The YouTube Delusion

Most people who watch my videos are enthusiastic about science.

Many of them loyally watch the whole set - from The Periodic Table of Videos through to Sixty Symbols.

Some also stumble across my Bibledex project - an attempt to look at every book of the Bible in an academic and scholarly way.

A few viewers express surprise that I would "betray" science by "wasting time" on the Bible.

I find this view frustrating but have tired of explaining myself.

Yet last week I read something that gave me hope.

It was a passage in The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins - the atheists' atheist!

It was a good book and I enjoyed it.

Dawkins is a man who has little time for theology, and he makes this clear.

But he's very knowledgeable about the Bible. And he seems to think other people should be too.

I clearly can't speak for Richard Dawkins... but I like to imagine he'd approve of what Bibledex at least TRIES to achieve (ie: a curious and critical look at the content and history of the world's most famous book).

These are quotes from The God Delusion.

"I must admit that even I am a little taken aback at the biblical ignorance commonly displayed by people educated in more recent decades than I was."

AND

"I have probably said enough to convince at least my older readers that an atheistic world view provides no justification for cutting the Bible, and other sacred books, out of our education."

AND FINALLY

"We can give up belief in God while not losing touch with a treasured heritage."

I hope Richard Dawkins - a man of science - would understand why my neutral and probing interest in the Bible is not a betrayal of my passion for science?

Here's a link to The God Delusion on Amazon.

And in the interests of neutrality - here's The Bible. :)