Harris' book would seem to be a reasonable response to the 9/11 attacks. Indeed the event brought into focus the danger of religious fanatics acting out their otherworldly fantasies. Although Harris sees Islamic extremists as the greatest danger, he also points out the threat of the more fanatical Christian fundamentalists in the United States. His observation that Jerry Falwell and Tim Lehay (the co-author of the "Left Behind" novels) were allowed to participate in Nation Security briefings under Reagan is genuinely shocking! I grew up attending a little country church in close proximity to the local Youth for Christ ministry and state Klan headquarters. "George Wallace for President" bumper stickers were embarrassingly easy to find in the church parking lot. In those days my father dismissed fundamentalist organizations like Youth for Christ as something "for lower class people". Sadly, this is no longer the case! To have these primitives so close to the nuclear button (and their yearned-for Armageddon) is a recipe for disaster--a self-fulfilling prophecy that I have no desire to see played out! On the other hand, it is difficult for any person unaffiliated with organized religion (let alone an avowed atheist or agnostic) to aspire to high political office in our county, regardless of their qualifications and character--clearly a ridiculous state of affairs!
Harris' somewhat novel remedy to this problem relies on the assertion that if religious moderates were to disavow the miraculous claims of their respective faiths, religious fanatics would be exposed as the danger that they truly represent, their numbers would be reduced by societal pressures, and they would be exiled from positions of power and relegated to the margins of society. In the world that Harris envisions, admitting that you are in favor of a foreign policy that looks to an immanent second coming and Armageddon would seal the doom of any career in politics, while a profession of outright atheism would be heard without exciting any great concern. Although I would be very happy if his approach were successfully implemented and such an enlightened world actually came to pass, I must confess that I have my doubts as to its effectiveness of Harris' strategy, at least in the USA.
As I reflect on the changes that have come to our country since I was a small child in 1950's, and having grown up with evangelical Christians, I am aware of what they regard as their somewhat embattled status. Since the 1960's our country has changed quite a bit. As a child attending a public elementary school the symbols of religion were still very much in evidence. We led our own grace at the school lunch table--although at a ridiculously rapid staccato pace that was anything but reverent! We participated in the school Christmas pageant that celebrated the birth of Christ. In our homes, TV shows and comedians did not mock religious values. The news did not feature college students protesting conservative views. In a little county town like the one in which I grew up, most people were white Protestants, with only a few blacks living within a carefully prescribed zone. In retrospect, I suppose that this seemed like a safe and well-ordered world to even the most strident white Protestants. Now, however, religious symbols have been largely forced outside of public spaces. The media, once tightly controlled, is now full of all kinds of things, some of which are openly hostile to traditional Protestant values. People from other racial and cultural backgrounds are now part of a rapidly changing national demographic profile. These changes can only add to a feeling of isolation that drives many evangelicals father to the religious fringe.
What are we to do then? I am not quite sure! It is not certain, however, that a head on challenge is best way to deal with fanatical evangelicals. Perhaps I should note at this point that one of Harris' claims, that religious fanatics have as complete an understanding of their religious scriptures as anyone, is incorrect. While still a religious teenager I embarked on my own complete reading of the Bible. I didn't require the observations of religious scholars to help me find the many contradictions in this collection of writings. I think it is obvious to other more sober religious minds that these contradictions exist. Accordingly, sensible religious people search for such things as central themes and historical trends in the books of Bible instead of embarking on a paranoid justification of its many inconsistencies. For me, I was struck by the difference between Jesus' generally compassionate observations in the Gospels and the extremely hostile remarks often found in the Old Testament. There may be something to work with here after all!
Get more detail about THE END OF FAITH: RELIGION, TERROR, AND THE FUTURE OF REASON.
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