Important Words from Sam Harris author of "The End of Faith"
Read the full article at Huffington Post.
There is another possibility, of course, and it is both the most reasonable and least odious: the biblical God is a fiction. As Richard Dawkins has observed, we are all atheists with respect to Zeus and Thor. Only the atheist has realized that the biblical god is no different. Consequently, only the atheist is compassionate enough to take the profundity of the world's suffering at face value. It is terrible that we all die and lose everything we love; it is doubly terrible that so many human beings suffer needlessly while alive. That so much of this suffering can be directly attributed to religion -- to religious hatreds, religious wars, religious delusions, and religious diversions of scarce resources -- is what makes atheism a moral and intellectual necessity. It is a necessity, however, that places the atheist at the margins of society. The atheist, by merely being in touch with reality, appears shamefully out of touch with the fantasy life of his neighbors.
Update [2005-10-7 9:14:52 by A Rational Being]: I'm not looking for mojo. Just want others to read and to think hard about what Sam has to say. Recommend so more can see...
ARB
Update [2005-10-7 11:22:29 by A Rational Being]: As I read the comments below, I see I'm being accused of attacking faith. That is not my purpose. The title of my post is the title of the article written by Sam Harris.
You can choose to see his article as an attack or his perspective on issues. If you see the article as an attack, then you must ask youself why? Why do you feel attacked by Harris' article? Are you so unsure about your faith Sam's article is causing you to doubt?
I suggest you read Harris's article as another perspective, different than your own. You may not accept his perspective but that does not mean it's an attack.
Saying "I believe in the Red Sox," does not mean I'm saying, "People who believe in the Yankees are [derogatory adjective]."
ARB