LETTER TO A CHRISTIAN NATION - Sam Harris

by Dansk 9 Replies latest jw friends

  • Dansk
    Dansk

    I've just finished reading Letter to a Christian Nation - A challenge to Faith by Sam Harris. It's a small hardback that one could actually read within a day - but it's as factual and hard-hitting as Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion and Christopher Hitchens' God is Not Great.

    Basically, the book is a "letter" to American Christians, but is an eye-opener for all religionists. I really learned a lot from this gem, particularly regarding the power the Christian Right has over science in the USA and how it has stopped the most vital research to alleviate human suffering - stem cell research! I am here talking about embryonic stem cells, which entails their destruction after three days, and not stem cells taken from a donor's blood or bone, which is the treatment I am to undergo.

    On pages 28-32 Harris gives sound arguments why such research should go ahead - and I agree with him. 'Christians' have caused the research to be stopped on the grounds that the cells are living babies with souls! Fact is, they consist of a collection of 150 cells known as a blastocyst, do not have brains or even neurons and so are unlikely to suffer in any way when they are destroyed. Harris makes the comparison with the brain of a fly, which contains more than 100,000 cells and, therefore, should present one with greater moral difficulties if one is prepared to kill it and is concerned over causing suffering. There's a lot more to this point but I won't spoil a great read.

    Do you believe religion makes you a better person? Is God truly a god of love? Should condoms be given to poor African nations to prevent the spread of AIDS? Is evolution truly responsible for our being here? Are atheists evil?

    As Richard Dawkins says: "I dare you to read this book....it will not leave you unchanged. Read it if it is the last thing you do."

    Ian

  • purplesofa
    purplesofa

    Thanks for this post, this is the second book by Sam Harris that has been recommended.

    purps

  • Blueblades
    Blueblades

    Dansk,I read both of Sam harris's books, also Richard Dawkins God Delusion. And am awaiting to get God Is Not Great, Chris Hitchins from my library.

    Dansk, On Sunday, June 24, 2007, The Philadelphia Inquirer in it's Books and Ideas section had a piece on God Is Not Great, reviewed by Chris Hedges. The article was entitled: Atheist polemic refuses to engage authentic religion. The article review was quite long, to long to post here. Maybe you can google it and find it there. I would like your input on the negative slant that Chris Hedges's puts on Chris Hitchins"s book about God Is Not Great.

    One of the statements he makes about Hitchins says that Hitchins has confused religion with religious institutions, and beliefs with dogma. He blasts Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Chris Hitchins. He calls them writers of the new atheist manifestos.

    All the best to your treatments and recovery from the cancer.

    Blueblades

  • diamondblue1974
    diamondblue1974
    Do you believe religion makes you a better person?

    Hardly, I stand by the argument that religion per se is ineffectual when it comes to a persons morality and ethical values; what does however improve the person is true spirituality.

    Is God truly a god of love?

    Personally I don't believe in an interventionist 'God' as pictured by some bearded guy upstairs that sees and knows everything.

    I certainly dont believe that such a god if he did exist, is a loving God. There has been centuries of propaganda trying to improve this Gods image and make him out to be all knowing, all loving but his performance to date sets out exactly what he is. Either non existent or an absentee landlord.

    I believe in Divinity or a Divine creative spark which is within everything and part of everything.

    Should condoms be given to poor African nations to prevent the spread of AIDS?

    This is where I get controversial - yes I agree they should and I think they should be forced to use them too! (how you would enforce it is a different matter lol); whilst I am aware of the moral arguments relating to enforcing someone elses morality upon another, there is a line to be drawn when someones irresponsibility or lack of education can affect the majority.

    Is evolution truly responsible for our being here? Are atheists evil?

    There is evidence to suggest it is but Atheists are generally not evil, they have a valid viewpoint which is just as worthy of analysis and challenge as their counterparts.

    Yes I did enjoy answering your rhetorical questions LOL

    Gary

  • CyrusThePersian
    CyrusThePersian

    Do you believe religion makes you a better person? Some people seem to require that their lives be dictated by some invisible sky-being who tells them how to live their lives (as interpreted of course, by the various preists, ministers and shamans who claim to speak in his name) so in that sense, for those people religion makes them better persons.

    Is God truly a god of love? Don't make me laugh. The god who inhabits the Bible is mean, jealous ("and proud of it"- according to Richard Dawkins) and a murderer who required the human sacrifice of his son before he would deign to forgive "sins." Where's the love?

