The God Delusion

Let me preface this by saying that I believe in God; that is not what I mean by "delusion." When I use the term "delusion," I am referring to blind faith, which I do not believe to be true faith. If a blind man states that the grass is purple without sufficient evidence to believe so (and you and I both know that the grass is not purple), then he is exercising blind faith, or what I would call a delusion. No amount of faith will cause the grass to cease being green (or, in some cases, brown).

At the risk of sounding heretical, I want to ask you to forget everything you've heard about "childlike faith." It is one thing if you are a child, but if you are 21 years old and still clinging to the faith in God you had when you were 4 years old because that's what mommy and daddy always told you, I do not think this kind of "faith" honors God at all. There is a certain point in brain development when we are able to question for ourselves what is true. When Jesus said, "Unless you become like the little children, you will not enter the kingdom of God," I do not think he was referring to the doubtless faith of a child (which, as a matter of fact, may not be as doubtless as we believe); I think he was referring to humility and a willingness to admit our mistakes.

"Faith is not a leap in the dark, but it is a leap." - a beloved professor of mine