Letter to a Christian Nation
Written by Sam Harris
Narrated by Jordan Bridges
ratings:
4.5/5 (329 ratings)
Length:
1 hour
Description
Immediate New York Times Best Seller . . .
The Challenge to Religious Dogma that has Sparked a National Debate!
"Forty-four percent of the American population is convinced that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead sometime in the next fifty years," writes Sam Harris. "Imagine the consequences if any significant component of the U.S. government actually believed that the world was about to end and that its ending would be glorious. The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes this, purely on the basis of religious dogma, should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency."
In response to his award-winning bestseller The End of Faith, Sam Harris received thousands of letters from Christians excoriating him for not believing in God. Letter to A Christian Nation is his courageous and controversial reply. Using rational argument, Harris offers a measured refutation of the beliefs that form the core of fundamentalist Christianity. Addressing current topics ranging from intelligent design and stem-cell research to the connections between religion and violence, Letter to a Christian Nation boldly challenges the influence that faith has on public life in our nation.
The Challenge to Religious Dogma that has Sparked a National Debate!
"Forty-four percent of the American population is convinced that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead sometime in the next fifty years," writes Sam Harris. "Imagine the consequences if any significant component of the U.S. government actually believed that the world was about to end and that its ending would be glorious. The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes this, purely on the basis of religious dogma, should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency."
In response to his award-winning bestseller The End of Faith, Sam Harris received thousands of letters from Christians excoriating him for not believing in God. Letter to A Christian Nation is his courageous and controversial reply. Using rational argument, Harris offers a measured refutation of the beliefs that form the core of fundamentalist Christianity. Addressing current topics ranging from intelligent design and stem-cell research to the connections between religion and violence, Letter to a Christian Nation boldly challenges the influence that faith has on public life in our nation.
About the author
Sam Harris is the author of the bestselling books The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape, Free Will, and Lying. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction and his work has been published in more than 20 languages. He has written for the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, the Economist, the Times (London), the Boston Globe, the Atlantic, the Annals of Neurology, and elsewhere. He received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA.
Reviews
What people think about Letter to a Christian Nation
4.3329 ratings / 78 Reviews
Reader reviews
- (5/5)Sam Harris is one of the current group of neo atheists who are thankfully taking back some of the public discourse space from the evangelical right. His books are articulate and well-reasoned counterpoints to religious fundamentalism, although he sometimes conflates the worst aspects of religion with all religion, and seems to leave little space for co-existence with the positive aspects of world religions. This one is a quicker read than The End of Faith, but equally good.
- (4/5)A smart, straightforward argument laying out the harm that religion does to society.
- (3/5)It was like preaching to the choir. I have little respect for religion as does the author. And while I can respect people's differing beliefs, I have a hard time taking god and religion in general seriously. This book points out some of the absurdities and goes down well. I suppose I should read the counter argument book "Letter to A Christian Nation: Counter Point" by RC Metcalf next.
- (5/5)I think that the number of people who should read this book that will read it is sufficiently statistically small as to be safe in saying no one who needs to read it will.
I agree with everything Mr. Harris said, though I think his comparisons of Christian fundamentalism to Muslim dogma and adherence might get the wrong attention. - (5/5)In 'Letter to a Christian Nation' Sam Harris articulately rebuts common and popular arguments for Christianity in American culture and politics. It is a short and easy read which tackles the self-righteous attitudes of many of America's Christians -- particularly of the Evangelical stripe. Harris frames the book, as the title suggests, as a letter written to, and addressing, America's conservative Christians. This book is a response to criticism from conservative American Christians regarding a previous book Harris had written. I recommend 'Letter to a Christian Nation".
- (3/5)It gave me some interesting food for thought, but arguing with staunch Christians on the ground Harris covers would seem to me to be a futile effort.