Controversial Book Calls for 'End of Faith'

（单词翻译）

By Mike O'Sullivan

The author of a controversial book called "The End of Faith" says an unspoken rule against criticizing religion needs to be re-thought in an age of religious terrorism. Author Sam Harris says people of all faiths need to be respected, but religious beliefs should not be sacrosanct¹.
Religion, say its adherents², has the power to inspire, to provide a moral compass and sense of meaning. But its critics say faith also has its dark side. Differences over religion have divided communities and sparked violent conflicts. Partly for that reason, most people today avoid addressing religious differences.
Writer Sam Harris says, however, the spread of new technology, including nuclear weapons that can fit into a suitcase, has created a world where the rule no longer applies.
"It was never the case even 50 years ago that one person, based on his zeal³ to find his way into paradise, could destroy the lives of millions of people. And we're fast approaching a time where weapons of mass destruction, weapons of mass disruption, even being able to spread viruses on the Internet, can be so confounding to society that we really have to get our act together in a way that we really didn't even 50 years ago."
The author of The End of Faith takes rhetorical aim at Islamic militants⁴ who see themselves engaged in a war against infidels, and at Christian⁵ fundamentalists who he says want to impose their moral views on abortion⁶ and sexuality on others. He says politics requires a more nuanced discussion than some religious people are willing to engage in.
The problem, in his view, is not just with fundamentalism, but also with moderate religion, which he says contains the seeds of extremism. John Crossley, a professor of religion at the University of Southern California, sees merit in some of Mr. Harris' observations.
"He is clearly morally outraged⁷ at the violence that's being done in the world in the name of religion, in the name of faith. I think, though, that he makes a fundamental category mistake when he attributes the problem not just to religious fanaticism⁸ or to certain types of faith, but when he denigrates⁹ faith itself and contrasts it with reason."
Mr. Harris is not a conventional atheist¹⁰, and says atheism¹¹ often carries a "whiff of formaldehyde," ignoring much of life's authentic¹² mystery. He also rejects suggestions that religion be suppressed as it has been in many communist countries. In fact, he says, communism is a faith-based ideology¹³ as much as religion is. He says on questions of faith, he is simply suggesting "new rules of conversation."
"I'm not recommending laws or that we imprison¹⁴ people or anything else, simply that it no longer be taboo¹⁵ to challenge someone's religious beliefs."
The author believes that life indeed has a spiritual dimension, but says it should be accessible to scientific study. As a college undergraduate, he studied philosophy and is now completing a doctorate¹⁶ in neuroscience. He says the world's mystics may offer insights into the human condition, but adds that spirituality should be subject to the same rigorous tests as other forms of knowledge.
Professor Crossley responds that Mr. Harris' conception of faith is much too narrow. Faith, says the professor, is more than a list of dogmas, although he agrees it is sometimes viewed that way.
"I think he's right in many ways because faith, whatever kind of experience it's based on, can very easily become rigidified into a certain set of beliefs or propositions, and then one can act in the name of those propositions. But what he does is to equate¹⁸ faith in its most fundamental sense with beliefs in these set propositions."
Mr. Crossley says faith, for him, stems from a personal sense of the transcendent.
"And that's based on one's own natural feeling of dependence¹⁹. We didn't make ourselves. We don't know where we came from, and we know we're finite and limited and we're going to die. And for a sense of the transcendent to develop in a person seems to be very natural."
Author Sam Harris says religion incorporates valid²⁰ ethical²¹ insights about the need to love one's neighbors, for example, but says non-religious people have the same insights. And he acknowledges the role of religious ritual in bringing people together for important events like births and marriages. But he says communal²² ceremonies need not be religious.
"I would argue that we need to craft rituals and discourse²³ that is not an offense²⁴ to all that we have discovered about the world in the last 2,000 years, but which is equally powerful, equally solidifying²⁵ of community. And I don't see any reason why we can't do that."
He says people who subscribe²⁶ to the world's religions have every right to do so, but says they should be open to challenge if they try to impose their views on others.
Professor Crossley responds that religion is not inherently rigid¹⁷, and that faith, at its best, promotes peace, tolerance²⁷ and openness.
Sam Harris' book, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, is published by W. W. Norton.
Mike O'Sullivan, VOA news, Los Angeles.
注释：
sacrosanct 极神圣的
adherent 信徒
confounding 混乱，讨厌
rhetorical 带修辞色彩的，用作说服效果
infidel 不信仰者，异教徒
fundamentalism 正统派基督教
merit 有点，义处
outrage 愤怒
denigrate 毁誉
atheist 无神论者
dimension 尺度，范围
doctorate 博士头衔
neuroscience 神经系统科学
dogma 教条
transcendent 超越宇宙的，用来指神
ritual 典礼
inherently 天性地，固有地