Sam Harris: We've all assimilated this idea that we should respect other people's religious beliefs. Your neighbr has the right to believe whatever he wants to about God and the moral structure to this universe. He has the right to believe whatever he wants to about what happens after death. And you should respect these beliefs merely because he believes them.
Where else in our discourse do we play by these rules? When was the last time anyone in this room was admonished to respect another person's beliefs about history or geography or engineering or medicine?
We do not respect people's beliefs, we evaluate their reasons. If my reasons are good enough, you will helplessly believe what I believe. That is what it is to be a rational human being. Reasons are contagious.
If I came on the stage and said that the Holocaust never happened, you would be under no burden whatsoever to respect my beliefs. And we don't respect the beliefs of people who think Elvis is still alive. I mean, the people who make all those crazy pilgrimages to Graceland.
These people do not get invited to sit on our boards of directors. They don't become presidents of universities.
I mean, that is all well and good, except when you change the subject to God and then all bets are off, then the sky's the limit. You can be certain with zero evidence and respected for it. It is taboo to push the conversation into criticism of your beliefs.
