Credit: Shane Pope, Wikipedia, CC BY 2.0
Richard Dawkins is possibly the most famous Atheist in the world. He wrote a book titled “The God Delusion” and he often speaks in public.
Recently in an interview, Dawkins identified himself as a Christian, specifically a “Cultural Christian.” Apparently, the discussion was about how the Muslim celebration of Ramadan replaced the Christian Easter, as a public celebration in a prominent place in London.
Dawkins stated that their country, Britain, was “culturally Christian” and he identified himself as a “Cultural Christian.”
It sounds strange for the most outspoken Atheist in the world, to identify himself as any kind of Christian, but that is what happened.
There is a story here, with a lesson for us.
Richard Dawkins is a graduate and also served as a professor at Oxford University. He has been a critic of Creationism, the idea that God created the universe, and he advocates for evolution, without God, in biology.
It seems that he disagrees with religion and a belief in God, but he likes the culture that grew from a belief in God. Specifically, he believes in Christianity, over other religions, and calls himself a “Cultural Christian.”
In history, a carpenter named Jesus, which is a Greek variation of the older name Joshua, started public speaking near his hometown of Nazareth, in a Roman province called Galilee.
I think most Christians miss the humility in their great leader. When that carpenter took his message to the center of education and power for his religion, Jerusalem, He was arrested and executed.
That should have been the end of this country preacher, but His followers claimed that He came back from the dead, and then elevated off the ground, into Heaven. That message has been unpopular with rich and powerful people, for two thousand years, including sneering and mocking, and violent persecution.
Jesus warned his followers:
If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. (John 15: 18 to 20)
That is clear.
It also seems clear, that Dawkins wants the outcome, but not the source.
Christianity started with a humble carpenter, who talked about God, in a remote country area. Educated and powerful people don’t easily identify with that type of man and His followers.
It seems now, that everyone likes the results of the work of Jesus, but not always the humble source of those results.
Today, after two thousand years, about 2.38 billion people, almost two and a half billion, in a world population of about eight billion, identify with Jesus. That is almost one-third of the people in the world.
There may be different levels of sincerity among self-identified Christians, but almost one-third of the world is a huge number. And all that came from a carpenter from a small town, somewhere.
I was in a shopping mall, a few hours ago, and I was surprised by the number of new immigrants who were shopping there. I was part of a very small minority.
I don’t know the religious backgrounds of the other shoppers, but Christianity was possibly a minority belief there. The area where I live is known as a Bible Belt, and it easily qualifies as culturally Christian. Church buildings are everywhere.
In the shopping mall, I didn’t ask why, but it seems that many people are anxious to leave their homelands and move to someplace with a Christian heritage or culture. They probably don’t go to Christian churches, but they do like public areas like shopping malls.
Immigration seems to be moving mostly in one direction, and something is attracting people.
Richard Dawkins, probably the world’s most famous Atheist, is strangely attracted to the same outcome, like so many other people. That carpenter preacher made something we all want.
The obvious question is, who was that man? … and how did this all start?
There is a logical next step.
I hope we all find it.
