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Letter to a Christian Nation Paperback – January 8, 2008

by Sam Harris (Author)

4.6 3,466 ratings

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From the new afterword by the author:

Humanity has had a long fascination with blood sacrifice. In fact, it has been by no means uncommon for a child to be born into this world only to be patiently and lovingly reared by religious maniacs, who believe that the best way to keep the sun on its course or to ensure a rich harvest is to lead him by tender hand into a field or to a mountaintop and bury, butcher, or burn him alive as offering to an invisible God. The notion that Jesus Christ died for our sins and that his death constitutes a successful propitiation of a “loving” God is a direct and undisguised inheritance of the superstitious bloodletting that has plagued bewildered people throughout history. . .

Editorial Reviews

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"A breath of fresh fire." —Wall Street Journal“I dare you to read this book...it will not leave you unchanged. Read it if it is the last thing you do.” —Richard Dawkins, author of The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion“It’s a shame that not everyone in this country will read Sam Harris’ marvelous little book Letter to a Christian Nation. They won’t but they should.” —Leonard Susskind, Felix Bloch Professor in theoretical physics, Stanford University

About the Author

Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times best seller, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, which won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction. He is a graduate in philosophy from Stanford University and has studied both Eastern and Western religious traditions, along with a variety of contemplative disciplines, for twenty years. Mr. Harris is now completing a doctorate in neuroscience, studying the neural basis of belief, disbelief, and uncertainty with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). His work has been discussed in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Economist, and New Scientist, among many other journals, and he has made television appearances on The O'Reilly Factor, Scarborough Country, Faith Under Fire, and Book TV.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; Reprint edition (January 8, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 120 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0307278778
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0307278777
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.06 x 5.22 x 0.43 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #66,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #24 in Atheism (Books)
- #27 in Sociology of Religion
- #44 in Sociology & Religion

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4.6 3,466 ratings

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Sam Harris

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Sam Harris is the author of five New York Times best sellers. His books include The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape, Free Will, Lying, Waking Up, and Islam and the Future of Tolerance (with Maajid Nawaz), The Four Horseman (with Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens), and Making Sense. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction. His writing and public lectures cover a wide range of topics—neuroscience, moral philosophy, religion, meditation practice, human violence, rationality—but generally focus on how a growing understanding of ourselves and the world is changing our sense of how we should live.

Sam’s work has been published in more than 20 languages and has been discussed in The New York Times, Time, Scientific American, Nature, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. He has written for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Economist, The Times (London), The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, and The Annals of Neurology, among others. He also hosts the Making Sense Podcast, which was selected by Apple as one of the “iTunes Best” and has won a Webby Award for best podcast in the Science & Education category.

Sam received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. He has also practiced meditation for more than 30 years and has studied with many Tibetan, Indian, Burmese, and Western meditation teachers, both in the United States and abroad. Sam has created the Waking Up Course for anyone who wants to learn to meditate in a modern, scientific context.

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Customers find the book insightful and thought-provoking. They describe it as a brilliant, refreshing read that is useful for understanding various reasons why one doesn't want to believe in God. The writing style is concise and easy to understand, making the book a quick, compact read. Readers appreciate the accuracy and precision of the content. Many find the book entertaining and fun. However, opinions differ on the religious content, with some finding it inflammatory and reasonable while others consider it a good debunking of religious beliefs.

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Insight Readability Writing style Length Accuracy Enjoyment Religious content Tone

322 customers mention "Insight"299 positive23 negative

Customers find the book insightful and thought-provoking. They say it deconstructs religious beliefs well, but doesn't provide a replacement. The arguments are solid and compelling. Readers appreciate the concise and eloquent writing style. Overall, they find the book provides useful insights and ways of looking at life and the world that provide peace of mind.

"I think this book is a great logical basis for someone religious to etch themselves away from intellectual dishonesty and into having some integrity..." Read more

"...There are useful observations in this book, and I agree with many of them, in spite of the fact that I'm a committed, go to church every Sunday and..." Read more

"...higher rates of literacy, life expectancy, per capita income, educational attainment, and gender equality mark these progressive nations...." Read more

"...do or are considering it, let me say that while it's bold and certainly controversial, it's written in some of the most clear, logical prose I've..." Read more

284 customers mention "Readability"284 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They find it refreshing, helpful, and a must-read for believers. The content is concise and straightforward, with no ambiguity.

"...Obviously, to a non-believer like me, it's quite fun to read and easy to agree with, but I do think Harris could have taken a slightly more tact and..." Read more

"...4 stars = Good book, but not life altering. 5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way." Read more

"...In any case, it's a one-afternoon read." Read more

"...This is a good read and should be required of all people who want facts over fiction," Read more

201 customers mention "Writing style"193 positive8 negative

Customers find the writing style clear and accessible. They appreciate the well-defined terms and premises. The prose is described as direct, saying it says everything it needs to say.

