God’s perspective VS Dawkins’ “God Delusion”

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Author Richard Dawkins writes in his book, “The God Delusion”…

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all of fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomanical, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. Those of us schooled from infancy in his ways can become desensitized to their horror.

I find comments like this almost laughable because they betray one of the most basic misunderstandings about God Himself possible.  That’s an assumption that God is even ABLE to be compared with humanity.  Following from that assumption naturally, comes attempts at assessing God and His actions according to human values, which obviously is what Dawkins is doing.

What’s wrong with attempting to assess God in that way?  Well – How much time do you have?  I can list off a number of problems with it immediately…

  1. It is an attempt to quantify the unquantifiable, infinite God…
  2. It is a blatant indictment of the Creator by His creation… (arrogance, to say the least) and perhaps most importantly…
  3. It is a clear exercise in judging the work and action of God by an inferior set of man-made standards and priorities…

A few comments on that last one – The natural human tendency is to put value on things and to categorize things according to their value.  In most cultures, and clearly represented in Dawkins’ comments, we can easily see that perhaps the highest value held by mankind is… mankind.  We see human life, human well-being, human happiness, and human progress as some of the ultimate “goods” possible.

But here’s the million-dollar question, “Does God have that same priority at the top of HIS list?”

Obviously, no.  Dawkins has it right when he says that God is “jealous and proud of it.”  He’s jealous of anyone getting ultimate praise and glory that rightfully belongs to Him.  In fact, I’d go farther to say that God is completely God-entranced.  That may sound strange to our modern ears, but walk through it with me for a minute…

  • IF God is totally perfect (and He is)…
  • IF God is completely pure (and He is)…
  • IF God is ultimately wise (and He is)…
  • IF God is all-knowing (and He is)…
  • IF God is completely loving (and He is)…
  • IF God is totally just (and He is)…
  • THEN the greatest thing He can EVER do, the highest “good” He could accomplish, would be to protect, amplify, and clearly demonstrate HIS MAJESTY and PERSONAL GLORY to every human being, for when we are able to see  Him in those ways, we will seek Him, the ultimate good.

It’s an issue of greater priorities VS lesser priorities, God’s priorities VS our priorities.  God may, and does at times, choose to sacrifice something very important to us, (the life of a person, the health of a child, an entire nation – all Biblical examples), in order to demonstrate something glorious about HIMSELF, which is a greater good eternally.  We kick and scream, and call God all kinds of names when His choice effects our immediate circle, because He’s not acting according to OUR list of priorities… but He continues on, carrying out His wise and eternal plans according to HIS greater wisdom and knowledge, and love, and justice, and grace, and holiness, etc.

It is not easy to swallow this sort of thinking, but we have to if we are going to live as Christians with a type of faith that upholds and honors the God we serve.  His ways and methods are not be be called into question, they are to be trusted – even when they impinge on or violate OUR self-made set of priorities…

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