Book and Movie Pimp - Day 2

This has to be short as I am out the door, another week of travel. But Holy. Crap. I just finished The End of Faith by Sam Harris (it's on my sidebar). Pushy Beyotch Stella MADE me read it, turns out for good reason.

Speaking of good reason, Harris enumerates the dangers of archaic exclusive religions and admonishes religious moderates to act - declaring them traitors to both reason and faith (for if they followed what their holy books said, they would kill one another for adultery, false idols, taking the lord's name in vain, etc.)

And, this book made me re-think my own religious tolerance - and maybe that religious tolerance isn't such a good thing after all. (And about the reincarnation - that is a sometimes comforting mental construct; I have had validating experiences and feelings that make me believe it, but I would not stake my life -- or anyone else's because it is "truth." Because we just don't know.)

Here's a quick sampling from The End of Faith, which is one of the most provocative books I've read in a while (and that's saying something . . .):

• Faith drives a wedge between ethics and suffering. Where certain actions cause no suffering at all, religious dogmatic still maintain that they are evil and worthy of punishment (sodomy, marijuana use, homosexuality, the killing of blastocysts, etc.). And yet, where suffering and death are found in abundance their causes are often deemed to be good (withholding funds for family planning in the third world, prosecuting nonviolent drug offenders, preventing stem-cell research, etc.). This inversion of priorities not only victimizes innocent people and squanders scarce resources; it completely falsifies our ethics. It is time we found a more reasonable approach to answering questions of right and wrong.

• Can we say that Middle Eastern men who are murderously obsessed with female sexual purity [talking about "honor killings" for rape victims etc.] actually love their wives, daughters, and sisters less than American or European men do? Of course, we can. And what is truly incredible about the state of our discourse is that such a claim is not only controversial but actually unutterable in most contexts.

He lays into Islam, Judaism and Christianity equally, and states that there is a reasonable way to investigate ethics and expanded consciousness, but that we MUST (if we are to survive as a species) put an end to unreasonable, archaic faiths.

Oh, and if you want a good fiction recommendation, go talk to the lovely Neena. I will be blog visiting, commenting etc. later tonight.

Comments

[Shephard]

I saw Julia Sweeney's one-woman show (Letting Go of God, I think), and she concluded that religion and faith are responsible for complacency and inaction and a lot of "waiting for devine will/intervention." She theorizes that a lot more people would get off their asses and make THIS life count if they *didn't* believe in a here-after. I have to say I agree, even if that's an extreme view point. In this context, Moderate America is the real problem.
~S

[stella]

so good. and you obviously have a longer attention span then I do, as I put that book down, and moved on to 'Eat, love, pray'...which I am going to make you read next!

I may just mail it to you. Then you can pass it along.

Anyway, on faith...there were lots of points I wanted to highlight in that book. I found myself reading things over and over again, thinking to myself 'EXACTLY!'.

I really connected with the authors views.

sounds like you enjoyed it, and im glad i could refer you!

in advance...once again, im sorry for the heinous purse you are soon to receive.

[Neena]

Thanks AGAIN for the recommendation. My to-read list is growing daily. My to-read time seems to be nonexistent. What am I to do?

Religious tolerance.....that seems to have gone out the window with my to-read time. :-)

P.S. Keep pimping....I'm not COMPLETELY overwhelmed...yet.

[Jayne]

Shephard: You complete me. ;)

Stella: I have a short attention span, too! I BOUGHT the book when you demanded it, but only got around to reading it last weekend and wrote about it once I set it down. Great recommendation, so thanks! And yes, the other one's on my list. I can't wait for the dread pirate purse.

Neena: I know what you mean, so much to read, so little time! I only recommend books that (for me) were page-turners you can't put down and don't mind if everything else is neglected . . .

[Shephard]

LOL We so get each other. :)
~S