Comments on: Preaching to the choir http://www.ratdiary.com/2006/10/01/preaching-to-the-choir/ Homo homini rodentius est Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:20:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Sprague D http://www.ratdiary.com/2006/10/01/preaching-to-the-choir/#comment-1752 Sprague D Sun, 04 Feb 2007 06:38:46 +0000 http://www.ratdiary.com/?p=66#comment-1752 JLI, I don't comment on books I haven't read. You clearly think I didn't read it because I didn't see in it what you did. I don't share your and Harris's histrionic fear of religious people, or a paranoid fear of a growing "fundamentalism". This country was far more religious at its inception than it is now and things (for the most part) turned out alright. Since writing this post I have changed my opinion of Harris. I thought he was merely unsophisticated and unsubtle on matters of religion. After watching him in [<a href="http://www.booktv.org/feature/index.asp?segID=7890&schedID=474" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">this</a>] debate, wherein his "understanding" of religion was handily demolished by Reza Aslan, I now believe he is a dishonest fanatic. JLI,

I don’t comment on books I haven’t read. You clearly think I didn’t read it because I didn’t see in it what you did.

I don’t share your and Harris’s histrionic fear of religious people, or a paranoid fear of a growing “fundamentalism”. This country was far more religious at its inception than it is now and things (for the most part) turned out alright.

Since writing this post I have changed my opinion of Harris. I thought he was merely unsophisticated and unsubtle on matters of religion. After watching him in [this] debate, wherein his “understanding” of religion was handily demolished by Reza Aslan, I now believe he is a dishonest fanatic.

]]> By: JLI http://www.ratdiary.com/2006/10/01/preaching-to-the-choir/#comment-1730 JLI Wed, 31 Jan 2007 22:45:57 +0000 http://www.ratdiary.com/?p=66#comment-1730 In your attempt to criticize the work of Mr. Harris, you amaze me in that you barely touch on his work. Instead, you say it's "hardly worthy of consideration" because of its size (it's certainly the longest letter I read last year), and toss out such subtle and helpful responses as "Ho hum." Had you read it (which I doubt, based on your summary), you'd surely know it goes far beyond "atheist complaints" and the morals and behavior of conservative Christians. I hardly think it a "ho hum" issue that 44% of Americans believe (no "straw man" here... this is real) that all true born-again Christians (whatever that means) will be "raptured" out of wordly existence within the next 50 years, and that they're pushing harder than ever to put their fellow believers in political office. I, personally, find it quite disturbing to think that Bush and his ilk are making long-range policies founded in a belief that anything beyond 50 years hence is irrelevant. The "loonier precincts of the faith" are far more populous than you seem to understand (around 33 million Americans) and growing steadily, while at the same time the mainstream denominations are dwindling. If indeed you have read Harris's work, you must also be in remarkably deep denial if you think the religious wars in the Middle East aren't becoming ever more possible in the United States. THAT's Harris's whole point; when people's irrational belief systems start gaining power in government and society, it's high time those systems be questioned and yes, if necessary, ridiculed. True, Harris may be preaching to the choir, but isn't that always the case with any author writing on a controversial topic? My hope is that even non-atheists will wake up enough to recognize the dangers of the growing fundamentalist Christian movement in this country (again, this is no straw man), and the danger of moderate Christians who insist we must all be tolerant. Had the Germans been more critical and less tolerant of the early Nazi party, well... In your attempt to criticize the work of Mr. Harris, you amaze me in that you barely touch on his work. Instead, you say it’s “hardly worthy of consideration” because of its size (it’s certainly the longest letter I read last year), and toss out such subtle and helpful responses as “Ho hum.” Had you read it (which I doubt, based on your summary), you’d surely know it goes far beyond “atheist complaints” and the morals and behavior of conservative Christians. I hardly think it a “ho hum” issue that 44% of Americans believe (no “straw man” here… this is real) that all true born-again Christians (whatever that means) will be “raptured” out of wordly existence within the next 50 years, and that they’re pushing harder than ever to put their fellow believers in political office. I, personally, find it quite disturbing to think that Bush and his ilk are making long-range policies founded in a belief that anything beyond 50 years hence is irrelevant. The “loonier precincts of the faith” are far more populous than you seem to understand (around 33 million Americans) and growing steadily, while at the same time the mainstream denominations are dwindling. If indeed you have read Harris’s work, you must also be in remarkably deep denial if you think the religious wars in the Middle East aren’t becoming ever more possible in the United States. THAT’s Harris’s whole point; when people’s irrational belief systems start gaining power in government and society, it’s high time those systems be questioned and yes, if necessary, ridiculed. True, Harris may be preaching to the choir, but isn’t that always the case with any author writing on a controversial topic? My hope is that even non-atheists will wake up enough to recognize the dangers of the growing fundamentalist Christian movement in this country (again, this is no straw man), and the danger of moderate Christians who insist we must all be tolerant. Had the Germans been more critical and less tolerant of the early Nazi party, well…

]]> By: The fantastic site of Lord Matt http://www.ratdiary.com/2006/10/01/preaching-to-the-choir/#comment-1610 The fantastic site of Lord Matt Fri, 12 Jan 2007 12:24:21 +0000 http://www.ratdiary.com/?p=66#comment-1610 <strong>This post is about religion...</strong> Now the diarist at ratdiary.com makes a few interesting points in his post - Preaching to the choir. In said post he talks about Sam Harris and a rather lame publicity attempt to promote the typical...... This post is about religion…

Now the diarist at ratdiary.com makes a few interesting points in his post – Preaching to the choir. In said post he talks about Sam Harris and a rather lame publicity attempt to promote the typical……

]]> By: The Truth Is http://www.ratdiary.com/2006/10/01/preaching-to-the-choir/#comment-556 The Truth Is Mon, 30 Oct 2006 22:36:31 +0000 http://www.ratdiary.com/?p=66#comment-556 You sound like an angry child who is finally realizing there is no Santa. Get over it! You may continue to sit with the kids at the dumb table. You've got one thing right. Harris is wasting his time on people like you. You sound like an angry child who is finally realizing there is no Santa. Get over it! You may continue to sit with the kids at the dumb table. You’ve got one thing right. Harris is wasting his time on people like you.

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