Tuesday 12 July 2011

Question to Sam Harris: why worry?

One of the high priests of the new atheism, Sam Harris, writes this on his blog:
I have a daughter who will one day take drugs. Of course, I will do everything in my power to see that she chooses her drugs wisely, but a life without drugs is neither foreseeable, nor, I think, desirable. Someday, I hope she enjoys a morning cup of tea or coffee as much as I do. If my daughter drinks alcohol as an adult, as she probably will, I will encourage her to do it safely. If she chooses to smoke marijuana, I will urge moderation. Tobacco should be shunned, of course, and I will do everything within the bounds of decent parenting to steer her away from it. Needless to say, if I knew my daughter would eventually develop a fondness for methamphetamine or crack cocaine, I might never sleep again. 
The above is just one paragraph in a long essay which chronicles/illustrates the twisted labyrinth that inhabits the anti-God mindset. And yet notice, even here in this bleak world, Mr Harris cannot escape the fundamental reality that under-girds our world (viz. God) - hence the great concern for the well being of his daughter including doing all in his power to achieve it. Such unwitting admissions, must for the Christian form a good starting point in our dialogue and engagement as we ask the atheist: Given your conviction that there is no God, what ultimate reason do you have for limiting another's fun or worrying about the future - isn't it all meaningless? Or to paraphrase McFerrin's song: why worry, shouldn't you be happy?

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