This blog post is focused on one goal: to refute claims that Christianity is some fool’s game and to knock down arguments that are set up against the knowledge of the only true God. (2 Cor. 10:5). In this day and age of divisiveness and skeptical accusations against anything traditional or conservative, Christians need to step it up and call out the falsities perpetuated in culture.
As a Christian apologist, I find it terribly ironic that Atheist Philosopher/Neuroscientist, Sam Harris, the author of a book called The End of Faith, an angry critique of religion, is now in the “mindfulness business.” Harris is described as one of the “Four Horsemen of atheism,” with Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett. He’s recently developed an app called “Waking up” with Sam Harris, and takes concepts from prayer and meditation to use for his benefit, financially and otherwise.
Being into a neuroscience, Harris feels meditation is worth it to train your mind and find peace with yourself. There are five, free sessions of the Waking Up app that you can download, and then, of course, you’ll have to pay for the ‘really good’ stuff once he gets you hooked on “Waking Up.” I downloaded the free app just to see what Harris is doing.
In Day One, Harris gives a guided meditation of approximately eight minutes. He speaks of mindfulness, and undistracted thoughts designed to help train the mind to pay better attention. Like a guru, Harris hypnotically speaks to the listener about paying attention to the sensations of breathing while closing your eyes. He uses popular visualization techniques. Harris says this is all “simple but profound.” Then he goes on to say: “Unfortunately, there is no way I can prove this works to you.”
Hmmm… really? You can’t “prove” this to us? Then why should we believe you, Dr. Harris? Where is your proof, the same proof that you demand of Christians and the faith of literally millions of people on the planet on why they believe in God? Is this a double standard or what?
Rooted in Buddhism
Harris “believes” that what you do with your own mind can prevent needless suffering. This is a concept of Buddhism. It’s primarily about the ‘self.’ Buddhism is focused on attaining a peaceful state of existence that will, in the long run, not fully satisfy. Why not? It’s because we were not created by God for ourselves. We were created by God for Him, to be in a loving relationship. Mindfulness and meditation are good practices when they are focused on the person of Jesus Christ, the lover of our souls, a.k.a. God incarnate. Without that focus, you may end up feeling a little less stress and that’s about it.
People are not meant to be an ‘island unto themselves,’ which is what Buddhism ultimately leads to: nirvana is a non-personal state of consciousness, where the cycle of rebirth and bad karma finally cease. If you have lived a “good enough” life, then you are somehow allowed (who judges this?) to tap into this state of being, and in the process, lose yourself in nirvana. Christianity, on the other hand, maintains the individual, celebrating the uniqueness of every person because we are all created in the image of God. We get to be ourselves forever in a heavenly, loving existence with our Creator. That, to me, sounds way better than nirvana!
For a man who claims that anything supernatural is a figment of our imaginations, it is interesting that Harris borrows techniques from religious practices and then claims people of faith are fools for believing such “nonsense.” He goes onto to use ancient sources, like Plato and Buddha, in his meditation app. Does this smack of hypocrisy to you?
What makes me angry about all of this is how Harris had made Christians out to be un-intelligent, gullible followers of antiquated traditions. He has a large, influential public platform and has repeatedly made Christians out to be be viewed as “cult followers.” He has called Christianity a “cult of human sacrifice” because, clearly, he is clueless about the atonement and what that means for humanity.
What to do?
My prayer for a person like Harris is that he would let go of his biases against Christians and Christianity, to see the person of Jesus Christ for who He truly is, and to embrace his identity – a person made in the image of God. It’s time for Harris to “wake up.” Sadly, I have my doubts that this will happen because Harris seems bent on maintaining his view that there is no supernatural reality, and so, he continues to ‘sleep’ in disbelief… but Harris, ‘waking up’ is not hard to do!
As Christians, we are to use reason and logical arguments against lies that defy who Jesus Christ is and to set the record straight. To set the record straight on atonement (what Harris criticizes as a ‘cult of human sacrifice’), please read my blog on the topic here.
You may think I am being judgmental towards Harris in this blog post. This is not true, as I do not judge his eternal soul, nor anyone else’s for that matter (that is not my job but God’s job). I do, however, follow what Paul instructs in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Our thoughts and meditations are to be captive to Christ alone in practices and prayer. May God bless Harris to recognize the person of Jesus Christ for who He truly is, and may Harris finally “wake up” to meditate on these truths.
Actually the Intentional Self is an illusion according to Dr. Harris. He (demonstrably) favors confused and contradictory waters, though it’s not clear why.
