THE END OF FAITH: RELIGION, TERROR, AND THE FUTURE OF REASON By Sam Harris Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton The 9/11 Islamic terrorists emblazoned the psychological truism of the path from belief to behavior on the minds of millions. The world saw the lethiferous power of religious belief. We witnessed the purpose driven death. Sam Harris pummels readers with invidious images of destruction associated with religious belief. We may well dispute many of his conclusions but the ineluctable truth is that beliefs matter. At times acerbic, Harris has prepared a puissant polemic focused primarily upon the terror of Islam with ample scathing visited upon Christianity and Judaism. His thesis is that the beliefs of religious people have become unhinged from reason to the point that meaningful conversations cannot take place. He asserts that reason is in exile (chapter 1) and that survival requires a return...
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