Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
— St Francis of Assisi

In a country where the devil wears condoms and the morning-after pill Postinor is illegal, I was surprised to find that the book, Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris, is available at National Book Store.

Pro-atheist?

Letter to a Christian Nation is considered to be pro-atheism. The author uses a simple argument to help Christians understand what atheism is: If you’re a Christian, then you obviously don’t believe in Allah, in the Quran, and in the Prophet Muhammad. This makes you an atheist of Islam. Using this argument, all Christians are atheists of the religion of Islam. Hence, some Muslim extremists call Christians, infidels. So, in a perfectly-Muslim nation, Christians would be considered atheists.

With regard to the traditional or common definition of an atheist as someone who doesn’t believe in the existence of God or gods, Harris tries to turn the tables on religious believers by saying that an atheist is simply a person who is waiting for evidence (from organized religion) that God exists and he argues that the burden of proof of God’s existence rests on organized religion. Atheists should not be asked to defend their position for they are merely stating the obvious that there is no evidence that God exists.

Or Anti-Christian?

Sam Harris defines a Christian as someone who believes that the Bible is the word of God and that only those who accept Jesus’ divinity will experience salvation. He uses the most obvious strategy to attack a Christian: criticize the Bible. He describes the Bible as an inaccurate and outmoded moral compass. He recounts historical and contemporary evidence to show that the Bible has been less than helpful in the progress of human civilization. He even goes as far as arguing that Christians, the likes of Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa, have misguided moral beliefs. His expositions are certainly persuasive, more than enough to make a Christian believer cringe.

Or Anti-Religion?

Sam Harris raises concerns about organized religion. He finds it disturbing that Christians have a powerful influence in US courts, schools, and in every branch of government. To a greater extent, the same influence can be seen in the Philippines. Therefore I would suggest that we evaluate Harris’ arguments and reasons and see if we need to be concerned as well. In addition, Harris is alarmed that many religious fanatics believe certain things purely on the basis of the power of religious dogma and even refers to this as a moral and intellectual emergency.

Harris debunks the beliefs that atheism promotes immorality and he dispels the notion that the lack of religion would be detrimental to national development. He cites developed countries such as Norway, Iceland, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom, as countries that are among the least religious. And yet, they are the healthiest, smartest, and wealthiest countries according to the 2005 United Nations Human Development Report.

Letter to a Christian Nation asks us to study the lessons of the past and examine the human sufferings brought about by religion. In doing so, we can’t help but agree with Harris that religious hatreds, religious wars, religious taboos, religious extremism brought about by organized religion and religious sects, should lead any rational human being to the conclusions that organized religion is an unnecessary evil in our society and that it is time to see it as a relic of the past. Having said that, Harris warns us that accepting these conclusions could lead to persecution from your Christian neighbors who have not yet been exposed to facts about the shortcomings and misgivings of organized religion and religious sects.

Or Nothing?

Letter to a Christian Nation discusses the merits of atheism and it presents a good reality check for Christian fanatics. However, the ending of the book is somewhat disappointing. After exposing all the issues, Harris fails to offer solutions. He takes the emergency exit and calls for more public discussions and debates about religion in intellectual and rational arenas. He hopes to see constructive criticism, analytical thinking and reasonable solutions on the issues.

The Next Book

Sam Harris airs the views of an atheist who is anti-religion. I hope he can come up with a sequel to this book that would discuss the other side of atheism - the side that deals with individual spirituality. A discussion of this would help a lot of people who are searching for ways to develop their own personal spirituality and relationship with God or a Higher Power through alternative means. These people are sometimes referred to as borderline atheists/agnostics/non-practicing Christians - They are the ones who adhere to Jesus’ teaching that, When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

 

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