Harris versus Warren

After taking on Catholic blogger Andrew Sullivan and countless others, Sam Harris was invited to debate Rick Warren, pastor and author of the ridiculously popular Purpose Driven Life. The conversation was for Newsweek. Thanks to my Dad for the tip. Here is the link. And from the conversation:


HARRIS: It is intellectually dishonest, frankly, to say that you are sure that Jesus was born of a virgin.

WARREN: I say I accept that by faith. And I think it's intellectually dishonest for you to say you have proof that it didn't happen. Here's the difference between you and me. I am open to the possibility that I am wrong in certain areas, and you are not.

HARRIS: Oh, I am absolutely open to that.

WARREN: So you are open to the possibility that you might be wrong about Jesus?

HARRIS: And Zeus. Absolutely.

....

WARREN: There's no doubt where you're born influences your initial beliefs. Regardless of where you were born, there are some things you can know about God, even without the Bible. For instance, I look at the world and I say, "God likes variety." I say, "God likes beauty." I say, "God likes order," and the more we understand ecology, the more we understand how sensitive that order is.

HARRIS: Then God also likes smallpox and tuberculosis.

...

I just picked some of the exchanges that I liked or thought were funny. Some will find Harris smarmy, but I think that is too easy a dismissal. This entire article is absolutely worth a read.