I basically watched all of the video and several of the radio programs on Sam’s site. I was left with the impression (much stronger than the book) that this guy has a very timely and important message. Like a non-fictional “Samuel the Lamanite” I might only half-jokingly say.

What does GC stand for?

I just went over and read it. Not really the negative assessment that the title suggests. Like him or not, you have to give the man credit for raising the level of discourse above the safe/comfortable assumptions.

I especially enjoyed learning of his vision quest. His experience is so different from that advocated in GC as to raise some serious questions and doubts about the “narrowness” of the path.

The article is entitled, “Oh Dear God — it’s him again”

By the way, some of the clips of Harris at his website are interesting to watch.

But more recently, with the mainstreaming of Mormonism (an essentially fundamentalist tradition) and the rise of Christian fundamentalism as a dominant political force, many Mormons appear to imagine themselves among the majority. I think this has led to an increased degree of ease with intolerance and diminished Church/State separation.

Mormons appear to me to be no less susceptible than the next faith, when given the chance, to reigning what they perceive to be the truth upon others.

I find it interesting that among the Churches that claim to be God’s own, mine acknowledges a person’s right to their personal faith, and an injunction to not only respect other’s beliefs but to let them practice them according to their own dictates so long as they do not impinge on the rights of others.

I like to think that I practice compassionate faith in diety with a Christian worldview.

I think that the beauty of questioning, doubtful skepticism is that it keeps us slightly uncomfortable. In my general experience, people get dangerous when they are too comfortable – i.e., “I know I’m right and therefore I have arrived and can stop progressing and I can also utilize my rightness to judge your wrongness.” When we keep ourselves a little out of our comfort zone at all times, I think we have a better chance of being compassionate as we try to understand others and ourselves better.

One of my favorite writers, C.S. Lewis once said that for every book he reads that is in line with his worldview, he likes to read one that isn’t. We all need to examine our beliefs, and it’s good to find people who will examine them with us bringing to the table the tools of compassion and reason. Many atheist friends of mine who have come and gone in my life are like this, and have asked me many good hard questions about the Christian worldview, and I am indebted to them for helping me on my spiritual walk. When it comes to my wordview, I share John’s as well — a scientific/rational one (I believe in God in addition to this as well.)

But I’m not one to simply let others question my own beliefs — I’d rather take an active role in questioning/testing them myself. So far it’s stood the test of some awesome criticism, of which Harris is not the best. The hardest questions are ones that I asked myself. From others, so far I think Dan Barker has been the greatest atheist thinker I’ve run into. Who better to question what I believe than an ex-christian pastor and world famous writer and debator? Although the best I’ve heard with reason and logic, he still falls terribly short on good Bible exegesis.

John is right. Great faith THRIVES on doubt. How will it stand the test of reason if not? Otherwise its like a house of cards — pull one piece out and the entire thing falls apart soon afterwards. Like in Thomas’s case, I believe that God will provide the proof for you IF you want it.

When we pursue our future spouse that we have fallen in love with, do we not need to reasonably prove our love for them? When I was dating my wife, did I just give her an autobiography about me and then walk away? Of course not. In relationships, we need proof of love and trust for it to grow. If God is God, why would He not do the same and so much more for us?