More Intellectual Folly: Sam Harris

Posted by Kirk M. Wellum @ http://redeemingthetime.blogspot.com

"Imagine a world in which generations of human beings come to believe that certain films were made by God or that specific software was coded by him. Imagine a future in which millions of our descendants murder each other over rival interpretations of Star Wars or Windows 98. Could anything -- anything -- be more ridiculous? And yet, this would be no more ridiculous than the world we are living in". Sam Harris, author (1967- )

Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The End of Faith and A Letter to a Christian Nation. According to his website he is a graduate in philosophy from Stanford University and has studied both Eastern and Western religious traditions along with a variety of contemplative disciplines for 20 years. Mr. Harris makes regular appearances on television and radio to discuss the danger that religion poses to modern societies.

All that aside, I wonder if Mr. Harris ever talks about the dangers of atheism and the horrible things that have been done throughout history by those who do not believe in the transcendent, holy, sovereign God who has revealed himself in the written scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and in the person of the Lord Jesus. Furthermore, equating Christianity with the arbitrary and irrational belief that Star Wars or Windows 98 are uniquely inspired bits of work is absurd in the extreme. One wonders about the academic sanity of someone who would suggest such a thing given the abundant external and internal evidence for the truthfulness of the Bible.

But this is the kind of world in which we live. And it is further proof that human beings suppress the clearly revealed truth of God in unrighteousness. Human beings are not objective viewers of reality. Not only are they finite, but they are sinful and perverse, and their minds and hearts are darkened. Professing themselves wise, they reveal their foolishness, when their attempt to escape from God leads them to misread and misinterpret the evidence.

It has been said before that the greatest proof of the existence of God is the impossibility of the contrary. And nowhere is this more relevant than in this discussion. If Mr. Harris, and his ilk, want to liberate the human race from God, they need to explain life as we know it without him. How does the impersonal give way to the personal? How does he account for the laws of logic, rationality, language, love, faith, hope, peace... and on and on and on. And what about the resurrection? Does he really expect us to believe that it did not happen? This historically attested fact of the Christian faith changes the discussion forever. Sure there are doubters, just like some people doubt that the Americans ever landed on the moon. But that does not change the fact that Jesus of Nazareth died, was buried and rose again, that he ascended on high and that at the end of the age will come to judge humanity, including Mr. Harris.

Many years ago King David wrote about those who think and live as though there is no God. His words are as appropriate today as when they were written: "Fools say in their hearts. 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is not one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord. But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. Oh, the salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!"