November 27, 2006
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MONDAY READING
Not
long ago, in the first copy of The Sun that I read, I came upon the
work of Sam Harris, author of the New York Times bestseller, The End of
Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason and Letter to a
Christian Nation. It was the first time I can say I really read an
article by a self-labeled atheist. In most circles, the A-word is
rarely mentioned, something to recoil from as one would from an
untimely belch or other impolite bodily function. Having been a
spiritual seeker all my life in one way or another but having also come
from a political family, I’m well aware that religious folks are not
the only idealists in the world. Still, I thought to myself that
atheism was definitely not where I would fit. So to my surprise, I
found
myself feeling strangely sympathetic to what I found in that article.
Harris is a philosophy graduate from Stanford and now completing a
doctorate in neuroscience. He lives in New York and writes for many
publications. Here is his web site. And here are the first few paragraphs from his article, An Atheist Manifesto:Somewhere
in the world a man has abducted a little girl. Soon he will rape,
torture and kill her. If an atrocity of this kind is not occurring at
precisely this moment, it will happen in a few hours, or days at most.
Such is the confidence we can draw from the statistical laws that
govern the lives of 6 billion human beings. The same statistics also
suggest that this girl’s parents believe at this very moment that an
all-powerful and all-loving God is watching over them and their family.
Are they right to believe this? Is it good that they believe this?
No.
The
entirety of atheism is contained in this response. Atheism is not a
philosophy; it is not even a view of the world; it is simply a refusal
to deny the obvious. Unfortunately, we live in a world in which the
obvious is overlooked as a matter of principle. The obvious must be
observed and re-observed and argued for. This is a thankless job. It
carries with it an aura of petulance and insensitivity. It is,
moreover, a job that the atheist does not want. (Read on.)P.S. I’m still not an atheist.
Deep Thought: “I think Superman and Santa Claus are actually the same guy, and I’ll tell you why: Both fly, and both have a beard.”
Today I am grateful for: Round things
Guess the Movie: “I don’t like the way Teddy Roosevelt is looking at me.” Answer: North by Northwest, 1959.
Winner: thenarrator.
Cut and Run, the Only Brave Thing to Do
by Michael Moore
Tomorrow marks the day that we will have been in Iraq longer than we were in all of World War II. (Rest of article here.)
Comments (25)
I love it. Thanks for the info on WWII and Iraq.
North by Northwest.
I’m not quite an atheist. Never able to make that link. But in the US I feel safer around atheists than around most religious people. Perhaps without the illusion of heaven in front of them they are more likely to trust and care for humanity…
I would say that yes I am Atheist, which was a part of my draw to Buddhism, but I don’t care for the labeling that goes with it. For most of us, we just as soon sit quietly in the corner because of the stigma that goes along with the title. So I am thankful for people like Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and so forth, that let us know we aren’t alone in our thoughts. That’s not to say I think anyones right or anyones wrong, we just have different views.
I only read the first page of that essay but it seems to me like the writer is assuming that everyone who believes in god believes that god is responsible for every good and bad event that takes place in the world. I don’t believe in god now (but I’m not an atheist because I don’t not believe in god either…I guess if I had to be labeled as something it would be “agnostic”), but when I did, I didn’t believe that god was responsible for every bad or good thing that happened. Not everyone who believes in god believes he (it/she/whatever) is omnipotent and omniscient. It just seems to me like the writer is making sweeping generalizations regarding people of faith. That is just what I got out of it, but then again, I only read the first page. =)
Also, where he writes, “…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.” I agree 100% that that the part of the sentence ending with “resources” is definitely true, but I think that if there were no religion and everyone was atheist, we would still find a bunch of things to kill each other over anyway.
Hi Lionne, in the spring I walked on my xanga about a book I was reading about why bad things happen. That book helped me a lot & I dont feel like an atheist anymore. Kev
North by Northwest hits the spot.
