The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason

In a post-9/11 polemic, Sam Harris takes an absolutist stand against religion. Blind faith, fundamentalism, and theocracy are linked, and are anathema to him. Harris cites what he sees as the violence-drenched holy texts of major religions to underscore the connections between religion and terror. Criticizing both Islam and Christianity throughout, Harris would relegate current religion to the same status as we now view, for example, the Roman gods. He would replace religion with reason, and he would turn to Eastern thought for a more fully developed spirituality. Addressing objections from those who favor a "moderate religion" or religion when separated from state, he says this is mere accommodation. Acknowledging that acts of charity currently done in the name of religion have a positive end, he says that in a world of reason and ethics these would still take place. Outrageous at first, Harris builds his case for, as he says, the end of faith and the future of reason.

"THE END OF FAITH articulates the dangers and absurdities of organized religion so fiercely and so fearlessly that I felt relieved as I read it, vindicated, almost personally understood....This is an important book, on a topic that, for all its inherent difficulty and divisiveness, should not be shielded from the crucible of human reason." - Seamus O. Brogain (New York Times Book Review, 9/5/04)

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