Free Sam Harrris' Letter To A Christian Nation Literature Review Example

In ‘Letter to a Christian Nation’, Sam Harris seeks to show people why he does not believe in God and the Bible as the word of the Lord. Arguably, he has been able to convince the readers on his point of view and his strategies. Arguably, one of the key ways through which Harris uses to put his point across is using some of the morally questionable laws of the Bible that govern the land. He also uses existing statistics of conservative communities compared to liberal communities in relation to their moral applicability. Sam Harris can convince the readers of his religious views by using a variety of strategies.
One of the key arguments that he has presented is showing that religions such as Jaine are better than Christianity in relation to moral connection. Harris argues that Jaine religion preaches a message of non-violence that is much better as compared to Christianity. The author uses books such as Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy to show some of the key arguments presented by the Bible that some of the laws held by Christianity that are in no way moral. For instance, Harris cites Deuteronomy 22:13-17, which states that if a person marries a woman finds that she was not a virgin on her marriage bed; she was to be stoned to death at her father’s footsteps (Harris 17).
Harris also argues that some of the Christian legends such as Martin Luther King borrowed most of their teachings from other religions. Harris cites the fact that most of Martin Luther King was borrowed from Mahatma Gandhi, who was a Hindu. Further, Harris argues that King visited India to meet some of Gandhi’s disciples. He also presents arguments that most of the bad people in the world were Christians. Some of the leaders that Harris refers to include Hitler and Kim II Sung, who committed some of the most heinous acts in history.
The consideration of some of the Christian teachings and their effects on certain topics is one of the key areas that Harris uses as justification for his atheism. He argues that atheists are not in any way less moral as compared to Christians. Additionally, Harris argues that most atheist communities are more charitable than the conservative communities are. The author also indicates that some of the highest rates of crime in the United States are found in red states. Red states are Republicans who are Christian puritans and highly religious, yet they report the highest rates of hate crimes, murders, and killings as well as other badly viewed issues within the state.
The United States has been referred to as the most religious or Christian nation in the world. Apparently, the country has over 80% Christian penetration. However, comparing it to most European nations, which are more liberal, the country’s morality is highly questionable. One of the facts that Harris presents is comparing the income difference between the highest paid employee and the least paid employee within the organization. In Britain, the ratio is 24:1, Sweden’s ratio is 13:1, France 15:1 and yet the United States shows a 475:1 ratio (Harris 16). The European nations that are more liberal and less religious were more considerate of the poor as compared to the older people.
Additionally, Harris also assesses the opposition that most Christians have against scientific breakthroughs that have only increased pain and suffering in the world. One of the researches that the author has used to justify his opposition to religion is the stem cell research. According to the author, one of the key issues that are greatly opposed by Christian states, the stem cell research can see multiple human problems solved by using the stem cell findings. The stem cell research has been opposed to the account that people cannot create souls. His opposition to the existence of the soul and the fact that the soul does exist is not well centered. However, although he presents extraordinary information pertaining to the growth and improvement of the science and the influence of the stem cell research towards making some critical economy and health strides that would save humanity, he does no clearly cite his reason for not believing in the existence of the soul.
The main goal of the author was to present his evidence to show why he believes that God does not exist. Although he presents a number of arguments against Christianity, but he fails to show why he does not believe in God. Any critical reader can see that he fails to achieve the intended purpose of his paper. Most of Harris’s arguments do not clearly show or indicate the reasoning for his justifications for not believing in God. However, he presents arguments against believing in Christianity, but not against believing in God. Arguably, one of the key areas that need critical assessment is the consideration of his reasons for not believing in God and not believing in Christianity. Harris also ignores the fact that Christians have never met God and hence their assumption of God might be incorrect. It does not, however, proof that God does not exist.

Work Cited

Harris, Sam. Letter to a Christian Nation. New York: Sam Harris.