All pretensions to theological knowledge should now be seen from the perspective of a man who was just beginning his day on the one hundredth floor of the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001, only to find his meandering thoughts-of family and friends, of errands run and unrun, of coffee in need of sweetener-inexplicably usurped by a choice of terrible starkness and simplicity: between being burned alive by jet fuel or leaping one thousand feet to the concrete below.[2]
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Harris contrasts mundane human concerns with the sudden violence of 9/11 to undermine claims of divine foresight or control.
- In plain terms
- Life is unpredictable despite religious claims.
- What can you take from it?
- Recognize the limits of theological certainty.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you find meaning in chaos?
Another view
It may overlook personal comfort faith provides.
More from Sam Harris
The men who committed the atrocities of September 11 were certainly not 'cowards,' as they were repeatedly described in the Western media, nor were they lunati…
Permalink to quote #86 Our circumstance is abject, indefensible, and terrifying. It would be hilarious if the stakes were not so high.
Permalink to quote #83 A significant percentage of the world's Muslims believe that the men who brought down the World Trade Center are now seated at the right hand of God.[2]
Permalink to quote #87
Related quotes
Thus to the Lord doth Asha, the Truth, reply: 'No guide is known who can shelter the world from woe, None who knows what moves and works Thy lofty plans.'
ZoroasterZoroaster quote #2 God works in mysterious, inefficient, and breathtakingly cruel ways.
Penn JillettePenn Jillette quote #5 Seriously, does it bother anyone else that God might be fuckin' with our heads?! [Mimes digging] 'Ho ho ho! We'll see who believes in me now!'
Bill HicksBill Hicks quote #12