We are now in the 21st century: all books, including the Koran, should be fair game for flushing down the toilet without fear of violent reprisal.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Harris argues religious texts should be open to criticism without fear of violent punishment.
- In plain terms
- You should be able to criticize holy books without people getting angry or violent.
- What can you take from it?
- Advocate for free criticism of religious texts without fear of retaliation.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What protections should religious texts have?
- How do we balance criticism and respect?
Another view
Some religious communities view criticism as blasphemy rather than free expression.
More from Sam Harris
The truth that we must finally confront is that Islam contains specific notions of martyrdom and jihad that fully explain the character of Muslim violence.
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Permalink to quote #48 There are other ideologies with which to expunge the last vapors of reasonableness from a society's discourse, but Islam is undoubtedly one of the best we've g…
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