Unfortunately, the one local book store that would most likely carry Letter to a Christian Nation was closed this evening, so I spent a little bit of time looking through some of the second-hand book shops. Given the recent release of the book, it's no surprise that I couldn't find it on the shelves. As an aside, I live in a lovely neighbourhood in Calgary called Kensington.
As a preface to my review, I thought it would be helpful to include a short description of what I believe as a Christian. There are many creeds that exist, but the one that most succinctly describes my faith is the Apostles' Creed. In addition to this creed, I also believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living.
Secondly, I am avoiding any comments that have been written on this book elsewhere, except for comments from the author and from his supporters. I read an interesting interview with Sam Harris about his book. Though tempted to dissect his responses during the interview, I will save my efforts for the book.
Some food for thought from the interview:
People who claim to be certain about things they cannot be certain about should meet resistance in our discourse.
Can atheists be certain of their beliefs? Can the existence of nothing be proven?
Many of my friends and readers seem to have grown increasingly amazed by the mad work that religion is doing in our world.
Is it enough to dismiss a system (political, economic, theological) based on the actions of its adherents? If I can prove that democratic societies have been guilty of atrocities, or that atheists have been responsible for the death of millions, then may I also dismiss those systems of thought? Or does there come a point where the merits of an ideology need to be examined without resorting to arguments of who is guilty of the worst behaviour?
As I say in the book, one of us really must be wrong.
And so, let's begin ...
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7 comments:
Hi Ben
I am excited/nervous for your book reviewing and debating! I will live vicariously through you as I dont have the time right now to read alongside from behind the scenes! But I am very eager to know your thoughts and arguments. I've briefly read the comments from Sam Harris about the book and its 'supporters' that you posted in your last blog. Sounds like it will be a GOOD discussion....
I'm finding myself very appreciative of the opportunities presented as of late that challenge my faith. I am grateful that what I believe is not stagnet (Kenny is that the word?), but as God's word is as well, LIVING AND ACTIVE!
I look forward to following the thoughts!
PS - I really like Kensington too. My friend Jj and her husband live there also. Beautiful city view!!!
When I first met my wife and she introduced me to Kensington, I thought "this is where I would want to live in Calgary".
I like a good challenge. I just returned from the book store (Pages) and read the inset notes:
The truth is that many who claim to be transformed by Christ's love are deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism.
This is a sad but true statement, and in violation of the scriptures. Christians are admonished: "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." [1 Peter 3:15b,16]
When a Christian responds with hatred when challenged, they make a mockery of their own faith. That doesn't mean we are to be living and breathing doormats, but there is an important difference between responding with passion and responding with anger.
Well Ben, welcome to the waste of time that is blogging ;-)
I'm right there with ya on the same challenge. I didn't read the interview, but im about 25 pages in and so far, my first impression is that I'd say the book is not really a letter to the christian nation at all. I'll post my notes on my page when I'm done the book.
No kidding! As I always like to say, Internet is derived from the ancient Greek for really big waste of time. Actually, I could see myself getting quite adicted to blogging. Where else can a Dutchmen be led to believe the whole world is listening to his opinions?
Sadly, I am sure that somewhere out there are much better reviews already written on this book. Google will find them for me once I am done.
My Kensington is in California but I'm glad you like where you're living.
One of the refreshing yet difficult aspects of Sam Harris' work is that he challenges our society's promotion of religious tolerance. I've never been a believer and I still respect other people's right to private belief and worship but... I find it refreshing to hear someone suggest that people who make outrageous claims out God (or Thor, or ghosts) in a public discussion should go unchallenged because it's their right to believe what they want to. I think it's difficult to accept this suggestion as a general policy of public discourse because it feels like persecution and because it may be difficult for some people to draw the line. I don't want to deny your right to freedom of religion, I just want it to be a minority point of view in our society. I heard about a poll of American's that indicates that "Americans are also least willing to let their children marry atheists". What century is it again?
Nice! Close to the water and under the influence of the northern Californian climate. Looks like you've got a good thing going there.
It seems like Canadian society is somewhat different from American society when it comes to public discourse over faith. My personal experience is that most Canadians will respect your right to believe what you want, but have no difficulty in openly challenging your beliefs.
In general, American society seems more polarized: rich vs. poor, Black vs. White, Republican vs. Democrat, South vs. North, Atheist vs. Christian, etc. I think there is more room for the middle ground in Canada, and less alignment between one's personal beliefs and one's political/economic/environmental beliefs. That is, you can be a Christian in Canada and be anywhere in the political spectrum (what's so ungodly about social programs, universal health care, and responsible environmental policy?). My impression of American politics is that the Christian population tends to vote overwhelmingly Republican.
As a small piece of Canadiana, the NDP , a left-of-centre party, was co-founded by a Baptist minister. The Reform Party, which morphed into the minorty Conservative Party that is currently in power, was led by a Christian as well, and managed to become the Official Opposition at one point (note that the Christian influence became political baggage as it was exploited by other parties as being part of a hidden agenda).
There is a history of Christian involvement in Canadian politics without the same level of hand-wringing seen in the United States over the separation of Church and State. Although the same conerns exist here too, Canadians appear to have developed a better ability to find the balance between opposing views. As I was taught in school, a democracy is majority rule with respect for minority rights.
Of course, you know all about Canadian politics, daddyo ... :-) I should have done my homework instead of assuming you still lived in Kensington California!
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