    Should condoms be given to poor African nations to prevent the spread of AIDS? Sure, but will they use them? Or will their priests or religious leaders tell them not to bother?

    Is evolution truly responsible for our being here? Sure seems to be. All of the evidence I've seen, from fossils to biology to social evolution, all seem to point that way.

    Are atheists evil? Some are evil, like Stalin. Some are good like Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, Clarence Darrow, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr....

    Thanks for the heads up about the book, Letter to a Christian Nation - A Challenge to Faith , I'll definitely put it on my list!

    CyrusThePersian

  • nvrgnbk
    nvrgnbk

    Great book by a smart man.

    Thanks Ian( Dansk)!

    Nate

  • Dansk
    Dansk

    Hi BlueBlades:

    I would like your input on the negative slant that Chris Hedges's puts on Chris Hitchins"s book about God Is Not Great.

    Chris Hedges review is extremely well written and on face value might sway (and would definitely sway) those of a religious mind. However, with sentences such as this I believe he gives himself away:

    Hitchens, when he runs up against the authentic religious life, withers. He tries vainly to deny its existence, since its recognition punctures his pronouncement that "religion teaches people to be extremely self-centered and conceited."

    What, for example, is the "authentic religious life"? I bet you could ask many religionists here and they'd come up with different answers. Aren't all religions supposed to be authentic - or have I misunderstood what he was saying (dogmatised or not there is no separation., i.e. when we are speaking of belief in an Almighty God)? Taking religion in general, I see nothing wrong with Hitchen's comments, especially when one considers, for example, the ban on stem cell research in the USA! It's like the religious Right are saying: "I believe there's a soul in that there test tube so to kill the cells is to kill a life, so damn the research! " Definitely self-centredness and conceit there!

    Hitchens' simplistic assault is itself a dangerous kind of fundamentalism.

    I had to laugh at that! Heck, someone's got to come to the fore and put religion in its place and I salute Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris for having the balls to do so - and for our living in a democratic western society which, if it were totally under religious control, would stifle all contrary views!

    Hedges further accuses Hitchens of religious intolerance. So what?! Religion has had all its own way for far too long with the result that countless millions have suffered and died at its hands - at the very least going to their graves with a false expectation. I applaud Hitchens for highlighting such immense tragedy!

    Of course Hitchens and others are going to be controversial. They're fighting against institutions that have held sway for centuries - and yet in 2007 the world is still divided by religious intolerance and brutality while atheists are united in that man (and woman!!) is equal wherever they live.

    From a personal perspective, I wish to emphasise that I see a great difference between religion and spirituality. I can believe I am one with the universe without having to believe that a Creator formed it! In that respect I consider myself spiritual - but definitely not religious.

    Ian

  • lonelysheep
    lonelysheep
    I really learned a lot from this gem, particularly regarding the power the Christian Right has over science in the USA and how it has stopped the most vital research to alleviate human suffering - stem cell research!

    Yes, he gave a lot of real details on the Christian Right. It's ridiculous how so many people argue against stem cell research when they have NO arguement!

  • jaguarbass
    jaguarbass

    The worse thing the bible thumping neo Nazzi Christian right has done to America is put the dingbat George Bush in office and his fathers new world order policies which are rapidly bankrupting the USA financially and morally.

    I gues one good thing is the fiasco is sucking the thinking people of America out of the churches.

    The bad thing is there arent that many thinking people in the United States to do anything about it. And they probably werent in the churches to begin with.

    I suspect when America falls history will credit the finatical Christians for destroying her just like they destroyed the Roman Empire.

    Funny thing is none of the Christians consider themselves to be finatical.

    Same with the Moslems.

    Their all brain dead ding bats.

    Religion and God is the biggest scam put upon the workng man.

    What Relgion and God is, is like the carrot they used to hold on a pole in front of the donkey pulling the cart. I think at the end of the day the donkey got the carrot.

    Not so with God and religion everybody dies and the world goes on and on.

    And even if there is a carrot, your got one foot in yesterday and one foot in tomorrow and your pissing all over today, for a carrot. Religion is manipulation by the masters, or the manipulators.

    Maybe its as simple as a bunch of fat cats who do want to do manual labor playing with the workers minds.

    Or maybe its more sinister and evil.

    Nobody finds out on this side.

    And theres not much credible evidence for a loving God, Creator.

  • Blueblades
    Blueblades

    Thanks Dansk, nice rebuttal!

    Blueblades

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