Letter to a Christian Nation

I actually rate this book 4.5, docking .5 points for being a little too militant and confrontational to the very people we are trying to reason with. Obviously, to a non-believer like me, it's quite fun to read and easy to agree with, but I do think Harris could have taken a slightly more tact and less aggressive approach. Nonetheless, it's a great little book that addresses our concerns - the non-believer who just wants to be left alone to not believe. The following is my summary as a fellow non-believer. If that means I'm this despised term called "atheist", so be it. As much as I'd rather just walk around dog poo on the sidewalk, if it's in my neighborhood or in front of my house, I'll remove it and try to find that dog so it doesn't do it again or find its owner. That's how I've always viewed religion, mainly Christianity since it's the only one that I've really been exposed to since I was a kid. Having started my education in a Catholic kindergarten and having gone to church fairly regularly for the next 30 years, I can say that I know enough about it. Heck, there were those days that I prayed loudly in front of others in church Bible studies. I've come a long, long way since then. Now I'm quite convinced in my mind that God doesn't exist, not anymore than Zeus, Athena, Prometheus, Hercules, Poseidon, etc. (BTW, ancient Greek mythology is infinitely more interesting than the insufferably boring Bible mythology) Well, certainly not this Christian god of the Old and New Testaments... I will admit this much: we can't prove that some god doesn't exist in the same way Christians can't prove that this God exists. Still, I don't believe in any god and do not see why a god is necessary, but I can see why the masses of the indoctrinated, the disaffected, the lost, the weak, the brainwashed, etc. need one. My wife is a Christian, so I'm not saying she's brainwashed or weak, etc., but she had certainly been indoctrinated by her parents and the churches most of her life. I don't hold it against her. She's moderate and has a very reasonable view of the world and she finds comfort in God and Jesus. That's fine with me and she wishes that I'd develop faith as well but understands that I seek truth and evidence. She knows that I'm intellectually very curious and that I avidly read about history of ancient Greece and Rome, the art of opera composer Wagner, quantum physics and cosmology, literature of medieval China and many other things. Knowing as much as I can about history (of not only the Western world but ALL of the world - Far East, for instance), the sciences and the arts (music, literature, philosophy, etc.) is quite vital to my appreciation and understanding of this world and life in general. And the more I learn, the more I realize what a farce on a colossal scale religion really is. Religion, especially large organized religions and specifically Christianity, is simply about mind control and wielding political power. You can't argue against most history (and I do realize some histories of ancient eras are forever lost) and if you view things on a macro level, Christianity has simply been a tool of Western imperialist motives and we, obviously, have seen it happen to this very day. Politicians use religion (or vice versa) as a cover for their lust for power, economic riches, and conquest of other lands and their resources. It has happened for thousands of years and it's happening at this very moment. And what can the ignorant masses do but to follow? Religion and "God" makes them feel connected to a reality they have no control over or are too lazy or too intellectually lacking to learn about. It's simply an "escape" from the overwhelming complexities of human society and the frightening grandeur of the mysterious nature all around us. In "God", there is an imagined "answer" for EVERYTHING - including senseless murders and wars, natural disasters, hunger, traffic accidents, etc. How comforting it must be to the masses to have this "God" that caused it ALL to be. It's a pretty sad and depressing thing to observe but I understand that it's necessary for the masses. It's getting to the point, though, that I have to defend my freedom to NOT believe in a god or have this "faith" that Christians constantly refer to. I'm getting alarmed by what some of these people at my wife's church are telling her and what they may be teaching my children. I'm getting ticked off at the Evangelicals wanting to erect the Ten Commandments in courthouses, institute prayers in public schools, and remove evolution from school textbooks and offer "intelligent design" as scientific history. I've ignored religion for many years now but it's getting to the point where I now feel I have to defend myself and my family from this absurdity called religion. I'm starting to see dog poo in front of my yard and I'm going to have to do something about it. Harris rallies us non-believers to think that it's time to stand up against religious fundamentalism. We can tolerate moderate religion and we respect the freedom of people to worship whoever or whatever god they please, but we are not going to tolerate these fundamentalists trying to force us to "believe" in something that we simply can't believe in. As Richard Dawson said in 'The God Delusion', why would we want to say that we "believe" in something (this most unpleasant "God" of the Bible) when we simply don't?

