The world’s most famous atheist, Dr. Richard Dawkins, spoke at the McCasland Field House on the campus of the University of Oklahoma on Friday night, March 6, 2009.   About 2,000 people attended the lecture.

Prior to the event, the believers in Oklahoma  House of Representatives considered a resolution opposing the event.   During the evening, one member of the audience, contesting the atheist’s points, stood up, screamed at Dawkins, and according to people who were there, publically condemned the speaker to hell.   Security officials escorted the man from the field house.

Why are people so upset with Dawkins?  Increasingly atheists such as Dawkins speak out against those who do believe and insist that many of the great tragedies of our day are rooted in religion.  In the opening chapter of his book The God Delusion, the retired Oxford University professor anticipates responses like the ones in Oklahoma.  He talks about the angry, bitter, vindictive reactions he always gets from believers in God.  He says he knows they are Christians because they always quote the Bible.

So, why do we need to study God?

People like Dawkins work off a caricature of a god who does not exist.   They oppose a being that falls short of the God described in the Bible.  This false view is fueled in part by believers in God, like the one in Norman, Oklahoma, who respond in ways that run completely counter to the mandate of scripture that calls for a gentle, loving response to those who oppose us.   While we must oppose error, it seems to me, we need to get to the core of the issue.

The whole anti-theism movement, headed by Dawkins and others, must prompt us to turn again to Scripture to probe more deeply into the true divine nature.  The more we know God, the more we will be like him.   The more the true God is known, the more he will draw people to him.

After the man who berated Dawkins was removed, the question and answer session continued.  One of the next inquirers prefaced his question by claiming to be a Christian and by apologizing for the man who was escorted out.

Here are a couple of closing thoughts.  Let me know what you think of them:

*Do not violate common courtesy and publically disrespect those who disagree with our view of God.   Do not violate biblical values in order to defend God.

*When others throw stones and hurl insults, seek some way to counter their abuse with affirmation of Christian love and dignity.

*Seek the heart of God.   Seek to view the world from God’s point of view.