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| The End Of Faith - Sam Harris |
A short background to help one understand my state of mind before fully diving into this review... I was raised Lutheran Christian as the majority of my mother's side of the family has Scandinavian ancestry... Lutheran practices began in the 1500's after the German Martin Luther rejected the papacy and insisted on teachings based solely off of faith... Whilst I'm sure my father's side, full blooded Mexicans from the state of Sinaloa, would insist on Catholicism, that was not the doctrine I was to be raised upon... I, like many other children, attended church as well as "Sunday School" every weekend, had been baptized as well as confirmed, and was scarcely aware that any of religious sects existed, let alone entirely different religions... Of course, I'm sure that's to the preference of any Christian parent bringing up a child, as the book of Deuteronomy states that any person trying to seduce someone into serving other Gods, shout be killed... Which seems to be more or less a teaching out of the Satanic Bible, as it instructs vengeance, as opposed to "turning the other cheek..." Enough digression though... I am an only child, thus my upbringing was significantly different than most of my peers, in that sense... Being a product of much solitude, I was afforded the time to contemplate and question MANY things that seemed to lack sense in our world... Religion and faith being two of those topics my thoughts often scrutinized...
My childhood behind me, my own religious beliefs are currently still up for debate in my head, and though I believe I have a relatively firm grasp upon which I insist is "truth," I'm always open to reasonable discourse on the topic... If I do fall into an "organized" religion, it is surely a sect I'm unaware of, as I've met nobody to date that shares my exact thoughts on the topic... Having read most the King James Bible, as well as most the Satanic Bible, and studied many teachings of the worlds great philosophers, I feel comfortable in my assessing that very few, if any, share my thoughts on the topic... Which will surely become even more true as I further continue reading more influential writings on the topic...
The first thing I found to be of interest in The End Of Faith, was Harris' noting of religious moderates and radicals... Most Western religions are formed of moderates, which makes sense as a high majority of them would consider their religious texts "up for interpretation..." Which had me curious, if the texts are up for interpretation, who's to say what parts of it are "right??" In contrast, there's those in the Eastern world who are extremist radicals... Those, for instance, who fully believe the words of the Quran are the definitive words of Allah, and will act out in accordance with their beliefs, which can often inflict pain and suffering on many of those surrounding them... Not to say that EVERY religion hasn't had its share of violent acts, or people, but it's seeming as though the Eastern world has been the reigning champions for religious violence for many years now... Not being able to be critical of one another's faith or belief system is only hindering us as unified people though...
My attention was also drawn to when Harris makes an excellent point in stating that, if a 14th century Christian who vehemently studied their Bible were to be revived today, "His beliefs about geography, astronomy, and medicine would embarrass even a child, but he would know more or less everything there is to know about God..." He also states, "If religion addresses a genuine sphere of understanding and human necessity, then it should be susceptible to progress; its doctrine should become more useful, rather than less..." He then challenges both moderate and radical mindsets, questioning that if every human woke up tomorrow wiped clean of their entire memory banks, with all our available knowledge still intact and immediately available, that once we learned to feed and clothe ourselves and eventually made our way to reading, would humanity still place the same amount of stake in ANY religious texts?? My opinion is no, that we would read of talking snakes and mules, as well as the ability to gather two of every animal as fictitious tales, which should be shelved amongst others in the same library sections... So whether a one possesses a moderate or a radical mindset, we must start accepting that religious ideas should be open to scrutiny...
On a larger scale though, our leaders in prestigious positions the world over must all take a stance in that NOBODY has evidence that a higher power has helped procure any books or doctrines by which we live... We can't keep electing people into office based on shared religious beliefs, that should be of the most minuscule importance when looking at the whole of things!! And by electing, I obviously mean choosing between two equally lame candidates in our electoral college system, that ultimately makes sure if you vote for anybody besides the two "major" candidates - your vote doesn't count... Our electoral college system aside, one must put into perspective precisely who wrote the books of the Bible... Harris mentions "The Bible, it seems certain, was the work of sand-strewn men and women who though the earth was flat and for whom a wheelbarrow would have been a breathtaking example of emerging technology..." Wouldn't it seem more intelligent of us to elect a Harvard scientist for example, even if they don't believe in the Christian God?! I believe so...
He also touches on the medicinal state of religious conflicts, mainly stem-cell research... How banning research that destroys a 150-cell embryo that has the potential to help and possibly cure so many ailments needs to be seen at it's fullest scope... In doing so he makes the argument that the swatting and killing of a fly is more devastating to this world, in that a fly's brain contains 100,000 cells alone... He furthers his point when he makes note of president Bush's views on premarital sex, and how because of it, he effectively cut off condom provisions to 16 oversea countries, "including some with the world's highest rates of AIDS infection..." Views on monetary allocations aside, it is my opinion that those types of decisions should not have any sort of religious backing, that humanitarian aid should be based on simple humanistic needs, needs that directly effect their quality of life... I'm very aware that those in impoverished areas are in need of information to help curb the spread of the deadly disease, but I can empathize slightly when they're simply trying to engage in activities that are free of charge and make them feel better...
