Essay 4: Religion: Scourge or Refugee?
I. Scourge
In his book Letter to a Christian Nation, Sam Harris analyzes the Abrahamic religions and makes an argument that these religious faiths are based on faulty mythological stories and that the very existence of these traditions is detrimental to society (Harris xi). Harris delves deep into the purpose of morality in these religions, as well as the correlational ties between religion and violence. He also takes the time to question God’s role in the world’s suffering and how perceptions of God can fail to tell the whole story. Each of the Abrahamic religions offers a text, which provides followers with a set of morals. Harris addresses this moral aspect of religion by introducing the common argument that the only universal standard of morality can be found in the word of God (Harris 23). He begins refuting this argument by suggesting that morals can be taught and understood without the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the savior (Harris 25). He also notes that the morality of believers is skewed, since more time is spent expending “moral energy” on topical issues like abortion than fighting genocide (Harris 25). However, the key point in his argument regarding the relevance of religious morality relies on the existence of atheists. He starts out by pointing out a …show more content…
These teachings prompt one to take a deep look into our individual behaviors and the impact that these behaviors can have. It creates a self-awareness that anyone can apply to his or her lives, no matter the religion they practice. In Jainism, self-awareness is utilized by allowing one to be mindful of whether their actions are going to have violent or non-violent impacts (Christopher-Smith 11). Jain principles can force one to look into whether their actions are fostering nonviolent communication and
I. Scourge
In his book Letter to a Christian Nation, Sam Harris analyzes the Abrahamic religions and makes an argument that these religious faiths are based on faulty mythological stories and that the very existence of these traditions is detrimental to society (Harris xi). Harris delves deep into the purpose of morality in these religions, as well as the correlational ties between religion and violence. He also takes the time to question God’s role in the world’s suffering and how perceptions of God can fail to tell the whole story. Each of the Abrahamic religions offers a text, which provides followers with a set of morals. Harris addresses this moral aspect of religion by introducing the common argument that the only universal standard of morality can be found in the word of God (Harris 23). He begins refuting this argument by suggesting that morals can be taught and understood without the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the savior (Harris 25). He also notes that the morality of believers is skewed, since more time is spent expending “moral energy” on topical issues like abortion than fighting genocide (Harris 25). However, the key point in his argument regarding the relevance of religious morality relies on the existence of atheists. He starts out by pointing out a …show more content…
These teachings prompt one to take a deep look into our individual behaviors and the impact that these behaviors can have. It creates a self-awareness that anyone can apply to his or her lives, no matter the religion they practice. In Jainism, self-awareness is utilized by allowing one to be mindful of whether their actions are going to have violent or non-violent impacts (Christopher-Smith 11). Jain principles can force one to look into whether their actions are fostering nonviolent communication and