The point Sam makes at 2:15 is really the only thing he needs to say. religion is stupid and ignorant and we should all mock it and make fun of it until it goes away. Fuck the crazies, let them work at Burger King.
Right on Reza, Sam should go back and hit the books and may read a little rather than rely on fox news for research. It is becoming evident that Sam is ill suited to deal with Reza's superior intellect, knowledge and fluency. I beginning to feel sorry for Sam, he seeming like a pupil out of his depth with his master.
I hate Aslan's disgustingly verbose rhetoric. He sounds like an oleaginous bastard--and, sadly, he says virtually nothing. This man is the epitome of postmodern pseudo-intellectualism masquerading under a torrent of superficially meaningful words.
I a little upset by aasla saying that religion is bound to human history. Does he not realize that half of China's history and culture has no reference to religion? Scriptures from ancient chinese scholars talk nothing about religion, yet dictate how humans should live. I'm pretty sure that this makes up a large population of the world
BS! Muhammad violent SINFUL dead Murderer! Islam/Quran is corrupt! Jesus/Healed/Blessed/Peace/Salvation/GOD! All MUSLIMS who converted to Christianity ARE HAPPY & FREE OF ABUSE & MISERY Islam leaders are killing you! Christians LOVE YOU! PLEASE accept JESUS CHRIST as your SAVIOR John 3:16 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him! REBEL & ACCEPT JESUS! Be FREE of ISLAM LIES Visit cbn.com /radio
Reza's view of religion is almost a unique one. Most moderate religious people define religion and god for themselves which is some level of bastardization of the text to meet their irrational needs.
--"Secularist approach religious texts is to provide us a concept of the evolution of thought, that is necessary to our experience of the divine"
Ridiculous statement.
I resent Reza's suggestion that religion and transcendence are interdependent. First, religion absolutely inseparable from the supernatural. "Transcendent" experiences are not. Second, transcendent human experiences are not "revealed" to us by any authority figure that other humans can claim to represent
The most amazing thing we'll ever have is our brain and it's so sad we waste it worrying about how others see us that we agree to accept imaginary ideas of others so we we won't be ostrasized. What a waste of a perfectly happy life.
santa isn't real, but equally imaginary, and has, as far as i know, caused fewer deaths, in myth or by the belief in him. if i were given to superstition i would rather believe in him than in god.
Religion is a language? Not a set of beliefs and propositions? Yet most religious people don't actually think it's a language? WTF is he talking about? So if I say chess isn't a boardgame, it's a way of "being"in the world. And you tell me that just about every chess player agrees its a boardgame, their still wrong just cause I said so?
@rashaan6 i had a threesome with your mom and sister = )
get your immaturity of this comment post you dumb retarded pyscho-bigot son of a bitch i dare you to say what you just said infront of a crowd of muslims they would gobble you up...... stop criticizing people regardless of what they believe
Every time Reza speaks I quickly zone out, and I’m really trying to understand his point of view but all I hear is bs bs bs, then watch him quick change the subject whenever a valid point is presented
@idris090 Lol! You are aware that Dr Aslan has several degrees in the relevant fields they are debating about. This what cowards do to hide the truth??? A fair debate is an attempt to hide the truth? What truth?
Half the time Aslan sounds like he's preaching at the university islamic center; the other half he sounds like he's trying to get some grad school funding.
When you hear Reza saying that Bin Laden's speeches are not religious at all, you can see a big liar in him......in fact, the biggest liar!!!! Mr.Reza, if that's the case, then why did Bin Laden ask the Americans to accept Islam? ......You big LIAR!!!!!!!
@shikanja What he is true. Usama Bin LAden has a famous speech in which he mentions why he wages war against the West. He claims that the policies of the west are the reason, and claims that he hasn't attacked Sweden (which is also a western infidel country). UBL speak within a relugious frame, and asking that they. the enemy embrace the faith is his way of providing a way out (another being to end "hostilities") and is common thing in war.
"...attempts to self-communicate itself..." Check please!
It's clear that Reza is so far out of his element. I'm not a Sam Harris fan boy, but he's so comfortable with this conversation. It's like watching a high school basketball state champion go one-on-one with Kobe. He may be hot shit on his home court, but he's pissing himself here.
reza, waffle merchant, transcendant hooey, religion is the language used to describe the transcendence and religion provides that language. Its not something you believe or don't believe in. hmm sophistry...