I have to say I am impressed. This is the third book I've read in the recent surge of atheists proposing reasons to give up on and even abolish religion. I am impressed because all three repeated few arguments and each brought something new to the table, whether it was another perspective or another rational objection, etc. The two I read prior to this were "The God Delusion" by Dawkins and "God is Not Great" by Hitchens. Sam Harris' little book is probably the most accessible of the three, since he does not dive too deeply into scientific jargon like Dawkins or use Hitchens' elegant, poetic writing style. Although the assertions and accusations made are certainly bold and unapologetic, the book is fairly down-to-earth in it's language. To those of you who will hate an entire book if it is written with fervor and anger behind it, steer clear of "Letter To A Christian Nation". Harris is tired of religion, he wants to see it eliminated, and he makes no attempt to disguise or downplay his intentions. He questions the goodness of God, the compatibility of religion and science, and even the supposed possibility of coexistence between the major faiths. Although many of his arguments are nothing new, it serves to make his point that these are still ignored, denied or even unknown to many in the world today. This covers much more than Christianity too, as it mentions Islam several times and repeatedly indicts the American government for it's gross failure to separate church and state in these recent years. Despite this being a very short read, it packs a lot of great points and arguments that seem much more straight-forward than similar books I've read. Harris is not interested in beating around the bush or making himself more likeable to his Christian audience, and so consequentially he comes off as a bit arrogant. He clearly states what he disagrees with and why, with little story-telling or lengthy examples. In many ways, he is both passionate enough and simple enough in what he says that his book may reach more people than some of his contemporaries will. It is less of a scientific or philosophical expose than it is just one man's appeal to a country overrun by religious believers, many of whom are fanatics. Certainly worth checking out, in my opinion.

Ich war erst skeptisch, da das ich offenbar an Amerikaner gerichtet ist, daher für andere Länder vielleicht nicht viel Interessantes bringe, doch ich würde positiv überrascht. Vieles, leider zu vieles, trifft auch auf unsere Gesellschaft zu. Gut geschrieben, gut und flüssig zu lesen, gutes handliches Format. Auch denjenigen zu empfehlen, für die the end of faith zu mühsam ist. Dort dafür dann sehr viel ausführlichere Referenzen und Quellenangaben als in diesem kleinen Miniband. Gute Ergänzung. In diesem kleinen Band sind die einzelnen Argumente gut überschaubar kurz und auf den Punkt gebracht.

Sam Harris is one of the most approachable of the 'new atheists' and delivers a hard hitting, no frills, rational refutation of ancient beliefs. In this small book, he gives ammunition to atheists to help clarify and defend their own views, and perhaps a boost to the fence sitters that are having trouble giving themselves a final push. His reductionist arguments, his insistence that you make a stand, and his barrage against the airy-fairy, are refreshing and freeing. He exposes all myth based dogma as inherently false and ultimately dangerous. A great push for humanism with its ultimate concern for societal well-being and progress...Full of absolute gems..."Our country now appears, as at no other time in her history, like a lumbering, bellicose, dim-witted giant." and "The process of scientific conquest and religious forfeiture has been relentless, one directional, and utterly predictable." Sam Harris is never, as some accuse atheists of being, strident. He lets the facts speak for themselves. And at the end you feel his deep concern for a world who puts ancient, divisive, cruel nonsense above rational enquiry on how best to live moral, healthy, happy lives...

Très bien

This Letter is short but very concise and hard hitting. It's choc full of carefully chosen, and often astonishing, stats. It's logic, intelligence and knowledge base are compelling and undeniable. The writing style is forthright, direct and takes no prisoners. It will arm you with a multitude of great facts n stats to blow anyone away in seconds. Highly recommended to all people living on planet earth :)

Faith may be a vestigial remnant from our evolutionary past. The author presents a short, cogent argument on how it affects our communities, and lives. It is a call to replace belief with reason to create a better future for ourselves, our children, and the world we all share.