Atheism Quote by Sam Harris
““It is time we admitted, from kings and presidents on down, that there is no evidence that any of our books was authored by the Creator of the universe. The Bible, it seems certain, was the work of sand-strewn men and women who thought the earth was flat and for whom a wheelbarrow would have been a breathtaking example of emerging technology. To rely on such a document as the basis for our worldview-however heroic the efforts of redactors- is to repudiate two thousand years of civilizing insights that the human mind has only just begun to inscribe upon itself through secular politics and scientific culture. We will see that the greatest problem confronting civilization is not merely religious extremism: rather, it is the larger set of cultural and intellectual accommodations we have made to faith itself.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The End of Faith, 2004
There is no evidence that divine beings authored religious texts; faith is a cultural construct that can hinder progress.
In simple terms: Religious texts lack divine authorship and can impede societal advancement.
Key Takeaway
Question the authority of sacred texts.
Themes
religion
skepticism
culture
science
Mood
thoughtful
critical
balanced
Type
philosophical
controversial
When to use this quote
- public policy
- education
- interfaith dialogue
Key Concepts
secularism
critical thinking
historical analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- What role does religion play in moral development?
- Can secular frameworks replace religious community?
A Different Perspective
Faith can provide moral guidance and community cohesion, which this critique may overlook.
![“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern world. [...] The first thing to observe about the moderate’s retreat from scriptural literalism is that it draws its inspiration not from scripture but from…” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b44/sam-harris-457_bible_moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to_6967.jpg)