"...Sam makes a lot of great points with analogies that are easy to illustrate even to the most persistent of the "make believers"...." Read more

"...Obviously, to a non-believer like me, it's quite fun to read and easy to agree with, but I do think Harris could have taken a slightly more tact and..." Read more

"...A good argument has three components: (a) well defined clear terms, (b) premises that are true as one can prove anything from false premises, and..." Read more

"...but for those who do or are considering it, let me say that while it's bold and certainly controversial, it's written in some of the most clear,..." Read more

59 customers mention "Length"42 positive17 negative

Customers find the book concise and engaging. They describe it as a pocket-sized athiest manifesto that is quickly read.

"I gave this book three stars because it is short and to the point. There's no ambiguity here...." Read more

"...It's a short and easy read for something so important and timely. LATER NOTE: I reread the entire book this morning before breakfast...." Read more

"...If you choose to pick this book up, keep in mind it is not light reading...." Read more

"A short book which covers all of the main points against Christianity and religion more generally...." Read more

13 customers mention "Accuracy"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book concise and accurate. They say it's well-written and hits the high points nicely.

"...Harris takes shots at some of Christianity's most sacred cows, hits them dead center (his ammunition being facts), and does it all with prose that..." Read more

"...and hard-hitting, I was immediately aware that this was the precision tool that I needed in my quest to help others break out of their "mind-..." Read more

"I love this book, it is on point. I greatly admire and respect Sam Harris and his work." Read more

"...It hits the high points very nicely." Read more

13 customers mention "Enjoyment"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and fun to read. They say it's an amusing antidote to the Talibanization of America's Christians.

"...This book is only about 100 pages; it is clear, easy and fun to read, as each section is essentially a brief outlining/summary of the issues at hand...." Read more

"...This is an easy read, but one which is thought-provoking and never boring...." Read more

"...I appreciate much of the humor and fun with fundies that Mr. Harris has in this book, but it's a cheap discourse on religion as a whole." Read more

"...formal debate between a Christian and an atheist, but this little book is a lot more fun...." Read more

88 customers mention "Religious content"52 positive36 negative

Customers have different views on the religious content. Some find it respectful and reasoned, with arguments against religious fanaticism in a straightforward manner without judgment or condescension. Others feel that it confuses personal religion with religious systems as proclaimed, and lacks any metaphysical orientation or materialistic perspective.

"...He did do a very heartfelt and excellent review of the argument against god because of the existence of evil and suffering...." Read more

"...There is absolutely no intellectual integrity arguing what you believe...." Read more

"...there are some solid ways of looking at life and world that provide peace of mind, sense of purpose & meaning, and a superior moral code without..." Read more

"...The digressions of The End of Faith are missing this time in this passionate, compelling, cautionary tale for Christians specifically, but really..." Read more

25 customers mention "Tone"14 positive11 negative

Customers have different views on the tone of the book. Some find it articulate and rational, presenting a point of view clearly. Others feel the tone is too aggressive, bellicose, and contentious.

"...but it sounds good, and gives succor to those who betray the nation in the name of..." Read more

"...the author attempted to make his points using a rapid pace and inflammatory speech, such that it’s easy to get swept away by emotions without taking..." Read more

"...Sam Harris is a gifted thinker, speaker and writer, and eloquently and succinctly covers all of the important topics on the status of religious..." Read more

"...The tone is uncompromisingly harsh...." Read more

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Brian Auer
Thought provoking and well-articulated! Every "believer" should read this.
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2015
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I think this book is a great logical basis for someone religious to etch themselves away from intellectual dishonesty and into having some integrity in what you say. You don't know. You may believe, and that's fine. But let’s be real here, the word belief in itself (as used in religion) implies there is significant reason to doubt.

Therefore you don't know (as some of you claim), you simply "make believe" that what you like/prefer/agree is the truth.

There is absolutely no intellectual integrity arguing what you believe. We might as well be arguing that Apples taste better when I eat them than they do when you do. I would get no satisfaction with winning that argument. Mostly because I am not 7yrs old. Yet this is the very argument held today by adults.. My god is the real god.. My gods word is the truth and everything else is a satanic conspiracy...my god will come back from the dead and you will burn forever because you don't believe in my god.. I believe in my god more than you believe in yours....etc...a child's argument yet wars are still being fought today over this same ridiculous argument. Families are broken up. Friendships are destroyed. Employment is terminated. love is lost..and LIFE is ENDED...all because I think apples taste better to me than they do to you.

