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.
Harold-
Thanks for your thoughts. One of the things that always intrigues me about Dawkins is that he presents an interesting point: The dogmatic pursuit of religion has had a detrimental affect on the world.
Let me see if I can explain. One of Dawkin’s major points is that Religion (also Religious Fundamentalism or Fervor) has propagated some of the worst atrocities in history: the Crusades, the Inquisition, Islamic fundamentalism that leads to terrorism… His point resonates with many who hear him. They see the lack of tolerance in most religions as the essence of evil. (Dawkins’ seems to neglect the fact that OTHER great atrocities on the world stage took place at the instigation of secular fundamentalism: the Holocaust, the Khmer Rouge, Stalin’s genocidic tendencies… But, in the interest of being loving I’ll ignore these and get to the heart of the matter.)
I agree with you: Dawkins simply has rejected the biblical model of God and substituted one made in his own despised caricature. If a god exists, Dawkins posits, then he is obviously not loving or impotent and is simply too hard to find. The problem is, too many people approach Dawkins (and other agnostics, atheists, and anti-theists) with complete hatred and disdain. This gives added weight to his very argument.
As Christians we must practice the love of Christ. We must love those who disagree with us, and even those who hold our beliefs and values in disdain. The church (and its Christian members) is meant to be the Body of Christ in the world. As a result, we are to continue on with Christ’s work. If the church started acting like the Church is supposed to, I think Dawkins (and others) would have to begrudgingly admit that Christianity, or at least its ideals, do have merit.
Our task, as Christians, is to change the world one small act of service/forgiveness at a time. I pray that we can stop acting like fists in the Body and instead be hands of comfort, love, and grace to those who need it. (Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens included!)