The truth is that many who claim to be transformed by Christ's love are deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism. While we may want to ascribe this to human nature, it is clear that such hatred draws considerable support from the Bible. How do I know this? The most disturbed of my correspondents always cite chapter and verse. --Sam Harris, "Letter to a Christian Nation"




Last night, I finished reading "Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris. If the title sounds familiar, you may remember this was the book that came out about 2 1/2 years ago from an atheist (should that word be capitalized? hmm...) as a laundry list essentially explaining why in his view, religion is for idiots.

I don't think I'm overstating his position. He doesn't only have a problem with the Christian god; he has a bone to pick with every religion as they all seem to ask followers to swallow their belief system hook, line, and sinker even when those beliefs seem to fly in the face of what science has proven to be true.

The book was physically difficult for me to read. Literally. I found a knot tightening in my stomach as I turned the pages and at several points had to take my eyes off the words and clear my mind for a minute before I could continue. Just to keep from giving myself a headache.

At the same time it's a book that needs to be read, and the unfortunate thing is that it will never be read by those who might benefit from it most. The average fundamentalist (of any religion) would get about 5 pages into it and after being insulted for about the 20th time would probably throw it in the trash.

But if it was read, the reader would get the perspective of someone who sees, unapologetically, how idiotic, self-centered, uneducated, biased, rude, self-seeking and destructive religion can be.

So, wow, this makes me sound really down on the whole idea of trying to discover who God is which I'm really not. What I gained from the book was this: I find myself now with another voice in my head as I'm reading or studying what people have written about religion, the viewpoint of the diehard skeptic whispering in my ear, pointing over my shoulder, asking incredulously "do you seriously believe that?"

Do I?

As a lifelong church attender (so far, anyway) I need that voice. Not that I'm trying to justify what I believe to anyone. But now that I'm past the initial feeling of being insulted, I find it forces me, moment by moment, to really think about what I'm reading rather than just memorizing or taking for granted something is true. Even with stuff from the Bible itself; I feel compelled to challenge, to test, to ask.

I ended, though, less than thrilled with Harris' writing. For one thing, he makes it very clear that he's never going to agree with almost any assertion you try to make about God (he doesn't believe in God) or religion (clearly a force doing more evil than good) which leaves you wondering why on Earth did he write this??? He isn't just disillusioned with religion or the religious; he's embittered. And at the end of the book, he makes a half-hearted attempt to slip in the fact that maybe one day, atheists and religious followers might agree to disagree, and maybe the World could become a better place: "Clearly, it is time we learned to meet our emotional needs without embracing the preposterous. We must find ways to invoke the power of ritual and to mark those transitions in every human life that demand profundity...without lying to ourselves about the nature of reality."

Does talking to me like I'm a six year old help anyone?

And what he says about Mother Teresa creates an even bigger barrier to meaningful discussion. Citing Christopher Hitchens, he quotes this:

"(Mother Teresa) was not a friend of the poor. She was a friend of poverty. She said that suffering was a gift from God..."

It leaves me only wanting to walk away from any discussion he might be trying to generate. How can you insult someone so willing to give her life in service to the 'least of these'? Aren't you missing the bigger picture that you're trying to get others to see??

But the book won't be read, ultimately, by most fundamentalists. In an ironic way that's a shame. Because between the lines of insults and degradations, Harris also points out the numerous times Christianity (and several other religions) has engaged in blatant hypocrisy and this deserves to be heard. He's giving the unbiased perspective of an outsider, and we ALL deserve to be held accountable for our actions.