Religious wars entertain God

Or so say certain Christians, like Francis Collins (who also happens to be a prominent scientist and author of The Language of God):

If the case in favor of belief in God were utterly airtight, then the world would be full of confident practitioners of a single faith. But imagine such a world, where the opportunity to make a free choice about belief was taken away by the certainty of the evidence. How interesting would that be?

Lizard at Journal of Applied Misanthropology gives this view the royal smackdown it so richly deserves:

Wow. Just...wow.

Why are there religious wars? Because God finds them "interesting".

Why are (if Christian theology is correct) uncounted billions of human beings consigned to an eternity of unimaginable torment? Because God thought it would be amusing.

Why are children being murdered and women being gang raped due to factional differences between groups allegedly practicing the same faith? Because it affords God some momentary amusement.

I am not the one saying this -- Collins is.

Amen, brother! Check out his post (I comment there). I may not agree with Lizard on gun issues, but he can rip bad theology a new asshole in a most invigorating way. It feels almost like a cheap shot to attack such lame formulations of Christianity; it's too much like shooting fish in barrel. But a lot of people eagerly lap up exactly this kind of theological crap, so I think it's fair game. (Just like astrology.)