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Richard Dawkins is an English ethologist, evolutionary biologist, an author, emeritus fellow of New College Oxford, and prior to retirement was the University of Oxford's Professor for public Understanding of Science.
"More importantly," Professor Dawkins says, "I'm an atheist."
He has a worldwide following because of his strident attacks on Christianity and Judaism. He has "distinguished" himself as outspoken and fearless in his attacks on God.
In a recent interview on Qatar based Al Jazeera television---soon to be seen in America on Al Gore's former cable channel, Dawkins said he opposes the "indoctrination" of children by their parents who teach their children their faith.
Speaking about a young woman who claims she was sexually abused by a priest when she was very young, Dawkins said, "Horrible as sexual abuse no doubt was, the damage was arguably less than the long term psychological damage inflicted by bringing up the child as a Catholic in the first place."
So teaching your children your faith and raising them in your church is worse that child abuse?
Apparently in Dawkin's world it is.
At least he stands up for what he believes.
Right?
Not really.
There is no restraint when Dawkins takes on God and Christianity. Nothing off limits. Nothing sacred.
But when he talks about Islam there is a substantially different tone.
In his bestselling book, "The God Delusion," Dawkins imfamously mocked the God of the Old Testament, writing, "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction; jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, blood thirsty, ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, fillicidal, sadeomasochistic, capricious malevolent bully."
Atheists applaud.
And God says, "I love you Richard Dawkins and I can forgive you."
But what about Allah?
How does this world renowned atheist feel about Allah?
When asked if he thought the same of the God of the Koran, Dawkins ducked.
He said, "Well, um, the God of the Koran I don't know so much about."
Really?
Douglass Murray, writing for the Jewish Chronicle, asked what many have been thinking, "How can it be that the world's most fearless atheist celebrated for his strident opinions on the Christian and Jewish God, could profess to know so little about the god of the Koran?"
Remember the Danish Mohammad cartoons that were published back in 2005 and created a global uproar?
Kurt Westergaard was one of the cartoonists.
On New Year's day, 2010, Westergaard was visited at his home by a Somali-trained Islamist who attempted to decapitate him with an axe.
Westergaard escaped. The press hardly covered the story.
In February of 2013, a "Muslim looking" immigrant showed up at Westergaard's door as a postman.
The young Muslim looking immigrant fired at the 70-year old cartoonist's head from 36 inches away.
He missed. His gun jammed, Westergaard hit the man, the gun fell to the ground and the man fled.
The global media, including in the US, hardly covered the story and when they did, they simply referred to Westergaard as a "critic of Islam."
Douglass Murray observes that both Dawkins and Westergaard are critics of religion.
However Murray says, "Nothing will happen to Professor Dawkins because from the tree of anti-religious knowledge he picks only the easiest lowest hanging fruit."
The attempts on Westergaard's life have been essentially ignored by the global press.
Should a Christian or Jew attempt to murder Dawkins, it would be a continuing and breaking story worldwide.
This is a sign of the times in which we live.
It is not likely a Christian or Jew will attempt to harm Dawkins, but should they, they would be acting in direct conflict with the teaching in the Torah and the New Testament---the teachings of Jesus Himself.
However, violence against anyone speaking badly of Allah is not only condoned but advocated in the Koran.
There is a vast difference between Christianity and Islam.
Dawkins knows this.
Apparently his atheism is selective. He only believes in not believing in and blaspheming a God who loves him and seeks to forgive and restore him.
Is he a hypocrite?
I became a friend of Bill Murray after he had grown up. And had become a Christian.
In 1959 his mother, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, filed suit against his school. She claimed it was on behalf of her young son who was being forced to attend a Bible study at his public school.
That case, Murray v. Curlett, was later consolidated into Abington School District v. Schempp.
She won the case on June 17, 1963, causing the Bible and prayer to be removed from the classroom because it was now a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Madalyn founded the organization "American Atheists" and served as president from 1963 to 1986.
Bill has told me that his mother did not live out her non-faith at home---only in public.
He says growing up in the world's most atheist of her time was very different than you might think. He told me they celebrated Christmas with angels, a Christmas tree, Santa, presents and all. He said they even had prayers sometimes and Easter egg hunts.
Bill said it was only in public that his mother took on her extreme animosity toward God. He said she raised millions of dollars. And became famous.
To publicly hate God reveals much about those who do so.
Perhaps among those revelations is a person at war---not with God, but within themselves. Perhaps their heart instinctively knows there is a God, while their head and ego rebel and claim there is no such Personality.
Or are they simply hypocrites?
In either case, God loves them and has given His Son to die for them.
And ultimately Dawkins and others who share his non-faith will be granted the opportunity to follow Ms O'Hair into eternity and have a personal conversation with God about their beliefs.
Be Vigilant. Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Active. Be Blessed.
