Consensus omnium, consensus gentium. The idea that everyone has an idea about God (or “the gods”), so He/they must exist.

Nevertheless he then goes on to say how they don’t care about human affairs and that, besides, the soul’s not eternal.

Seems the atheist, then, or at least the “practical atheist” in an Epicurean sense (including those of the “I’ll go to God on my deathbed, after I’ve done what I really want to do” camp), denies the edification of the soul in order to bring it into subjection to the body; whereas the Christian is commanded to bring the body into subjection of the soul, which is valuable to God in the utmost.

Consensus omnium, consensus gentium. The idea that everyone has an idea about God (or “the gods”), so He/they must exist.

Nevertheless he then goes on to say how they don’t care about human affairs and that, besides, the soul’s not eternal.

Seems the atheist, then, or at least the “practical atheist” in an Epicurean sense (including those of the “I’ll go to God on my deathbed, after I’ve done what I really want to do” camp), denies the edification of the soul in order to bring it into subjection to the body; whereas the Christian is commanded to bring the body into subjection of the soul, which is valuable to God in the utmost.