Faith Won't Heal a Divided World3. Comment #6836 by Imagine on November 15, 2006 at 7:01 pm
I just read the Harris article, and also the article by R. Albert Mohler Jr.4. Comment #6851 by Randy Ping on November 15, 2006 at 9:05 pm
>>What has interfaith dialogue produced? Meetings between representatives of the world's major religions yield little more than platitudinous calls for peace and a willingness to ignore what many participants strongly believe -- that every other party to the conversation will probably spend eternity in hell for his misconceptions about God.>>5. Comment #6853 by Randy Ping on November 15, 2006 at 9:27 pm
Sorry about the typo, sometimes I get letters jumbled when reading and typing. But I will try harder. :(7. Comment #6901 by Tony on November 16, 2006 at 6:10 am
To Randy Ping:9. Comment #6974 by Steven Mading on November 16, 2006 at 12:27 pm
The best thing about science is that in science since the ultimate authority on truth is not a person, nor a book, but the universe itself. If one scientist has a dispute with another scientist over what the truth is, that dispute is carried out by using the universe itself as the final judge and arbitrator - by devising tests that check the facts against the universe itself. The same cannot be said of religion, and that's why religious disagreements go on forever without resolution. There is no way to reconcile two arguments that are both based on nothing more than apppeal to authority.10. Comment #6981 by Steven Mading on November 16, 2006 at 12:56 pm
One thing I respect Sam Harris for is his courage to stand up and say the unpopular truth that the moderate religious people enable the fundamentalists by their insistence that all religious opinions must be treated with respect no matter what. If a political position is based on invalid reasoning to enable an agenda of hate, we as a society see nothing wrong with standing up to it and pointing out how factually wrong it is, and we see nothing wrong with being rude when doing so, espeically if the one reacting in that manner is the target of that hate being spewed. But when it's religion suddenly it flip-flops the other way around. If someone's religious views, rather than political views, are based on invalid reasoning to enable an agenda of hate, then we as a society don't stand up to it the same way. We pretend that it is deserving of some respect just because it's religious in nature. Futhermore, those who do stand up to it are viewed as being the bad guys by the religious moderates.
1. Comment #6800 by David S on November 15, 2006 at 3:56 pm
Sam Harris does it again, he hit it right on the head. This blog that has been set up will make for some very interesting reading.