That’s the great and frustrating part about freedom of speech…we can say almost anything we like…
i agree with cool_beans. i don’t understand how someone can want to blame something/someone and can’t – so they decide that there must not be a higher power, since there is no one to blame… (i just got dizzy writing that)
well, i wouldn’t want to be a god in that kind of world – cos i’d get blamed for a lot of bad things, er, all bad things…so not believing in one seems to fit right in, huh?
that, and if there is no belief in a higher power – (if i understand what atheism means correctly)…
…then that makes the atheist, him/herself to be the most powerful/intelligent being in their lives; no one else can be more right than he or she; they are the ultimate being that they, themselves, answer to…there is no yarmulke on the head to remind them of a higher power…and that seems a bit scary to me – to have ppl thinking they are the highest power…
but the existence of atheism seems to be a natural balance in the universe to theism – which is what i believe in…
That atheist man quote is interesting.
Read the End of Faith it is an extremely powerful book. I think his greater argument is religion should stay out of decisions that have to be grounded in facts…
It is a really well written book. And I can’t argue with the idea that religion should not be the driving force in certain decisions. I think the problem lies in the fact that people do not practice what they profess to believe. If people actually did that, I think the world would be the better for it. And it would be nice if people would stop using faith as a cudgel.
I think it’s a real pity that atheism is considered “something to recoil from”, as though the presence or absence of a specific bundle of thoughts within the privacy of another’s skull defines that person. I have often been judged by, but never defined by, my atheism.
great michael moore article. it’s as though the powers that be decided to NOT review history or take a look at culture. i just put a couple sam harris books on reserve at the library. i love libraries. (even though i was only a day late and still charged $1.40 in late fees! no mercy from those librarians.)
I have yet to read anything by Sam Harris, but he’s on my list. I coulda sworn the movie was “Arsenic and Old Lace,” but yes, I now remember the Mt. Rushmore segment from NbyNW.
It looks like an interesting article, I only had time to skim it now, but I’ll definitely be reading it when I get home. And passing it along as well.
Ah, yes. Why did God bother to give us free will, if in his omniscience he knew we’d do horrible things with it? An interesting thought… oh wait. It’d be interesting if I hadn’t heard the same basic argument hundreds of times before, and it hadn’t been very thoroughly addressed by as many writers and theologians. C.S. Lewis tackles it pretty well in The Problem of Pain.
Where is the glory in loving and being loved by creatures who cannot do anything you do not will them to do?
Well aren’t you a breath of fresh air!
I haven’t really read any Sam Harris… perhaps I should seek his stuff out.
i saw through footprints that you came by without saying hi! im so offended.
ugh.
its ok.
-jaye. <– thats me. tehe
Hi, didn’t know the movie and that makes me ashamed…
Stopped to wish you a wonderful week! I couldn’t bring myself to read the article…
I’ve never considered myself an atheist, but a realist. In my life’s explorations I have come full circle, from going to church, to becoming agnostic, to eschewing all things spiritual and embracing only science, to studying science and especially physics and having it lead me right back to spirituality. Logic leads me to believe in a God.
I am not an atheist, due to both my recognition of myself as being less than a greater whole, and my personal experience of seeing something greater than myself.
However, as a Brit, it puzzles me that you should say that “in most circles, the A-word is rarely mentioned.” In the UK, it is the church-going who carry this stigmata.
good post…* /N
I have no church or religion but I am not an athiest.I have never felt alone even when technically i was completely alone….I think this is a smart fellow and when i see life i see it much the way he does.. it is often enough unbearably cruel which is oddly enough why i am not an athiest.Humans have an incredible ability to transcend what he would have us swallow and digest like a bitter tea.The fact that we can tolerate the losses in life and still feel joy is in a word divine.
I wonder if it is going to be hard to decide who gets to go? I suppose the risk of going on the first trip,especially if it can come way befor the last years may make it easier to decide.I appreciate your links and your thoughts .i too grew uo in a political and idealistic family that was not religious.