I have watched a lot of Sam Harris’ debates with Christians, and have read his book “End of Faith.” He is trying to make the world a better place, in his view, by doing the things he does. But by calling millions of Christians idiots and to claim they are in a “cult of human sacrifice” is, by his own standards, not doing anything to make the world a better place. He’s just adding to the division that is becoming greater. It would behoove Harris to try and find some common ground, which I think he has attempted with Jordan Peterson, than to continue blasting away at people of faith.
I don’t know Sam Harris, but you’ve done a fine job introducing him in this expose. He reminds me of a family member I haven’t seen in ages, but did have a long discussion with on Christmas Eve.
Cousin Chip is a medical doctor, a neurologist, a brilliant man. Except for this. He only believes what is empirical. He shared his hypothesis and I listened patiently, as though I were enthralled – which I wasn’t. Because his jargon was so over my head.
During that conversation he divulged his skepticism toward faith, much like you describe in Sam Harris. “Imaginary” was a word he used.
I said, “You mean like saints and angels?”
“Yeah, and like God.”
The reason I bring this up is because I didn’t see the need to try to convince him otherwise. But like you pray for Sam Harris, I’m committed to intercede on his behalf. I believe in the efficacy of our prayers. If Sam Harris is someone God has put in your heart, then he should be on your holy hit list. Cousin Chip and others who I know are also skeptics are on mine.
Blessings my friend. May you continue to bear much fruit.
Debra – God bless your heart. Thanks for your comments. I hadn’t heard that term, “Holy Hit List,” before. I like it! Think I’m going to use that term from now on.
I agree that it’s best not to always try to refute another’s opinion but to pray. It’s a hardness of heart that needs to be softened. Prayer can help in that area, for sure.
Thanks for your encouragement! Hope your writing is going well these days.
There is nothing you have said about Sam Harris that is not true. These are all fair assertions and even if we are critical of him, he can take it. My issue is that he cannot truly justify where people get their moral and ethical values. He can claim that it is from self and consensus among people but this is a faulty argument. Everyone has been influenced indirectly by a Christian worldview, and I believe whether he knows it or not, his basis of ethics and morality are from God. This is an excellent post. Thank you for this!
Thanks, Tim! I appreciate your comments. Sam Harris has a large circle of influence, being a bestselling author, etc., so this is why I am correcting some of his negativity towards Christians. Like you said, Christianity overall has been a great influence on the world! People need to recognize that. Blessings, Lisa Q
Lisa, this is incredible! I admire your writing. I admire your stance. I admire your firmness in the faith. This was a breath of fresh air in the midst of so many that pansy foot. To everything there is a season, surely, and I love hearing “God is love” and the softer parts as much as everyone else but to read a fiery post like this was-wow!
God help you stand firm in this day and age.
Wow! Such compliments… thanks, Jessica. As a Christian apologist, I can get a little “fiery” now and then. Ha ha ha…. bless your heart. Lisa Q
All I can think when I read this is someday he will wish he was in the circle of Christianity. Too bad he spends his time having to throw Christians under the bus.
Hi Julie! Thanks for stopping by. Yeah, Harris, along with those four men of the New Atheists movement, has made a big mistake after 9-11. Instead of recognizing the terrorists’ problem lies with radical Islam ideology, these atheists threw the “baby out with the bathwater,” and lumped ALL religions into the same category – as dangerous to the continuation of the human race. So, ever since that terrible day, these men have been throwing Christianity ‘under the bus’ along with other people of different religions. When will people “WAKE UP” and realize that not all religions are the same! Matter of fact, they differ vastly in many areas. We have our work cut out for us to make sure people realize that true Christianity, as Jesus taught, is the best way to live for all of humanity. Bless you, Lisa Q
This is a very interesting post, Lisa. I’m glad you wrote it. It was not judgmental at all, instead, it was very informative. I think one reason Harris and others like him are so critical toward Christians and Christianity is that they can’t stop worshiping themselves. They cannot find the humility to say they need God, even though they know they need some kind of help, for why would they need the ‘wake up’ app? They go to great lengths to avoid Jesus and justify their rejection. His way of living is so treacherous, temporary and hopeless. I do pray he and others like him come to Jesus.
Hi Marcie! Thanks for your comments. Harris is way too “naturalized” in his thinking, which means he does not acknowledge anything outside of the material realm as existing. He, and other atheists like him, believe that we are merely biochemical machines and that nothing about us is very special; we are just highly evolved apes. So, given that kind of worldview, what Harris is doing with this Wake Up app, in his opinion, is taping into some kind of biochemical processes that supposedly will make the person function better. It’s a very self-centered existence.