Dear Aaslan religions are like dicks with no heads on perpetual orgasms with many fanatics offspring's . You may change your book title to NO DICK BUT DICK. Best regards from Iran.
It's amazing how a nation can be engaged in three state terrorist/torture, carpet bombing operations,Iraq,Afghanistan & Pakistan+ multiple nation drone bombings--all begun by Bush who told Fatah official Nabil Shaath that 'god told me to go fight terrorists in Afghanistan & to free Iraq from tyranny'--and how Isreal,the most brutally terroristic,racist apartheid state in the mid-east,run by a far-right fundamentalist military junta can be viewed as purely political in their aims but not Islam.
That paki guy is one boring cunt. Also i think the discrepancy between his perception of his own inteligence and his actual intelligence is the biggest in history.
Intellectual midgets trying to sound clever always grates on the listener.
@1878EFC2008 Lol, no. Calling it straight would be at least knowing Aslan is persian, not pakistani before saying anything about intelligence. Talk about midget.
That paki guy is one boring cunt. Also i think the discrepancy between his perception of his own inteligence and his actual intelligence is the biggest in history.
Intellectual midgets trying to sound clever always grates on the listener.
@Dpesh7 its a human thing. humans are responsible for the conflict period. because if you want to talk like science is responsible for no conflict. then you already know. AIDS, new diseases, weapons, nuclear weapons, MK ultra.... its a human thing. take responsibility, and america the great where u people ack like you guys dont need God, just pay attention. you guys cant think for yourselves at all.
@96792rebel well a few things. Science doesnt make people do bad things, it is a tool that can be used for bad or for good. Religion however can make ppl do bad things. Secondly, if all bad things are human then what is the point of having religion. Thirdly, religion increases the death toll in a conflict because it involves ppl who are not afraid to die. The last statement you make is ridiculous drivel.
I love how apologists say things like "such and such is not how religion is supposed to work, although most religious people DO view it that way". If the majority views 'religion' in one manner, and have for thousands of years I might add, you cannot answer a question about 'religion' in defense of a completely separate conception.
Moreover, it is disingenuous to project your own belief system onto every argument against the majority belief system, and pretend people are just "unsophisticated".
"Religion is not something you believe in, or you don't believe in..." And that it is, "is a misunderstanding of the function of religion found primarily amongst people of religion."
What a bloody idiotic thing to say. Who is he to say that people misunderstand what religion means to them? By the way, that religion isn't something you believe in would be a surprise to a suicide bomber.
Yes . . way off track! Go to a mental institution and you will find numerous
"supposedly" TRANSCENDED individuals. We know they are not really transcended. But when they're thinking/speaking the same idiocy OUTSIDE of mental institution, some people (who are searching for answers/meaning & easily swayed) think these people know something special. They don't! They're just plain CRAZY! (This is not PC to say but, TRANSENDENCE is a BS chemical reaction in the brain).
I think it may also prove helpful to some of the viewers here to try to evaluate many of the more strident claims of the anti-theist critique ("brights") from a ideological/ metaphysics perspective. Check out the recent article by Jackson Lears in the May 16, 2011 issue of the The Nation entitled "Same Old New Atheism" .The article offers a compelling analysis of Sam Harris' works. Consideration is given to general secular social perspectives
Everytime someone takes a drug . .i.e., demerol, opium, even pot . .etc. they are "transcended". I wouldn't give their thoughts (in that drugged state) any credibility . . and neither would they,(after they've recovered).
The more I hear Reza . . . the more I disount him totally. He is dangerous precisely because he's PROFOUNDLY articulate . . but he contradicts himself constantly...
@AnnaMishel Yup, his articulateness is, indeed, dangerous. people like him need to be stifled. Nonviolently, of course.
P.S. I disagree with your listing of pot. I would argue that with enough tolerance, pot actually increases intellectual capabilities. Oh well, to each his own...T/C!!!
One might say that Aslan, being a moderate, is sort of on our side, but as long as intelligent people devote energy toward justifying religion by playing tricks with words and defining religion as something that it isn't, such people are serving all the bad things that religion is in addition to whatever redeeming (pardon the pun) qualities it might have.
