Thoughts on The God Delusion

Okay, I haven't finished the excerpt yet, but I wanted to write down my thoughts before they got mixed up. Here are a few things I was thinking as I read it:

1) Dawkins is talking about the reaction of religious people to Einstein's statement that "The idea of a personal God is quite alien to me and even naive." He gives a bunch of examples. One example is that of a New York Rabbi, who says, "Einstein is unquestionably a great scientist, but his religious views are diametrically opposed to Judaism." Dawkins responds to this: " 'But'? 'But'? Why not 'and'?"

Dawkins is right when he picks on the flaws of these religious people's quotes. They are almost saying that Einstein's scientific achievements are void because he is wrong in his religious beliefs. That is so wrong! It's condemning the validity of his knowledge in one field just because he's incorrect in another. Just because I do a math problem incorrectly doesn't make my English essay wrong.

2) Dawkins quotes the letters of two religious people who wrote to Einstein after he made his "personal God" quote.

The first guy attributes Einstiens quote to temporary "religious doubt." He writes that he himself has had doubts about his faith at times. He goes on to say, "But I never told anyone of my spiritual aberrations for two reasons: (1) I feared that I might, by mere suggestion, disturb and damage the life and hopes of some fellow being; (2) because I agree with the writer who said, 'There is a mean streak in anyone who will destroy another's faith.' "

The second guy in his letter to Einstein basically bashes him, condemns him. He writes, "I have done everything in my power to be a blessing to Israel, and then you come along and with one statement from your blasphemous tongue, do more to hurt the cause of your people than all the efforts of the Christians who love Israel can do to stamp out anti- Semitism in our land. Professor Einstein, every Christian in America will immediately reply to you, 'Take your crazy, fallacious theory of evolution and go back to Germany where you came from, or stop trying to break down the faith of a people who gave you a welcome when you were forced to flee your native land.' "

Is it any wonder Einstein didn't believe in a personal God? Is it any wonder he didn't want anything to do with these people's religion?

What is the first guy, who is afraid he might "disturb and damage" his fellow believer's faith simply by mentioning doubts, saying about the faith? He's saying that it is so weak it can be toppled simply by scruitinizing it. Who would be attracted to a faith that has to be blindly believed in order to exist?

The second guy's attitude is even more devestating. While the first guy is obviously well-meaning, this guy makes no attempt to be kind. He calls Einstein 'blasphemous' and orders him to 'stop trying to break down [people's] faith." Does he really think Einstein is trying to hurt people? Does he really belive Einsteins wanted to destroy a faith? The guy tells Einstein that Christians will tell him to take his "[C]razy, fallacious theory," and "go back to where [he] came from." Who in their right mind would be attracted to the faith of such condemning, mean-spirited people?

I think back to Blue Like Jazz, Chapter 19, where Miller talks about how at Reed College, a largely irreligious place, there is a "foundational understanding that other people exist...and that they matter regardless of their faults." He says that it's not always like that at his church, that people get made fun of there.

It's sad. This attitude of superiority in these two guys and in lots of Christians today and often in me is wrong. It's not love and it's not Christ.

I guess that's it.