309 of 341 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Challenge Accepted, May 9, 2007
This review is from: Letter to a Christian Nation: Counter Point (Paperback)
Well, as an atheist, I took up reviewer "Sally"s challenge "to give the opposition a fair hearing and read RC Metcalf's book, too." Yikes. Within the first 15-20 pages I quit counting the various fallacious arguments -special pleading, appeals to authority, reversals of proof burdens, etc., etc. I have a theory that religious belief creates in the mind a sort of template for thinking based on the religious necessity to accept things on faith, quite without evidences or proof. It is this template for (non)thought that allows the Sallys of the world to read both Harris and Metcalf and somehow decide that Metcalf has solidly refuted Harris.
Except to the extent that a reader wants to chronicle logical fallacies in Christian 'argument', I'd advise you give this one a pass. Metcalf is merely preaching and it holds value only to the already-believers desperate for insulation against the chilly truth of Harris' books. I suggest Metcalf and his publisher change the title to "Sermon To A Christian Nation" for there is zero argumentation here.
I would also question the efficacy of Christian faith if books such as this have become necessary to Christians. Why would truly faithful Christians care what some atheist might think of them?
(Cue the "we are under attack!" responses).
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184 of 207 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Same old same old..., May 20, 2007
This review is from: Letter to a Christian Nation: Counter Point (Paperback)
I decided to read this book in the hope it might provide something fresh--perhaps a new point of view that I should consider. I was also curious how anyone could possibly refute Harris, when he is so utterly logical in pointing out the fallacies and contradictions in the holy text and the beliefs of those who follow it. I wanted to know, how could a person attempt to refute the facts?
But, like so many others, I coudn't finish the book either. I don't apologize for that. There is neither benefit nor honor in continuing to waste time on something that repeatedly violates reason, misconstrues the other person's words and bases much of its "argument" on the the very premise that is in question: the existence of a biblical-style god. I recall one place where Metcalf said something like, "Of course I realize you don't believe God's exists, but we believe God instructs us thus and so...."
That's no counterpoint, that's just sermonizing. And I think that's the real purpose of this book--to cheer the believers on. All they need, to feel comfortable dismissing Harris, is for someone to tell them, in a religious-sounding way, that it's all okay. "There, there, it'll be all right." They will hear what they want to hear and rationalize away Harris just as they rationalize away the biblical problems he points out. They will pretend Harris' points were "just opinion."
But that's not enough for those of us whose beliefs are subject to reality, rather than the other way around.
I will read other points of view that are at least worthy of a listen--logical, honest, based on reasonably accurate sources--but this work doesn't meet the criteria. For example, like others, I was very put off by Metcalf's response re a moral responsibility to a rock. How many times does one have to observe such obvious disingenuousness before wondering whether to bother trusting anything else the person says? Once? Twice?
To summarize, believers who successfully scrounge for a way to rationalize God's clear and emphatic embracing of slavery will also manage to find a way to see Metcalf's book as an adequate response to Harris... and all will be well in Christendom. The rest of us will see little or nothing compelling about it.
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96 of 108 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not an effective rebuttal, June 4, 2007
This review is from: Letter to a Christian Nation: Counter Point (Paperback)
After having finished reading Sam Harris's "Letter to a Christian Nation" I wanted to see what the Christian response was ( self disclosure: I am an agnostic). Metcalf's response is a poor rebuttal. Metcalf makes claims then doesn't follow up with supporting evidence. For example in a section entitled "Science and Christianity" Metcalf writes " ...I would suggest that while the essence of God Himself exists outside the physical universe,Christian claims about God can ( the word "can" is italicized for emphasis) be addressed scientifically" ( p50 ). Metcalf never states how. Bottom line, for myself, Metcalf does a poor job in rebutting Harris.
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