomas teaches about God. At 24:00 God the Creator, relating to what He makes and holds in being.

✝️

Atheists will one day realise in life what does Love mean. And how Love becomes the language of heart through which Infinite God communicates to each human. Ultimately human, is inanimate collection of compounds elements of this universe. But from that inanimate body Love could flow. Love is not matter, not energy but a universal emotion created by God. God implanted his breath of infinite Love in humans. Laws to Love to Light to Life in Christianity I

How should we read the Old Testament’s more literal interactions with what seems like a very personified or matter-like being? God itself often seems to be idolised in a way similar to what you describe at the beginning of your lecture. Should we simply see all the texts as inspired by the Holy Spirit but not containing anything remotely on God’s actual existence in the more literal way?

You are highly intelligent your excellency, I would really want to see a video of you debating with Richard Dawkins with all his nonsense arguments

Thank You Bishop Barron. Yet I Have a Question, Would You Fight an MMA Atheist? I Would.

Father at first take my honour and love.Ami apnar sathe personal vabe kotha boltey chai ami fluently english boltey pari na.please help me.

I have never encountered any evidence or sound argument that suggests the existence of a god. And I don't understand how this fact is a threat to any believer or society at large.

Why did they stop saying the AMEN after the Our Father in the Rosary? Why wouldn't you??

Great talk. As for the Bishop’s dismissive aside about intelligent design, it’s evident he hasn’t encountered the work of Dr. Stephen Meyer (author of Darwin’s Doubt) and the many other brilliant scientists making that case today. For those willing to pay attention, Darwin’s theory (while of a certain elegance and simplicity) is essentially dead in the face of our modern understandings of genetics, the fossil record, quantum physics and basic mathematics. Many in the academy are gradually (begrudgingly) coming to acknowledge this. For all the boasts about the capacity of science to explain away God, science has barely scratched the surface on the grandest mysterious of the universe: why something rather than nothing, the exquisite fine tuning of the universe, the origin of life, the origin of species and consciousness. Indeed, the scientific evidence increasingly points to mind as the likely cause.

God bless you Bishop, and hopefully, want you yo be Pope someday.