Richard Dawkins is not Godless, the Essence of Belief and Disbelief, and a Bagel

There are atheists and there are atheists. Many are kind, generous and tolerant - nice guys and gals with whom I would love to share bagels with. Others though can be bigoted and sanctimonious like the worst of priests, theologians, popes, rabbis and imams. So really, the disbelieving fellas - they are no different from believers like you and I. There is good and bad in everyone.

I have no objection to the first type of atheists, whom I admire for their virtues. It is that Gawd-Help-Me types whom I find annoying.

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During a brief holiday in NY in 2006, I came across Richard Dawkins’s book entitled ‘The God Delusion’. Curious, I bought the book - It is an interesting essay of a man’s dislike and distrust of religion. But for me, his protestations of his Godless belief, doesn’t make Richard Godless (If I intend to tease someone, I like to be on a first name basis). The opposite, in fact. And this is the reason why…

That sort of intolerant atheists can persist in their disbelief, for what its worth. They will continue to pour scorn on all the faiths of the world, claiming religion to be the root of all evil. But however far they may journey in the narrow confines of their mind, and however small they may slice the atomic cherries, they will not find God, nor the proof against God, save as what their disbelief has already engineered for them. Their rejection of the existence of God are in truth a remembrance of God(Dzikr), just like a counting of the rosary, the prayer cry of the Muezzin and the turning of the Buddhist prayer wheel. This doesn’t appear to make sense at all. But let me explain…

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Disbelief is Dzikr (Remembrance of God)
Belief is remembrance,
Disbelief is also remembrance,
Because God is Lord Almighty
Over those who believe in Him,
And those who disbelieve in Him…

After all, isn’t ‘disbelief’ also a creation of God?

I would like to meet Dick (at this stage of our friendship, I am entitled to call him thus) and demand back the good money I paid for his book. I am not convinced by his incomplete analogies and conclusions, interesting though they may be to leprechauns.

Ah well. At least Dicky writes like an old romantic. So sentimentally, we are, as the Romans would say, ad idem (in agreement). Maybe I would share a bagel with him after all.

Thank you for reading my Monday rant.

Pax Taufiqa.

P/S: The poem is from current and untitled chapter.