getAbstract Summary: Get the key points from this book in less than 10 minutes.

In this hotly controversial book, author Sam Harris faults religion for being illogical, for inciting societies to violence and for not reconciling faith and reason. Many classic thinkers and theologians struggled with this question, including Maimonides and Aquinas, who are absent from the index. Such omissions lead one to acknowledge the author's passionate writing perhaps more than his scholarship, which is also open to some challenge as he explains the tenets of various faiths. Harris, who has a compelling narrative style, provokes readers to confront their own philosophies as he asks another ancient question: why does a good God permit evil? Harris's anti-religious discourse promotes reason as a panacea and asserts that spiritual living does not require religious practice. He particularly examines the role of extremist religious belief in its most violent manifestations, such as Jihad. He asks why polite society cannot criticize religion if it motivates suicide bombers and terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, however, Harris follows the Pied Piper of rationalism off the cliff by articulating a dispiriting, dangerous message against tolerating religious tolerance itself. If you want to provoke some spirited conversations, or reconsider venerable philosophical issues in the light of difficult modern times, getAbstract.com believes this may intrigue you. Readers who share Harris' fury about religion's influence will find their opinions vigorously supported, while those who believe that religion is a force for good will find that reading this book is an opportunity to exercise the patience of a saint.

Book Publisher:

W.W. Norton