I have two other reader recommendations in the hopper. I’m working on The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind right now. Despite the terrifyingly boring title, it’s a pretty good read so far. I’m then planning to go to Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought.

I Am, What other books are you putting in front of Sam Harris’? I wondered what kind of stuff you were into reading. By the way, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know everything about the middle east. I certainly don’t believe every man, woman, and child who is Islamic is waitng for us with a bomb strapped to their chest. I just think there is no reasoning with them because of their stupid religion. I also think christianity will present similar problems for us in the not too distant future. In this regard, I am probably in the minority. I get the impression most people think religion will simply go away when the light of reason is shown through. If this were true, religion would be gone already. Our purposeful apathy and tolerance to religion needs to change.

I know I sound extreme. Believe me, I don’t like war, let alone wiping out an entire race of people. It took me awhile to come to terms with what I believe to be the main problem with muslims. That problem is that to be a muslim is to believe in Islam. To believe in Islam means to be against anyone who is not Islamic. Period. There is NO middleground. Do I think I am overgeneralizing? Unfortunately, no. I also know genocide is not an option. The US is already too close to becoming a facist country as it is. That doesn’t prevent me from thinking about what I believe to be the only real solution. I think it was Sun Tzu who said “Your enemy’s enemy is your friend”. Right now that means Christians are our allies. They are the lesser of two evils.

boywonder: You (and Sam Harris) may be right. I don’t claim to be an expert on this subject. I am planning to pick up the book, but I have a few others in front of it. I certainly agree that the Middle East would be better off without Islam, no matter how you look at it. When you start talking about genocide, though, you lose me. My enemy is Islam, not Muslims. Well, maybe the ones that want to kill me, but that’s it.

I AM, I agree with Sam Harris’s (”The End of Faith”) opinion that the Kuran (sp?) is filled with more straightforward hatred than the bible. Muslim governments also not only encourage Islam, they demand it. The promise of virins and such in the afterlife by a Jihad is further testimony to the important placed on sacrifice for one’s religion. Indeed, muslims are enboldened by their faith to kill. To kill a daughter for being raped and hence, losing the father’s honor, is expected. A son who doubts the faith is killed. And that is still considered acceptable- even advisable- by their society. What percentage of muslims do you think thought Sept. 11th was a deplorable act? What percentage cheered? The difference between the two is your middle ground. Islam is even more antiquated than christianity. Their culture in general is about four-hundred years behind us. I don’t demand adherence to modern technology, but no moral or philosophical growth is horrifying. Indeed we are still immature about our treatment of one another, but they are downright barbarous.