We argue things that can be tested and confirmed. We discuss things we believe and that’s as far as it needs to ever go.

So this notion that Atheism is attacking religion is BS. Society is SICK OF LIES because of all the political and corporate scams. Because of authority after authority manipulating the people...and because of this, society is SO SICK of being lied to that society can no longer stand on the sidelines to protect the feelings of "make believers" our of societal etiquette (cultural respect). All the lies are being brought to the table and unfortunately for religion, you fit right into the other entire BS that is being pawned off as truth/fact.

Belief is one thing, but arguing those untestable beliefs has created a great divide in society and the integrity of their word. It has gone so far to the point that you are forced to lie (believe) in order to maintain respect from your community/family/piers/employers etc....Imagine a society that insists you lie to fit in so they can feel safe around you. I wonder if that society leaves the gate open for charlatans like psychics/faith healers or even pedophiles in a church? I have to wonder, does becoming a pastor make you a pedophile? or does the incentive of "the benefit of the doubt” that religious people appoint to the believer encourage pedophiles to get into a position that is trusted like a pastor?
There must be some responsibility of enabling here especially since in the USA alone there were over 6,500 pastors accused/convicted of sexual crimes. This is also true for thieves and abusers of all sorts. Religion has opened up a great trail for criminals of all walks to travel. This door opened with the significances of belief.

What does it matter what god anyone believes in when you can never know if they really believe or not? If you want to argue that you can tell then you are saying that the parents of the children all knew the pastor was a fraud yet still trusted them with their children. So why have any significance to belief at all? anyway...this is where I would hope this discussion leads to.

Remove the significance of belief all together. make people show you who they are by their actions, not by a label (Christian/Muslim/Buddhist/Mormon/etc..) Personally, the more someone professes their faith the less I trust them. To me you are just trying to get me to think you are a good person without having to do anything to show me you are.
Sam makes a lot of great points with analogies that are easy to illustrate even to the most persistent of the "make believers". The fact we are expected to entertain adults that expect you to play make believe with them or be viewed from a bigoted/prejudice viewpoint (or even be put to death for not playing make believe) is finally coming to an end.

Thank you Sam and all actively involved in the exposure of people that argue their "beliefs" as facts.

Believe what you want people, but don't argue things you cannot test. It creates "enemies of imagination" and I certainly don't want you hating me simply because you cannot imagine what I believe.

Stick to arguing facts (testable things) and we will all get along.

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Virtuoso Fan
Time to Defend Our Freedom FROM Religion
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2007
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I actually rate this book 4.5, docking .5 points for being a little too militant and confrontational to the very people we are trying to reason with. Obviously, to a non-believer like me, it's quite fun to read and easy to agree with, but I do think Harris could have taken a slightly more tact and less aggressive approach. Nonetheless, it's a great little book that addresses our concerns - the non-believer who just wants to be left alone to not believe. The following is my summary as a fellow non-believer. If that means I'm this despised term called "atheist", so be it.

As much as I'd rather just walk around dog poo on the sidewalk, if it's in my neighborhood or in front of my house, I'll remove it and try to find that dog so it doesn't do it again or find its owner. That's how I've always viewed religion, mainly Christianity since it's the only one that I've really been exposed to since I was a kid. Having started my education in a Catholic kindergarten and having gone to church fairly regularly for the next 30 years, I can say that I know enough about it. Heck, there were those days that I prayed loudly in front of others in church Bible studies. I've come a long, long way since then.

Now I'm quite convinced in my mind that God doesn't exist, not anymore than Zeus, Athena, Prometheus, Hercules, Poseidon, etc. (BTW, ancient Greek mythology is infinitely more interesting than the insufferably boring Bible mythology) Well, certainly not this Christian god of the Old and New Testaments... I will admit this much: we can't prove that some god doesn't exist in the same way Christians can't prove that this God exists. Still, I don't believe in any god and do not see why a god is necessary, but I can see why the masses of the indoctrinated, the disaffected, the lost, the weak, the brainwashed, etc. need one. My wife is a Christian, so I'm not saying she's brainwashed or weak, etc., but she had certainly been indoctrinated by her parents and the churches most of her life. I don't hold it against her. She's moderate and has a very reasonable view of the world and she finds comfort in God and Jesus. That's fine with me and she wishes that I'd develop faith as well but understands that I seek truth and evidence.

She knows that I'm intellectually very curious and that I avidly read about history of ancient Greece and Rome, the art of opera composer Wagner, quantum physics and cosmology, literature of medieval China and many other things. Knowing as much as I can about history (of not only the Western world but ALL of the world - Far East, for instance), the sciences and the arts (music, literature, philosophy, etc.) is quite vital to my appreciation and understanding of this world and life in general. And the more I learn, the more I realize what a farce on a colossal scale religion really is.

