It starts here, and continues at Sullivan's blog. They're really just getting started, but it should be good.
So far, Harris has avoided the mistake of thinking all believers accept inerrancy (which sometimes seems implied in his books) and Sullivan is talking about the need to make room for doubt in religion. I think Sullivan is missing that many fundamentalists have learned they have to work around doubt. There's an urgency to keep doubt from turning into unbelief, but in practice its only moderately different than Sullivan's approach.
Technorati tags: Sam Harris, Andrew Sullivan, faith, religion
2 comments:
The reason I find fundamentalism so troubling - whether it is Christian, Jewish or Muslim - is not just its willingness to use violence (in the Islamist manifestation). It is its inability to integrate doubt into faith, its resistance to human reason, its tendency to pride and exclusion, and its inability to accept mystery as the core reality of any religious life.
1. Its Willingness to use Violence
I wonder if he would also include the atheist fundamentalists.
Appararently Andrew Sullivan needs to open up his dictionary and possibly gain a basic understanding of the different types of fundamentalist. Maybe Wikipedia can help.
If he were to read any of the referenced sources, he would learn that Christian Fundamentalism is not in any way similar to Muslim Fundamentalism. Protestant fundamentalism is based on five core doctrinal beliefs, none of which endorses killing at the name of a religion. The fact is that their is an overwhelming abundance of fundamentalists Christians here in the United States and I do not here of them blowing themselves up for their faith.
2. It is its inability to integrate doubt into faith...
This is an oxymoron. Doubt and faith in the same object cannot exist. It makes for a good goobledygook at best.
3. ...its resistance to human reason...
Actually, the Bible makes plenty of references to reason. I can easily supply them at request. In fact it commands the Christian to prove all things.
4. ...its tendency to pride and exclusion...
This I cannot argue against, but suffice is to say that one finds this attitude even all branches, even in atheism.
5. ...and its inability to accept mystery as the core reality of any religious life.
Actually, the Bible testities to its mysterious facets. By its very nature, there are certain things about deity that our finiteness can never attain to. If one were able to completely explain God, then he himself would be God.
I'm blogging the debate here:
http://normdoering.blogspot.com/
Here's a taste:
Andrew turns the question around, instead of answering why he believes Jesus rose from the dead he asks Sam why Andrew himself and so many others believe Jesus rose from the dead. He asks "What is your explanation? How do you account for why one person out of the billions who have ever lived had this impact? How probable is it that all these countless followers were all deluding themselves completely?"
Well, contrary to Andrew's assertions, it's obviously quite probable that all those followers are deluding themselves. What does Andrew make of the believers in Islam, Hinduism etc.? Look at all the things people do believe, Andrew, and then think that through again. Aliens abducting people, faith healers curing people, John Edward talking to the dead, Sylvia Brown telling you where the body is buried, Elvis sightings, Nazi holocausts that supposedly never happened, white supremacy, Ouija boards, voodoo, penis enlargement pills, breast creams, real estate scandals, Scientology, weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Ted Haggart becoming a heterosexual, the honesty and integrity of George Bush … and on and on and on. People's brains are apparently full to the brim with BS.
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