I so want it to be true.

“Can it be true? Has Thylacinus been seen alive? And in mainland Australia not Tasmania? I so want it to be true.”  Richard Dawkins on Twitter.

Recently there have been reported sightings of a thylacine, aka the Tasmania tiger.  This creature has been thought to be extinct since the last one in captivity died in 1936.  Over the years, sightings have been ignored, but the recent ones are from reliable witnesses.  Cameras are going to be deployed in the area of the sightings to see if the existence can be photographically verified.

The thylacine is a most interesting creature.  It is a marsupial, i.e. it has a pouch, and possesses some characteristics that seem dog-like and others which are cat-like.  Its pouch is unique in that it opens to the rear, and both males and females have them.

The reemergence of such a unique animal, thought to be extinct, would certainly be cause for excitement.

I am, however, saddened that Dawkins a most renowned atheist, cannot express any excitement over the possible existence of a God.  Although not seen with the physical eye, God has been observed by millions of reliable witnesses.  His handiwork is visible with the physical eye and photographable.  Dawkins is evidently capable of ignoring these reports, and certainly feels no excitement over them.

What if he said, “Can it be true?  Has God been seen alive?  And on earth, not in heaven.  I so want it to be true.”

Now that would be exciting and newsworthy!

Here is the primary difference.  It is not scientific, and it does not hinge on how reliable the witnesses are.  If the Tasmanian tiger is found to be alive, Dawkins can be intellectually interested and intrigued, but it will require no change in his life or world view.  If the existence of God were to be verified, it would turn his world upside down…. or in my opinion, right side up, a most frightening possibility for him.