Religion, especially large organized religions and specifically Christianity, is simply about mind control and wielding political power. You can't argue against most history (and I do realize some histories of ancient eras are forever lost) and if you view things on a macro level, Christianity has simply been a tool of Western imperialist motives and we, obviously, have seen it happen to this very day. Politicians use religion (or vice versa) as a cover for their lust for power, economic riches, and conquest of other lands and their resources. It has happened for thousands of years and it's happening at this very moment.

And what can the ignorant masses do but to follow? Religion and "God" makes them feel connected to a reality they have no control over or are too lazy or too intellectually lacking to learn about. It's simply an "escape" from the overwhelming complexities of human society and the frightening grandeur of the mysterious nature all around us. In "God", there is an imagined "answer" for EVERYTHING - including senseless murders and wars, natural disasters, hunger, traffic accidents, etc. How comforting it must be to the masses to have this "God" that caused it ALL to be. It's a pretty sad and depressing thing to observe but I understand that it's necessary for the masses.

It's getting to the point, though, that I have to defend my freedom to NOT believe in a god or have this "faith" that Christians constantly refer to. I'm getting alarmed by what some of these people at my wife's church are telling her and what they may be teaching my children. I'm getting ticked off at the Evangelicals wanting to erect the Ten Commandments in courthouses, institute prayers in public schools, and remove evolution from school textbooks and offer "intelligent design" as scientific history. I've ignored religion for many years now but it's getting to the point where I now feel I have to defend myself and my family from this absurdity called religion. I'm starting to see dog poo in front of my yard and I'm going to have to do something about it.

Harris rallies us non-believers to think that it's time to stand up against religious fundamentalism. We can tolerate moderate religion and we respect the freedom of people to worship whoever or whatever god they please, but we are not going to tolerate these fundamentalists trying to force us to "believe" in something that we simply can't believe in. As Richard Dawson said in 'The God Delusion', why would we want to say that we "believe" in something (this most unpleasant "God" of the Bible) when we simply don't?

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Melissa G.
Très bien
Reviewed in France on April 20, 2021
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Très bien

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Arthur
A Great Book!
Reviewed in Brazil on August 21, 2019
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It was great reading this book, it really did give me more information and opened my mind to some objections that we need to have towards religions. It is a small book, quick to finish and very direct. It is also a great help to free the mind from pernicious religious beliefs that might still be hindering your life.

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Jorge Rocasalbas
Buen proceso y gran texto
Reviewed in Spain on August 4, 2019
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Se suponía que era un libro de 2ª mano, pero su estado es excelente.
Y el tema es muy interesante y muy bien tratado. Lo recomiendo, sobre todo a los ciudadanos USA, a quienes va dirigida la obra.

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Amazon Kunde
Sehr gutes kleines Buch mit guten Argumenten
Reviewed in Germany on May 4, 2018
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Ich war erst skeptisch, da das ich offenbar an Amerikaner gerichtet ist, daher für andere Länder vielleicht nicht viel Interessantes bringe, doch ich würde positiv überrascht. Vieles, leider zu vieles, trifft auch auf unsere Gesellschaft zu. Gut geschrieben, gut und flüssig zu lesen, gutes handliches Format. Auch denjenigen zu empfehlen, für die the end of faith zu mühsam ist. Dort dafür dann sehr viel ausführlichere Referenzen und Quellenangaben als in diesem kleinen Miniband. Gute Ergänzung. In diesem kleinen Band sind die einzelnen Argumente gut überschaubar kurz und auf den Punkt gebracht.

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Peter Hughes
A short and great book
Reviewed in Australia on December 30, 2023
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This Letter is short but very concise and hard hitting.

It's choc full of carefully chosen, and often astonishing, stats. It's logic, intelligence and knowledge base are compelling and undeniable. The writing style is forthright, direct and takes no prisoners. It will arm you with a multitude of great facts n stats to blow anyone away in seconds.

Highly recommended to all people living on planet earth :)

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A Profound Letter that all religious should read!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking and well-articulated! Every "believer" should read this.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Très bien

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book!

5.0 out of 5 stars Buen proceso y gran texto

5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr gutes kleines Buch mit guten Argumenten

5.0 out of 5 stars A short and great book

Thought provoking and well-articulated! Every "believer" should read this.

Time to Defend Our Freedom FROM Religion

Très bien

A Great Book!

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Sehr gutes kleines Buch mit guten Argumenten

A short and great book