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Making Sense of Belief and Unbelief

Mar 17, 2023

Guest

Yasmine Mohammed

Guest

Sarah Haider

Sarah Haider, co-founder of Ex-Muslims of North America, discusses her transformative journey toward secularism shaped by encounters with militant atheists. Yasmine Mohammed shares her gripping escape from fundamentalist Islamism and her subsequent advocacy for women's rights. The conversation explores philosophical questions surrounding atheism, the hypocrisy in human rights advocacy within religious contexts, and the profound personal challenges ex-Muslims face. Together, they engage in an insightful dialogue about belief, identity, and the complexities of navigating faith and freedom.

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Episode notes

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INSIGHT

Belief Drives Behavior

Sam Harris emphasizes that belief motivates behavior and bad ideas cause most harm.
He argues persuasion matters because most people are persuadable and not psychopaths.

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ANECDOTE

Militant Atheists Spark Critical Inquiry

Sarah Haider recounts teenage encounters with militant atheists that pushed her to read the Quran critically.
Those confrontations forced her to defend her faith and ultimately revealed contradictions that led her to atheism.

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ANECDOTE

From Devout Participant To Doubter

Megan Phelps-Roper describes growing up picketing with Westboro and sincerely believing its doctrines.
A Twitter exchange exposing contradictions began her doubts and eventual departure from the church.

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Faith, Frustration, and Atheism

02:47 • 8min

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Navigating Faith and Identity

10:25 • 14min

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From Belief to Doubt: A Journey Through Westboro

24:36 • 14min

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Challenging Beliefs Through Dialogue

38:43 • 5min

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Navigating Identity and Cultural Tensions

43:59 • 17min

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Exploring Belief Systems and Their Moral Implications

01:00:35 • 4min

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The Beauty of Devotion Amidst Religious Critique

01:04:49 • 3min

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The Dynamics of Belief and Truth

01:07:23 • 28min

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Secular Community and Spirituality

01:35:23 • 13min

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Exploring the Nature of Belief

A Journey from Religion to Reason

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The Gay Science

Friedrich Nietzsche

#71

• Mentioned in 146 episodes

The Book of Mormon

Another Testament of Jesus Christ

Mormon and Moroni

Joseph Smith

The Book of Mormon is a scripture that tells the story of a group of Hebrews who migrated from Jerusalem to the Americas around 600 BCE. It describes their history, including their division into two main groups: the Nephites and the Lamanites. The book emphasizes the appearance of Jesus Christ to these people after his resurrection, where he teaches them and establishes his church. It also discusses various doctrinal topics such as the fall of Adam and Eve, the nature of God, baptism, and the importance of faith and repentance. The book ends with Moroni's testimony and an invitation to readers to come unto Christ and be perfected in him.

#5724

• Mentioned in 6 episodes

Unveiled

Yasmine Mohammed

#4364

• Mentioned in 7 episodes

Breaking the spell

religion as a natural phenomenon

Daniel C. Dennett

#1074

• Mentioned in 23 episodes

The Moral Landscape

How Science Can Determine Human Values

Sam Harris

In this book, Sam Harris challenges the traditional separation between scientific facts and human values. He argues that morality can be understood in terms of human and animal well-being, and that science can provide objective answers to moral questions. Harris contends that moral relativism is false and that science can tell us how we ought to live to achieve the greatest well-being. He uses his expertise in philosophy and neuroscience to make a case for a science of morality, emphasizing that moral values should be grounded in empirical facts about what causes people to flourish.

#520

• Mentioned in 38 episodes

Waking Up

A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

Sam Harris

In this book, Sam Harris argues that there is more to understanding reality than science and secular culture generally allow. He explores the scientific underpinnings of spirituality, suggesting that how we pay attention to the present moment largely determines the quality of our lives. The book is part memoir and part exploration, discussing the illusion of the self, the benefits of meditation, and the importance of understanding consciousness through both scientific and philosophical lenses.

#9168

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

Philosophy and the mirror of nature

Richard Rorty

#971

• Mentioned in 25 episodes

Contact

Carl Sagan

In 'Contact', Carl Sagan explores the theme of extraterrestrial contact through the story of Dr. Eleanor 'Ellie' Arroway, an astronomer who detects a signal from the star Vega. The signal, a series of prime numbers, leads to the discovery of a complex message containing a blueprint for an advanced space-traveling machine. The novel delves into the scientific, philosophical, and societal implications of this discovery, including the intersection of science and faith, international cooperation, and the human condition. The story follows Ellie and a multinational team as they navigate the construction and activation of the machine, leading to a profound encounter with extraterrestrial life.

#5687

• Mentioned in 6 episodes

• Mentioned in 21 episodes

God Is Not Great

Christopher Hitchens

#10748

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

Unfollow

Megan Phelps-Roper

#9820

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

Outgrowing God

Richard Dawkins

#298

• Mentioned in 57 episodes

The God Delusion

Richard Dawkins

In 'The God Delusion', Richard Dawkins argues that the belief in a supernatural creator, God, is almost certainly false and qualifies as a delusion. He examines God in various forms, from the Old Testament to the Celestial Watchmaker, and critiques the major arguments for religion. Dawkins discusses how religion fuels war, fosters bigotry, and abuses children, and he advocates for atheism as a morally and intellectually fulfilling worldview. The book also explores the relationship between religion and morality, suggesting that morality can exist independently of religion, and argues against the teaching of religion in schools as a form of indoctrination.

#856

• Mentioned in 28 episodes

The End Of Faith

Sam Harris

In this book, Sam Harris delivers a critical analysis of the clash between reason and religious faith in the modern world. He argues that religious beliefs, even moderate ones, can lead to dangerous consequences, such as terrorism, and that these beliefs are not grounded in empirical evidence. Harris draws on insights from neuroscience, philosophy, and Eastern mysticism to propose a secular and humanistic foundation for ethics and spirituality. The book is a call to action against the encroachment of organized religion into world politics and advocates for a rational approach to ethics based on human happiness and suffering.

#5860

• Mentioned in 5 episodes

Religion for Atheists

Alain de Botton

In this episode, we examine a series of Sam’s conversations centered around religion, atheism, and the power of belief.

First, we hear the stories of three guests who have fled their respective oppressive religious organizations. We begin with Sarah Haider, founder of the advocacy group Ex-Muslims of North America, who details how her encounters with militant atheists catalyzed her journey to secularism. Then our narrator, Megan Phelps-Roper, walks us through her story of abandoning the Westboro Baptist Church. Finally, Yasmine Mohammed presents her harrowing account of escaping fundamentalist Islamism and Sam’s role in inspiring her public advocacy work.

We then tackle the concept of belief more broadly, diving into Sam’s understanding of atheism and what sets it apart from the views of other atheist thinkers like Matt Dillahunty and Richard Dawkins. We also revisit an infamous conversation between Sam and Jordan Peterson, wherein they attempt to come to some universal definition of the word “truth.”

The episode concludes with two Q&A portions from life events in which Sam addresses some real concerns about purpose and meaning in the absence of religion.

About the Series

Filmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced The Essential Sam Harris, a new series of audio documentaries exploring the major topics that Sam has focused on over the course of his career.

Each episode weaves together original analysis, critical perspective, and novel thought experiments with some of the most compelling exchanges from the Making Sense archive. Whether you are new to a particular topic, or think you have your mind made up about it, we think you’ll find this series fascinating.

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