Lately, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about a book I read a few years ago called, “The God Delusion”. It’s written by famed author, Richard Dawkins, and it’s main theme revolves around the concept that God doesn’t exist and that anyone who believes in a personal god is under a delusion, unwell in the head. While he makes fair points in the book about Darwinism and connecting human existence to science rather than faith, he misses the mark in a big way. Science can get us from point A to point B in many cases, but when it comes to human existence science is rather ill-equipped to answer most of life’s biggest questions.

I performed for a wedding rehearsal dinner on Saturday night in Austin, TX, at a venue called Olive and June. The weather was beautiful, temperature was a perfect 75 degrees with a slight breeze. The family was Jewish and seemed very excited to be celebrating the happy couple. I performed for the cocktail hour and dinner hour. I also provided sound for all of the speeches and toasts during the rehearsal.

The speeches took place on the 3rd floor rooftop. I walked down to the second floor patio while the speeches started and grabbed myself a glass of wine. I sat down and enjoyed my glass of wine (or two) while listening to all of the family’s speeches about the soon-to-be bride and groom. There was a lot of ribbing and roasting early on, but eventually the speeches turned to a more emotional direction.

I was so impressed and inspired by this family’s love for one another. They truly valued characteristics like kindness, thoughtfulness, sweetness, etc. While watching these speeches, I found myself thinking back to “The God Delusion.” If you tried to tell this family that God doesn’t exist and that they are all under a delusion for thinking that there really is a god, they would laugh their asses off at you and give you a pretty damn good rebuttal.

My biggest issue with the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins is his failure to discuss the many questions that science has failed to answer. There are many historical discoveries that point to the existence of God. There is a lot of proof out there that there is a Creator. I’m not going to get into it in this blog, but you can easily look it up and find that information for yourself.

Dawkins shies away from discussing faith in any capacity throughout his book. I firmly believe that you can’t discuss science without faith. They are not mutually exclusive. Science and faith should be interrelated because they help explain human existence much better together than apart.

The beauty about faith is that it is not easy. You can’t hold it in your hands, you can’t see it, you can’t hear it, but it’s there. God is there, but he’s not spoon feeding us what we need. He’s a wise Father that wants us to discover the path and learn how to travel it. He knows we’re better off learning on our own rather than being given a map.

I find myself thinking a lot about how there should never be an opportunity in life that allows us to “skate” and stop working. Outside of our careers, we should be asking ourselves these questions: “How can I be a better husband? How can I be a better father/mother? How can I be a better friend? How can I donate my time and money in a more meaningful way? How can I be more patient and humble? How can I better channel my emotions?” These questions can go on and on, but my point is life is hard. We need God to help us navigate through the difficulties. So much of life is between our ears. I firmly believe God hears us. He wants to see us working hard and learning to have FAITH. Whether you're 25 or 95, you should never stop trying to improve as a human being.

In our current times, so many people are looking for an insto-this and an insto-that. I don’t think God likes this mentality because it’s far too easy and is born of this earth. I believe He values patience, humility, and trust. Dawkins doesn’t understand this. The family on Saturday night does. Life is hard and confusing. Science can not help us with that. God can.

I’m thankful for moments like Saturday night that give us the opportunity to learn and grow as human beings. You can work as hard as you can and become as successful as life allows, but if you become arrogant, lazy, unappreciative along the way life can come down hard on you. There's a saying that many athletes refer to that their mothers or grandmothers told them while growing up: “The poor house is right around the corner.” It’s such a true and important statement to always keep in mind. Stay humble, my friends!