Where Reason Can't Penetrate

The current (April 9) issue of Newsweek has a debate between atheist Sam Harris and pastor Rick Warren. I'll break it down for you in just two quotes, one from each gentleman.

Harris throws down the gauntlet:

"You could prove to the satisfaction of every scientist that intercessory prayer works if you set up a simple experiment. Get a billion Christians to pray for a single amputee. Get them to pray that God regrow that missing limb. This happens to salamanders every day, presumably without prayer; this is within the capacity of God."

Warren responds scurrilously, a little while later:

"There is a home for atheists in the world today — it's called North Korea." 

Choose your camp: Would you rather be associated with the guy who is willing to change his mind based on scientific proof, or with the gentle pastor who implies that non-believers are commie-lovers who should just fuck off to one of the most brutal hell-holes on earth?

For a man of such high morals, Warren is also gobsmackingly unprincipled about why he believes.

"If death is the end, shoot, I’m not going to waste another minute being altruistic."

Apparently, helping others for the sake of relieving their suffering is not what drives Warren; when he plays the Good Samaritan, scoring brownie points with God is what it's all about.

In the same vein, he reveals himself to be a pure opportunist by invoking (without credit) Pascal's Wager:

"[Sam Harris and I are] both betting. He's betting his life that he's right. I'm betting my life that Jesus was not a liar. When we die, if he's right, I've lost nothing. If I'm right, he's lost everything. I'm not willing to make that gamble."

Do you suppose that come Judgment Day, God will look kindly upon so-called Christians who followed Jesus because they were hedging their bets?

That's not faith; that's running the roulette table at Caesars Palace.

Comments

[George Arndt]

First of all, North Koreans are taught that their leader is a God-like being who has omniscient powers. In fact, most dictators tend to be surrounded by a quasi-religious cult. (Chairman Mao was viewed by most Chinese with the same sort of reverance that Christians have for Jesus)

Second, longing for heaven and fearing hell should not be confused with “morality” or “altruism”. To be compassionate or virtuous is to put the needs of others above oneself, period. To be fair, some believers do indeed have genuine selflessness, but, how common it is among the religious is a serious question. One thing which can be said about Warren is that he is as least honest about his motivations!

[Jeff Hultquist]

Sam Harris explores this same question with in a series
of essays with Andrew Sullivan:

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/209/story_20904_1.html

With Sullivan as his sparring partner, Harris is able to
examine this question far more thoughtfully.