Letter to a Christian Nation
Letter to a Christian Nation is a non-fiction book by Sam Harris, written in response to feedback he received following the publication of his first book The End of Faith. The book, a slim volume, is written in the form of an open letter to a Christian. Harris states that his aim is "to demolish the intellectual and moral pretensions of Christianity in its most committed forms." The book was released in September 2006. In October it entered the New York Times Best Seller list at number seven.[1]
Harris addresses his arguments to members of the conservative Christian Right in America. In answer to their appeal to the Bible on all questions of morality, he points to the harsh moral code of the Old Testament (death for adultery, homosexuality, disobedience to parents etc.), and contrasts this with, for example, the complete non-violence of Jainism. Harris arugues that the reliance on dogma can create a false morality, which is divorced from the reality of human suffering and the efforts to alleviate it; thus religious objections stand in the way of condom use, stem-cell research, abortion, and the development of a vaccine for the human papilloma virus.
On the intellectual front Harris tackles the problem of evil—the difficulty in believing in a good God who allows disasters like Hurricane Katrina—and the conflict between religion and science. A recent Gallup poll suggested that 53 per cent of Americans are creationists, so Harris spends some time arguing for evolution and against the notion of Intelligent Design.
Harris then widens his argument to consider the variety of religions in the world and their mutual antagonism, drawing attention to the religious basis for many ethnic and inter-communal conflicts. There are those who hope for progress through religious tolerance, mutual respect, and interfaith dialogue, but Harris thinks this only makes it more difficult to criticise faith-based extremism. While readily admitting that spiritual experiences can be valuable and life-enhancing, he is concerned that these should not be linked to religious beliefs. He admits that religion may have served some useful purpose for humanity in the past, but argues that it is now the greatest impediment to building a global civilisation.