God Declared a Delusion and 'Psychotic' While Bible Belt Debates

Religious folks would likely declare that God isn’t something they imagine but real and important in their lives. Richard Dawkins questions that vociferously. But why now?

In a recent book called The God Delusion Dawkins answers the question in his usual stark, descriptive way. He antagonizes Christians, knowingly or unknowingly, with his depiction of God as something that is made up and not real. Science Daily has made this news again, but why? Could it be the debate that is going on in the religious community over what is faith, what are the rules, and the fact that some folks are asking states to consider intelligent design as well as science in school curriculums? Discover magazine has called Richard Dawkins "Darwin's Rottweiler" because of the adamant way he defends evolution. He takes on the religious establishment in that defense in a way that Discover says is really too fierce. Dawkins is no intellectual slouch as he has been named by Prospect magazine among the top three of the smartest people in the world. The other two named are Umberto Eco and Noam Chomsky. These days Dawkins turns his brainy behavior towards religion, looking at the pain and suffering that faith has caused. He criticizes the concept of God in all the ways that the deity is depicted, from the Old Testament figure to more enlightened ones. In his book The God Delusion he maintains that belief in God is irrational and likely deadly as well. He uses the word “psychotic” to define the biblical Old Testament God” and refers to religion as “nonsense.” Dawkins and scientists like him have been provoking discussion on the nature of God, now accentuated in debate about intelligent design. Louisiana passed a law last year allowing both intelligent design and Darwin to be presented in science classrooms That gave precedent for other states to promote it as well. In a place like Natchitoches, Louisiana where the Dawkins book stands out in the window, religious folk now demand an equal balance of religious books underlining the existence of God. If Dawkins can give one point of view, the Bible belt wants another, and that's the promotion of God. Charles Darwin's anniversary is this month, so once again the issues of religion and science are discussed, especially the creation of man and the very existence of God. At the beginning of 2009 Louisiana has put together a handbook on new pro-intelligent design rules for teachers. At the same Dawkin's arguments, as strong as they are, continue to provoke such discussion that Bible belt folk needed a counter to it. So the new law cements their belief.