Book review By catherine ousey

the end of faith:religion, terror and the future of reason, sam harris, w.W. norton and company 2004

Sam Harris argues in this book that in the face of weapons of mass destruction, it is only a question of time before religious differences threaten our survival. He traces the origins of several modern religions, including Christianity and Islam, and their early involvement in violence and atrocities. Harris decries the current tendency to mix religion and politics, in both the East and the West, making a persuasive case for leaving behind the superstitious past of organized religion and replacing it with secularism and humanism. Condemning pacifism for being incapable of dealing with atrocities like suicide bombing, Harris espouses a system of ethics based on reason, philosophy and neuroscience. One unexpected stance he takes is against religious moderates. He states that those who are willing to embrace organized religion in spite of its violent origins are as dangerous as the religious extremists. Moderates who preach acceptance of diversity allow the extremists to take hold in society. This reminds us of a comment by an Islamic leader to the Pope. He said that our democratic freedoms will allow Islam a foothold in the West and Islam’s law will allow Muslims to dominate the West. Is the acceptance of Sharia law in Ontario, for example, the first step in this process? The last chapter of the book is, however, somewhat problematic. Here Sam Harris outlines his support for an Eastern style of meditation to replace organized religion as a method of understanding consciousness. This section is less than scientific at best. The jury is still out on the value of such mysticism and this chapter is likely to make some humanists uneasy. In spite of this one (perhaps) shortcoming of the book, it is an interesting read and I recommend it. Humanists can’t help but agree with his conclusion that all organized religions are dangerous to the survival of humanity. Catherine Ousey, Sec. HAM The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason Written by: Sam Harris Published by: W.W. Horton & Co. 2004 Is available through the HAM library. Any member wishing to borrow the book should look for it at the general meeting. Also, if any member wants to borrow a particular book that is on the list of books from the HAM library should contact Catherine Ousey at: cousey@mb.humanists.ca and ask her to bring it to a meeting.