A God Shaped Hole

I always feel more spiritually alive when I come to Kuwait. During the month of Ramadan I am especially reminded of how important God is to so many people. It is quite a contrast to the UK where there is such a glut of materialism and secularism it dulls the spiritual senses. On this visit to the UK I was struck by the high profile of atheism in the media. Spearheaded by popular scientist Richard Dawkins through his books and television appearances, atheism seems to be making an appeal to those who have lost sight of God in the West. I took time out to read Dawkins latest book The God Delusion.

This book promised scientific evidence that there was no God. Dawkins takes the controversial stand that all theists are indoctrinated in their religion from childhood and as a result need to be freed from their irrational and unscientific beliefs. Atheism is offered as the liberating truth available to all those who are willing to climb to the higher levels of intellectual achievement. He implies that those who profess belief in God are irrational and stupid and those who are atheists are enlightened and intellectually superior.

Dawkins in his admirably accessible and eminently readable book walks us through a variety of arguments against the existence of God. He surveys briefly some of the philosophical history, dabbles in some theological conundrums and then finally gets to the chapter which he promises will demolish the God delusion once and for all. With bated breath I turned the pages.

What I found was not science or even a deep philosophical conundrum. He raises the question that every six year old asks at one time or another. In a nutshell the irrefutable scientific proof he offers is this “If God created the world – then who created God?” The existence of a supernatural intelligence who predates material matter must have come from somewhere and is therefore problematic for science.

The God Delusion left me puzzled. Why does Dawkins insist that religion and science are incompatible? How does he cope with scientists who come to faith in God in their adulthood as a result of their scientific enquiries? Does everything in the universe that exists have to be material? How can science answer questions of a spiritual nature? Why do the discoveries of the DNA Genetic code, the unique anthropocentric nature of our world, the irreducible complexities of so many biological organisms not persuade Dawkins that this may be indicative of intelligent design?

The answer is simple. Dawkins has chosen to interpret the world around him through the filter of his atheist paradigm. He is doing the very thing that scientists are not supposed to do. The evidence is supposed to lead to a conclusion, rather than a conclusion interpreting the evidence.

One reason why I believe in God (though not scientific it is an observable phenomenon) is through witnessing the yearning across humanity to connect with the numinous. The early church bishop, Augustine also observed this spiritual dynamic in people and he suggested that all humans seem to have a God shaped hole in them which makes them restless until it is filled with presence of God. I see evidence of this yearning for God especially during Ramadan.

One of the most awesome sights I have ever witnessed in Kuwait is being a guest at the Grand Mosque during the Night of Power towards the end of Ramadan. Thousands and thousands of people turn up to prayer in an atmosphere which can only be described as electric. There is a raw expectation that on this night they were going to have an encounter with God. There is a palpable ache in the crowds to commune with their God and it left an indelible impression upon me.

Where does this spiritual hunger come from? It points me to the creator of the world who left his imprint in us. Our deep desire to experience a spiritual reality is nothing less than a natural human instinct to reconnect to our origin and source of life – God.

To my Muslim friends in Kuwait, I pray that this Ramadan will be a time of blessing and a time when that God-shaped hole will be filled by the presence of the Spirit of God.

The scriptures say “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek with all your heart” Jeremiah 29:12,13.