Influential thinkers like Karl Marx and Richard Dawkins teach that God is a man-made delusion believed in only by fools. But is that really the case?
A book by Richard Dawkins with the title The God Delusion would have us believe that humans who are highly intelligent and highly educated come to the understanding that there really is no God—no Creator. Mr. Dawkins would have us believe that we are seeking something that does not exist. Though there may be some support for his views in Canada, England, the United States and Germany, the idea that “religion is the opiate of the people” is the belief of relatively few people. Religion is alive and well—though varied—in the world.
Touring Egypt
My wife and I went on a tour of Egypt, and everywhere we went we met or saw religious people. This nation of about 77 million people is approximately 80 percent Muslim and 10 percent Christian. Devout adherents of Islam can be recognized by a large callous on the forehead—a result of frequent prayer. Muslims pray five times a day at specific times. They roll out a small rug, get down on hands and knees and place their head on the rug in prayer.
I wanted to tour the temple in the city of Luxor south of Cairo, but when I came to the ticket booth, there was nobody manning the booth. I went towards the entrance and was told I needed a ticket. On returning to the booth, I waited a moment and saw nobody—then the guard began walking toward me, pointing at the booth. I looked inside and there was the attendant on his rug, deep in prayer.
My experience with shopkeepers or salespeople in Cairo was that they are as ubiquitous as flies on meat in the heat of summer—but when prayer time comes, they are occupied with more important things. I saw very young women wearing very conservative clothing—and some wearing burkas (loose-fitting robes that completely cover a person, leaving only the eyes visible).
In search of God
In our world of over 6 billion people, those who profess to be religious far outnumber those who say they have no beliefs. The story told by history is one of great monuments and temples built to any number of gods. People have often incorporated religion into their lives and most do so to this day. Paul noted the religion of the ancients of Athens when he passed through and saw their many temples. He said, “I perceive that in all things you are very religious” (Acts 17:22).
It seems God has placed a curiosity in each one of us—one that makes us wonder why we exist and if there is anything after death. Ecclesiastes states that God has “put eternity in their hearts” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He also informs us that humans of and by themselves cannot find Him, though He really is close to us all (Acts 17:27).
Climbing Sinai
I had the opportunity to climb Mount Sinai in March of 2007. The idea was to start at 2 a.m. and arrive at the summit at by 5 a.m. to catch the sunrise. Almost everyone carried a flashlight on the winding trail that ascended to a point just below the final 750 steps to the summit. When our group arrived and began the 6-kilometer climb, I could already see flashlights zigzagging high up the trail from our point all the way to the top. When I reached the top and looked back, I could still see a steady stream of flashlights. I made a conservative estimate that there were about 4,000 people climbing to the top of what is thought to be the Mount Sinai of the Bible.
There were church groups and individuals from all over the world—all expressing their “religion” by climbing the mountain where it is believed God spoke to Moses and to Israel. This is a huge tourist attraction and big business for the area. There is nothing on the top of Mount Sinai aside from a small old chapel, but nobody was interested in that. Most people came for the purpose of expressing their respect for God by climbing to the place where they thought Moses had met with God.
Grasping the spiritual
Many in the field of science have a difficult time accepting God. I recall a discussion with a scientist who explained that although he wanted to believe in a Creator, he could not conceive of anything faster than the speed of light, and if God were that slow, He could not be the Creator and could not exist. His “proof” was not scientific at all—because the absence of evidence does not prove something does not exist, it only proves that there is a lack of evidence. It was obvious that this man wanted to believe. I would call him a religious man—he just had not found a clear path to the Creator and Designer that he admitted must be there. Our human minds have trouble considering spiritual things (Matthew 13:14-15; Romans 8:7; 1 Corinthians 2:14).
It seems easy for people to make statements against God and His existence when everything seems to be going right in their lives. At times, they lose their faith and their concept of God when things go wrong. Even when faith is lost, though, it usually recovers. When faced by death or great danger, people who would not consider themselves very religious cry out to God. During the 9/11 crisis in New York, for example, people everywhere were calling on God to help them. When people are confronted with danger, the most common phrase one hears is, “Oh my God.” These people may not attend church anywhere, but they have a form of religion deep in their hearts.
God can be found
In the writings of the prophet Jeremiah, God is compared to a potter who is able to work with clay and make whatever he desires. Israel was given help and blessings, but they decided that for them God did not exist—at least not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The people of Judah and Jerusalem decided to walk their own paths (Jeremiah 18:12). Each one would decide for himself what was right—and whether there was a God or not. God’s response was that He would turn His back on them (verse 17), bringing enemies to them and striking them with calamity. People would seek God and not find Him (Hosea 1:9). Yet God is near and wants to be found. Jeremiah wrote, “You will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:12-13).
We humans are often the foolish ones. We think we know so much when, in fact, we know nothing compared to God. Human beings cannot understand spiritual things until God enables them through His Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:7-14). Many people are more than just ignorant—they are willfully ignorant (2 Peter 3:5).
God is calling only a relatively few people during this age to be able to understand His truth and plans. God has taken the responsibility for drawing people to Him into His hands (John 6:44). None can come to God unless God invites them. It is not that God does not want to invite all people; it is that each person gets only one chance to have his sins forgiven through the suffering of Jesus Christ. God wants to ensure the very best chance at the very best time—so He chooses the moment. He knows that “tasting” of this gift and rejecting it means death (Hebrew 6:4-6).
Delusions and counterfeits
So, Richard Dawkins is the one with a delusion, thinking that no intelligent person would believe in a Creator God. Many intelligent and well-educated people believe in God—and the zeal of religious people around the world should inspire us to have greater zeal for God.
However, prior to the return of Jesus Christ, God is calling only a relatively few to be a part of His true religion. Even most of so-called “Christianity” is not God’s true religion—it is variations of a great counterfeit (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). False religion is worse in many ways than no religion at all.
The good news is this: After Christ’s return, He will offer spiritual understanding to all people so all will have the opportunity to be part of His true religion!
Further reading:
For more interesting reading, request or download our free booklets Life’s Ultimate Question: Does God Exist?, Is the Bible True? and Who Is God?
