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Sam Harris is one of these "new atheists" that take a hard anti-theistic stance. Religions tend to have a fundamentalist core that is intolerant of any belief t
by rickmode 15y ago
Sam Harris is one of these "new atheists" that take a hard anti-theistic stance. Religions tend to have a fundamentalist core that is intolerant of any belief that does not fit their dogma. The idea is that even moderates and other more casual observers of a religion tacitly support that religions fundamentalist core.
It's a sound argument but there are two main barriers of acceptance. First the anti-theists do not acknowledge that religious beliefs (and indeed many unfounded beliefs) are rational. Religious people are not crazy or uninformed. This is a separate issue from having an inconsistent and / or scientifically unfounded belief system.
Second, the anti-theists do not provide much of an alternative. Dawkins seems to say, you guys are obviously nuts, so you must see that you simply have to adopt my world view. It's off putting.
Anyway I've gone from bemused to agnostic to naturalist (a way of saying "atheist" without mentioning theism). I quite enjoy reading these authors ... I just don't see how they'll affect a change.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- luke_s 15y agoCan you elaborate on what you mean by "that religious beliefs (and indeed many unfounded beliefs) are rational". How can a belief be unfounded, yet rational?
- Natsu 15y agoIt depends a lot on how you define those words. Some people would consider that a contradiction in terms. If all you want are true but unprovable statements, though, look no further than Godel.
- pyre 15y ago> The idea is that even moderates and other more casual observers of > a religion tacitly support that religions fundamentalist core. Personally, I'd like to see the violent, fundamentalist core of Buddhism, as I've never heard of, nor encountered such a thing. (Note, that I don't count the violence attributed to monks in SE Asia under oppressive regimes. Fighting for your right to practice beliefs has more to do with fighting for freedom, than it does in trying to declare a 'victor' between religions.)