Sam Harris

I challenge everyone to actually listen to the questions posed to Sam in the media.  Case in point is the NPR interview on Oct 2nd, Talk of the Nation, in which Michelle Martin seemed particularly defensive with regard to the religious roots of the civil rights movement.  Sam Harris speaks from a position of erudition, in philosophy, cultural anthropology, basic biology and biological sciences.  Unfortunately, the level of sophistication possessed by the general public, not to mention the media, in these areas is equivalent to the grade-school level at best.  How can the media pose accurate, informed questions about such topics as the rational basis of religious belief if it lacks even the basic fundamental knowledge to debate and articulate the core issues? 

After reading "Letter to a Christian Nation", it has become clear to me that Harris's position is firmly routed in our own history, philosophy and fund of knowledge - how can anyone argue that the Bible tells the truth?  Yet the "media" fears alienating segments of the public who are invested in Truth-By-Bible, including those on the so-called "right" side of issues such as racism and slavery, and who ask questions like, "How is faith different from love?"

[quote author=“kaattie”]I challenge everyone to actually listen to the questions posed to Sam in the media.  Case in point is the NPR interview on Oct 2nd, Talk of the Nation, in which Michelle Martin seemed particularly defensive with regard to the religious roots of the civil rights movement.  Sam Harris speaks from a position of erudition, in philosophy, cultural anthropology, basic biology and biological sciences.  Unfortunately, the level of sophistication possessed by the general public, not to mention the media, in these areas is equivalent to the grade-school level at best.  How can the media pose accurate, informed questions about such topics as the rational basis of religious belief if it lacks even the basic fundamental knowledge to debate and articulate the core issues? 

After reading “Letter to a Christian Nation”, it has become clear to me that Harris’s position is firmly routed in our own history, philosophy and fund of knowledge - how can anyone argue that the Bible tells the truth?  Yet the “media” fears alienating segments of the public who are invested in Truth-By-Bible, including those on the so-called “right” side of issues such as racism and slavery, and who ask questions like, “How is faith different from love?”

You make a valid point…and Sam has pointed out time and again that Martin Luther King’s iniative was based in large part on Jainist principles, received from Ghandi…and that the Civil Rights movement was not a ‘Christian Based’ movement. What I found laughable in the interview the next day when she interviewed Christian leaders concerning government/politics and religion was the silly position that atheism is in fact a religion…by Zeus these folks need to read Sam’s Books, then there was this idiot caller who did her Christian moderate rant and was posed the question if moderates offer cover for religious fundamentalists, to which she replied…uhm, uhm, uhm, uhm, uhm, uhm, uhm, I don’t know. All of these people, the moderates, the ministers and the interviewer are avoiding the issuing and certainly not addressing Harris’ key points…what a sad, ignorant state of affairs…..   :?

Fuck NPR

I agree, kaattie, stardusk.

I’m sick of this.  That was me above.  The forum didn’t log me in automatically, but most of the time it does.  I don’t know what’s going on.

Uhm…pm the administrator? :wink:

Sam Harris did a great job during that interview despite the terrible interviewer. She was seemingliy getting upset that her pathetic points were being shot down with such ease and elequence by Harris.

Say hello to my home town to me… 8)

Sam’s speaking on a “higher” level than what most of his interviewers can understand.

Most people are still restrained by dogma or the fear of letting down their parents or being ashamed, etc. to actually let go and think for themselves.

But, ultimately - Sam is further along as a human than most of the people that interview him, so he’s explaining his message to folks that by their own choice, won’t understand it.

Thankfully he’s starting a movement and you now have a barrage of people armed with pointed statements and key phrases to fire back at the ignorant religious folks in the world - Sam’s message will broaden out and strike where it needs to.