Atheist Thought of the Week

I've been thinking about Atheist Quote of the Week and have decided to change it to Atheist Thought of the Week. I've done this to emphasize that I'm not merely trying to present a quote by an atheist writer or thinker, which is what I am doing precisely but, I do this more for the hope anyone reading the offer would also think about what is being said.

This week's offer comes from Sam Harris. It is from his book "The End of Faith." Amazon.com Choosing something by Harris was difficult. He has many interesting thoughts and insights throughout his book but I am forced to parse and paraphrase somewhat in order to get the idea across here but in fewer words than Sam used in his book. It is not to say that he is long winded but rather that the kernel of the thought I wish to get across here doesn't need the entire 300 words of the paragraph he used, hence the late posting here, usually on a Thursday has taken me into Friday this week. So without further ado, here's Sam with an interesting thought about religion and how, and why, it affects us all.

"Our situation is this: most of the people in this world believe that the Creator of the universe has written a book. We have the misfortune of having many such books on hand making an exclusive claim as to its infallibility....All are in perverse agreement on one point of fundamental importance, however: "respect" for other faiths, or for the views of unbelievers, is not an attitude that God endorses....Intolerance is thus intrinsic to every creed....Certainty about the next life is simply incompatible with tolerance in this one." Page 13, Paperback Edition, Copyright 2004

The ellipses indicate I have skipped an entire intervening sentence to get on to the more supportive statements made. It is worth your while to acquire the book and read the whole of it, the book that is, and not just the paragraph.