[Buddha-l] Prominent Neobuddhist proposes religion basedblacklisting for government jobs

[S.A. Feite]

Thanks for responding with an excellent critique and some very good  
points. Well said. It made me think and helps me appreciate your POV.

Steve

On Jul 30, 2009, at 8:18 PM, Curt Steinmetz wrote:

> S.A. Feite wrote:
>> I'm curious Curt, after your continued attack on Sam Harris, if  
>> you've
>> ever read his classic "Letter to a Christian Nation"?
>>
>
> I find Sam Harris' writings to be of great interest, and yes I have  
> read
> both End of Faith and Letter - and watched many of his youtube videos,
> and read many other things he has written.
>
> Despite Harris many faults on of his great virtues, and one of the
> things that makes his writing so valuable, is that he is completely
> without guile. His says plainly and simply what most people with any
> capacity for self reflection would never dare say out loud, let alone
> put down in writing.
>
> Harris is a also fine specimen representing the bleeding edge of a
> social movement that has been underway since the days when folks like
> James Randi and Martin Gardner were just starting to make a name for
> themselves as self-appointed commissars of correct scientific  
> thinking.
> But men like Randi and Gardner are good, often excellent writers and
> very sharp wits. I could never imagine either one of them writing
> anything like "He fails the way a surgeon would fail if he attempted  
> to
> operate using only his toes." which is a sentence from the opening
> paragraph of Harris' "review" of Collins' book.
>
> And I'll give Harris credit for one other thing (in addition to his
> clueless candor): he has some kind of weird charismatic power over
> certain people. Not unlike a recent president of the United States,  
> come
> to think of it. It's creepy. Here's a guy who was a prime cheerleader
> for Bush's War on Terror, an unapologetic proponent of torture, and a
> man who proclaims to the world that he believes in excluding
> PRESBYTERIANS from being appointed to certain government positions.  
> And
> yet millions of people think he is above reproach - and whenever I
> criticize him somebody always says, "oh, well, but have you read  
> his ...."