In the long run, I really struggle with this naturalistic worldview because I don’t see in it any reason to continue to improve. Why not just “eat, drink and be merry” for tomorrow we die? It seems a futile existence if there is no God. But we know that is not the case. We have great reasons to believe that human beings are created special, have a divine purpose, and we will continue on after our physical bodies decay. Our spirits live on and go to be with Jesus in heaven! That is worth living for, and that makes life have a greater purpose.
Thank you for speaking up on this topic! It certainly is easy for Christians to take a backseat because we fear we’ll be seen as weak or stupid. Reading what he’s doing reminds me of Scientology. While it’s a religion (although, only for tax purposes), they really don’t believe in anything except cleansing themselves from all bad thoughts and the “spirits” they believe cling to all bodies. It is SO SAD to think about how everyone who is convinced they know the truth apart from Jesus are all taken captive by deceptive philosophies. May we all be in prayer that their hearts will soften to the Holy Spirit.
Thanks, Emily, for your comments. Yeah, it is a bummer how those who think there is no spiritual realm are actually being deceived by the very thing they reject. Prayers for these people are most definitely needed. Bless you! Lisa Q
When I was young I was open to hearing the perspectives of people who viewed the world this way – sometimes to the point of adopting pieces of their philosophy into my own life. I still am open-minded to hearing their worldview, but I am very careful not to adopt it into my own. A lot of people are deceived – even in the body of Christ. And if we’re not careful about holding arguments – even our own – up to the world of God, we can easily go astray. Thank you for sharing this. I’m going to do more research.
Thanks for your comment. It’s good to be open-minded, and I am one who values this a lot. I think Harris’ views, however, are only open-minded to his view and rather closed-minded to the Christian worldview.
So many more people are starting to believe such ideas. I know Christians who think it is okay to embrace God and follow some of the Eastern believes together. Churches are losing the battles for the souls of many.
Thanks, Yvonne. I think we’re living in the period of time prophesied in the Bible as the “great falling away.” You’re absolutely right that many churches are losing the battle for souls and it could be rooted in compromising with the world. We need to remain steadfast in what the Bible teaches. Thanks for being a faithful person! Blessings, Lisa Q
Lisa, thanks for this. One of our jobs as Christians is to shine light, and you’ve definitely done this! Thanks for your good work in holding fast to Christ and your reminders that evil (whether in the form of violence or thinking our minds are bigger than God’s) is everywhere. Bless you.
Thanks, Jessica.
Very informative and well-written post, Lisa. Thanks for enlightening us about this man and his teaching. That this man is unoriginal in using meditation and other “religious” practices does not surprise me. There is nothing new under the sun. Others have done what this man is doing and have failed. Sadly, they lead others astray. That is why it is important for Christians to read and study the Word of God. Unfortunately, too many Christians give lip service to reading their Bibles and praying, but actually only read a verse here or there taken out of context and use it as their “verse of the day” and they say a quick prayer once in a while. But they have no real concept about the history of faith and all that was prophesied and how it was fulfilled and is still being fulfilled. They don’t know God. They only listen to what others tell them about God. No wonder so many believe the lies spouted by celebrities and popular people. It is the blind leading the blind. Again, how is this different from what we have seen in the past? The Pharisees saw all the miracles Jesus did and they still refused to believe, eventually crucifying him. But the truth cannot be stopped. Biblical prophecy will be fulfilled.
Thank you, Anneliese, for your comments. I agree with you that too many Christians don’t know their Bible well, and thus, are often led astray. I suppose we have our work cut out for us, yes? And I love Biblical prophecy – it is SO fascinating and exciting to know that God is in control, and in the end, we know Who wins! Bless you, Lisa Q
Hey, Lisa. I’ve read Letter to a Christian Nation. I understand why people find his arguments compelling. I haven’t read enough of his stuff to know for sure, but my belief is his passion comes from a place of wounding. No one is naturally this antagonistic without it being revenge. Just a sense I get. I could be wrong.
In any case, his arguments are nothing new. I would find it hard to believe that he offers any new argument against the existence of God, clearly trusting in his own deep faith in atheism.
What you’ve laid out here is a great introduction to Mr. Harris. The double standard by which he judges Christianity and then uses elements of religious belief (including Christian faith) to support his own atheistic materialism is profound. Good work!
Thanks, Chip. You’re probably right – most staunchly atheistic people I’ve encountered seem to be angry which could be rooted in hurt. So, that’s why I am going to be praying for Harris. Blessings, Lisa Q