Letter to a Christian Nation

By: Sam Harris

Narrated by: Jordan Bridges

Length: 1 hr and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

"Forty-four percent of the American population is convinced that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead sometime in the next 50 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 best seller 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 the United States.

Don't miss Harris' The End of Faith.

©2006 Sam Harris. All rights reserved (P)2006 Simon and Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

the examined life

Sam Harris has written this short work as a follow-up to his earlier book THE END OF FAITH (also available now from Audible).

Although titled in a way that suggests that christianity is the target of Harris' analyses and arguments (or, of that christian variant that insists the USA is, or should be, a "christian nation") don't let that mislead you.

It is actually a hyper-rationalist critique of religion in general, christianity simply providing the framework for structuring the arguments.

The work is well read and sufficiently short (a bit under two hours) that most would probably benefit from listening two or three times, at least to have given all the arguments a fair hearing.

An enormous amount of material is covered in the book and it would be no surprise to find that one argument or another triggered so emotional a reaction in the listener that portions of subsequent material were missed.

The book is a challenge to the religious, a challenge to apply the same rationality to religion and religious beliefs that we commonly apply to all other aspects of our world and lives.

Give this work a serious listen and you'll never deserve to be targeted by Socrates' "The unexamined life is not worth living"

Should be cheaper

This message was supposed to reach a large audience. Why is it so expensive for less than 2 hours of audio?

Original Thinking

Sam Harris gets my vote for the bravest man in America and the most rational, too.

No body likes athiests; they are reviled by all. Yet Sam Harris has stood up and said enough already with God, with all religions. He poignantly argues his point that religion isn't working so maybe we should try something else...how about reason. He says that no one has ever died from too much knowledge or reason.

This work is concise. He gets straight to the point and doesn't waste your time. I agree with the other reviewers who say that this should be required reading (and thinking) by all. We need a different paradigm in which to see the world if we are going to move forward. Sam Harris provides a new paradigm and is thinking outside the box. Are we going to continue our insane wishful thinking or are we going to make a change in time to save ourselves and to progress?

Well argued, but not without its own limits

This "letter" from Sam Harris is superficially directed at conservative Christians, particularly those who interpret the Bible literally. However, in reality, it is directed at everyone. For atheists, it is a defense of their view of the world. For those who have a belief in god or God, but who are not conservative Christians, Harris spends almost as much time chastising them as he does conservative Christians. Indeed, he spent as much time proclaiming the dangers of Islam as he does of Christianity.

Make no mistake about it, Harris is an atheist. His is also what I would call conservative atheism, showing as much disdain and perhaps even hatred of all religion as many conservative Christians or Muslims have for those of other faiths. If you accept his underlying assumption, which is that rational thought should be the deciding factor when evaluating everything in life -- including all religions, then his conclusions will follow logically and you will find yourself agreeing with them. But you may not find yourself agreeing with his strident tone, one that often seems intent on inciting conflict for the sake of conflict.

And what if you don't accept his underlying assumption? What if rational logic is not the only thing important when evaluating beliefs in this world? What if religion exists, not because it makes rational sense, but because people have a spiritual and/or emotional need that rational though cannot fulfill, but religion can and does? What if that is the point of religion? Then even as Harris undermines various rational arguments justifying religion, he misses the point. This is not to say that all his criticisms of various religions are without some merit, but perhaps those criticisms are justified because religions (like Harris) may miss the point of why people need them.

I am an M.D. and Ph.D. in science, the son of an atheist, who has ended up as a deist, believing in a "god" that is real, amorphous, and uninterest in us.

Excellent

This is a great book, but should not have been necessary. The End of Faith should have been sufficient and I recommend starting there. If you are not prepared to put in the extra time, then this is the one for you.

Excellent

This is like a "God Delusion" pared down and easy to listen to. It was well written, excellent narration. Cuts to the chase. I've already listened to it twice and will listen to it again from time to time to get a refresher.

Finally

This should be required reading. If I were rich I would pay Audible to make this a free download. At the very least this should accompany any purchase of "A Purpose Driven Life".

The Truth and Nothing But The Truth

Mr. Harris' answers to his critics (Christians) is short concise and to the point. If you choose to live in the real world, you will love this book. On the other hand, if you choose to believe in talking serpents and virgin births this is not a book you will enjoy. The truth will be too painful for you.

Audiobook version - Excellent reader

This book resonated for me as few before, but I've yet to see any comments on the reader, Jordan Bridges. This is among the finest and most engaging readings of a any work I've acquired. While not perfect, Bridges hits Harris' tone and intent time after time, matching him almost note for note. At times angry, sarcastic, witty, emotive and always passionate, this is a very fine effort that deserves recognition and respect. I hope we are lucky enough to hear Harris' next work read by Bridges.

Succinctly Brilliant

Harris' appeal to the Christian masses is both poignant and respectful. Without using straw men, he clearly articulates some of the major issues with religion and its effects on modern day life. Throughout his letter he remains appropriately considerate of his thoughts' potential shortcomings, which is a refreshing change from the arrogance of some other notable atheist scholars.

This is a very important work and is something everyone should listen to.

Not easy listening for religious types

...but they probably will not even try, which is the pity with this type of book. Sam Harris is thoughtful, clever, funny and scary. It might seem expensive for only 1 hour 56 mins - but I think you'll want to listen to it twice.

Information that everyone should know!

The world would be a much better place if people took heed of what Sam Harris says.

Oh No! I've got my knob stuck in the hover again.

Listened to this as it was mentioned in "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. Whilst brilliant, it is not as good as above mentioned book, which, if you haven't already, you must now listen to.

A useful summation of Bill Hicks position

The comedian Bill Hicks once said "Folks, it's time to evolve. That's why we're troubled. You know why our institutions are failing us, the church, the state, everything's failing? It's because, um – they're no longer relevant. We're supposed to keep evolving. Evolution did not end with us growing opposable thumbs. You do know that, right?"
Sam Harris presents the reasoning behind Bill's statement. I'm grateful for that. And I miss Bill.

Biased and poorly reasearched by Straw-man Harris

Harris is an enthusiastically poor researcher when it comes to Religion and History. He even tries to claim that History is part of Science. He also tries to suggest that Science and Christianity are in opposition; they aren't.

Harris sets up straw man after straw man in his hatred of all religions. He then keeps contradicting himself:

"Anybody who believes any religion is stupid. If you don't belive in Evolution you are stupid!"

The whole book is a disjointed, contradictory rant against religion. Its saving grace is that it is shorter than two other books of his I read.

The book is useful for showing where many internet atheists got their ill-informed and bigoted ideas.

Good, concise argument

I love Sam Harris as an author and I love listening to his narration on his other audiobooks. I would have much preferred to hear Sam Harris as the narrator on this one, especially if this is to be taken as his personal message to the Christian Nation. A few mispronunciations were distracting.

Analytical and terrifyingly accurate

Sam really pulls apart our belief systems and our failure to act rationally. Sometimes ear peelingly shocking in his rational and evidence based conversation.

Highly recommend to those interested in philosophy and new ideas.

A must read

This says it all really, my only hope is that this is read or listened to by more and more people. Than as the great Sam Harris says we may have some hope.

Succinct and to the point

One of the most important non fiction books you'll ever read.
A masterclass in the advancement of free thought and breaking the chains of faith.
Thank you Sam...

Reshaping my perspective

This book totally lifted my perspective on Christianity, very well written and clear in everything