[T]he very ideal of religious tolerance-born of the notion that every human being should be free to believe whatever he wants about God-is one of the principal forces driving us toward the abyss.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- He claims the idea of letting everyone believe what they want about God drives society toward danger.
- In plain terms
- Allowing free belief about God leads to harm.
- What can you take from it?
- Unrestricted religious belief can have negative societal effects.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is belief freedom always safe?
- What limits should exist?
Another view
Many argue freedom of belief protects society rather than harms it.
More from Sam Harris
It is time we acknowledged that no real foundation exists within the canons of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or any of our other faiths for religious tolerance…
Permalink to quote #60 Lecture at the New York Society for Ethical Culture (2005)[10]
Permalink to quote #59 By failing to live by the letter of the texts, while tolerating the irrationality of those who do, religious moderates betray faith and reason equally.
Permalink to quote #63
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