Though many great points were brought up in this text, this is not the "end all" of thought provoking literature, as there were points I disagreed with also... I don't typically shed light on things I find disagreeable, and I don't think this deserves to be treated any different... I guess I'm comparable to a pastor presenting their sermon, in that I'm only speaking of the things that can be interpreted in a positive light...
In closing, this thoughtfully composed piece of literature addresses some of the most important topics that we face in this day and age... If you're thinking they're gay rights, gun control or weapons of mass destruction, then you may need to recalibrate your thought process... Instead of looking at those as face value issues, try going a step further and seeking the root of those issues... I've found many of those problems stem from a both a misunderstanding each other's mindsets and upbringings in addition to a lack of willingness to adjust our own views in accordance with new information we receive... It's currently 2015 and we need to treat each other in a manner that reflects the knowledge and information we have available to us... In the tail end of the book the author references a quote from Christopher Hitchens that he believes "could well arrest our slide toward the abyss," and I must admit I agree with him - "What can be asserted without evidence can also by dismissed without evidence..." So let's progress together as humans with new mindsets and fresh mental palates so that we may reset our wrongs and create a better planet for the generations that follow us...
My childhood behind me, my own religious beliefs are currently still up for debate in my head, and though I believe I have a relatively firm grasp upon which I insist is "truth," I'm always open to reasonable discourse on the topic... If I do fall into an "organized" religion, it is surely a sect I'm unaware of, as I've met nobody to date that shares my exact thoughts on the topic... Having read most the King James Bible, as well as most the Satanic Bible, and studied many teachings of the worlds great philosophers, I feel comfortable in my assessing that very few, if any, share my thoughts on the topic... Which will surely become even more true as I further continue reading more influential writings on the topic...
The first thing I found to be of interest in The End Of Faith, was Harris' noting of religious moderates and radicals... Most Western religions are formed of moderates, which makes sense as a high majority of them would consider their religious texts "up for interpretation..." Which had me curious, if the texts are up for interpretation, who's to say what parts of it are "right??" In contrast, there's those in the Eastern world who are extremist radicals... Those, for instance, who fully believe the words of the Quran are the definitive words of Allah, and will act out in accordance with their beliefs, which can often inflict pain and suffering on many of those surrounding them... Not to say that EVERY religion hasn't had its share of violent acts, or people, but it's seeming as though the Eastern world has been the reigning champions for religious violence for many years now... Not being able to be critical of one another's faith or belief system is only hindering us as unified people though...
My attention was also drawn to when Harris makes an excellent point in stating that, if a 14th century Christian who vehemently studied their Bible were to be revived today, "His beliefs about geography, astronomy, and medicine would embarrass even a child, but he would know more or less everything there is to know about God..." He also states, "If religion addresses a genuine sphere of understanding and human necessity, then it should be susceptible to progress; its doctrine should become more useful, rather than less..." He then challenges both moderate and radical mindsets, questioning that if every human woke up tomorrow wiped clean of their entire memory banks, with all our available knowledge still intact and immediately available, that once we learned to feed and clothe ourselves and eventually made our way to reading, would humanity still place the same amount of stake in ANY religious texts?? My opinion is no, that we would read of talking snakes and mules, as well as the ability to gather two of every animal as fictitious tales, which should be shelved amongst others in the same library sections... So whether a one possesses a moderate or a radical mindset, we must start accepting that religious ideas should be open to scrutiny...
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| Sexy Things: Money, Sex & Power |
He also touches on the medicinal state of religious conflicts, mainly stem-cell research... How banning research that destroys a 150-cell embryo that has the potential to help and possibly cure so many ailments needs to be seen at it's fullest scope... In doing so he makes the argument that the swatting and killing of a fly is more devastating to this world, in that a fly's brain contains 100,000 cells alone... He furthers his point when he makes note of president Bush's views on premarital sex, and how because of it, he effectively cut off condom provisions to 16 oversea countries, "including some with the world's highest rates of AIDS infection..." Views on monetary allocations aside, it is my opinion that those types of decisions should not have any sort of religious backing, that humanitarian aid should be based on simple humanistic needs, needs that directly effect their quality of life... I'm very aware that those in impoverished areas are in need of information to help curb the spread of the deadly disease, but I can empathize slightly when they're simply trying to engage in activities that are free of charge and make them feel better...
Though many great points were brought up in this text, this is not the "end all" of thought provoking literature, as there were points I disagreed with also... I don't typically shed light on things I find disagreeable, and I don't think this deserves to be treated any different... I guess I'm comparable to a pastor presenting their sermon, in that I'm only speaking of the things that can be interpreted in a positive light...
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| "We have made a tragic mess of everything." |
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