@quaternio My "hunch" is that he has to sell books and unlike Harris doesn't target the atheist audience. I would be curious if Sam is open to the government equals violence argument. He is also quite intelligent but will only allow his logic and reason to take him so far. That said, it's great to see that we can even have conversations like these.
4:20 How intellectually dishonest of Aslan to suggest that religion as represented in human history was not a tool for explaining the world around them. A tool which thanks to science is no longer needed.
Sam is too nice sometimes, he really should have come out with Hitchens 'white noise' comments after that deluge of nonsense. (see Hitchens v. Boteach, Q&A)
Thanks to: fear, ignorance, superstition, arrogance, pride and a host of other defects the only thing that is to be observed here is a failure to communicate.
Acceptance and tolerance can't be one way traffic. Can I build Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian temple in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia. Can I openly teach Bhagwat Geeta, Bible, etc in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia? I think its time to ask these questions to muslims.
@MrGunwitch Wrong..higher integral expressions of religion, will NOT bring more problems. In fact d opposite, there'll b more tolerance, harmony, peace&love if religion is practiced PROPERLY, i.e. in Islam, whereby, rich were taxed 20% of d excess money, food, etc., & luv for elderly, sick, neighbor & orphans brought years of prosperity for all. World w/o religion will bring selfishness, self serving, cruel & violent society where everyone will b 4 himself. Think about it why shud it b otherwise
@todd4pc That's your idea of religion. Religion is, at its roots, dogmatic, and that alone is a problem even without all of its ease of misinterpretation (which makes people practise it "wrong" in your opinion.)
hold on a goddamn second, shouldn't the religious people just show some EVIDENCE? we all know that the single biggest problem of the world IS religion, but without evidence, it should be treated as we would treat people who think they are talking to fairies, treat them like the mentally ill wackjobs that they are
Yarr. I try to let Sam do his thing with his asceticism/mysticism/spiritual angle, but Eckhart Tolle? We'll beat religion at some point, then have to deal with gurus and yogis and ashrams and Deepak Chopras for another ten thousand years. Eckhart Tolle is neither deep nor original, just a poorly syncretized amalgamation of guru babble. Every jackass wants to feel like a deep thinker, and guys like him writing "transcend, become, aware, truth" and such in circles just cash in.
@JiangZiyaTabooDays Sam Harris always walks a fine line on the spiritual angle but has always managed to remain reasonable. There's a video of him vs Deepak, and he owns him =)
@NullA164 I don't know about that...literally everything Sam said about Islam was absolutely wrong. For a so called scholar & someone who has sold 500k of books, he is as ignorant & clueless as you can find. He does not even know the simplest facts about Islam but he goes around and makes outrageous remarks that he must have picked up here & there. For all those who do not know anything, yes, he's great. Realitywise he is completely ignorant about Islam!! But anything to sell yourself & books!
@johnnyd101 The 9/11 hijackers weren't religiously motivated. Haven't you heard they were steamed about the cancellation of the N'Sync reunion tour?
Mohammad Atta was quoted as saying, "Oooo I want see Lance Bass, but that Joey Fatone, he is so like, ewww! What!? No Tour? *choked up* Den is time for open big can of jihad!"
@so true absolutely nothing to do with islam :) they were just trying to get some virgin's for N'Sync... i think we cracked that whole 911 conspiracy thing on the head they can't come back with anything now surely
@JacksInn not actually physically forcing it, but rideculing it so much that it can not be accepted by anyone that is not completely mentally insane, i mean, straight jacket and white padded cell insane
Why didn't Reza answer the question? He simply just ignores and asks his own question. Would it be different in the Middle East if the Jewish and Muslim people didn't view the land as sacred?
@FSMWorshiper Reza spoke somewhat on this question a little earlier in the debate. He denied claims that religion was the cause for what we would describe as holy wars. He explained the causes to be possibly social, economic, etc. So applying his previous answer noted above, I think you can assume his answer to your question would be no.
I don't agree with him I'm simply trying to extrapolate an answer for you.
It is rare to find the articulateness of lucidity and reason that Sam Harris brings forward. Reza Aslan needs to figure out what he means by religion and stop doing a wishy-washy tap dance around the issue. Aslan baffles, Harris dazzles.
@boxingaddict25 lmao buddy i wrote a comment when i posted it it came up above yours. what are the chances , almost exact same comment. good one bro, my dog could beat shaq in freethrows
Reza is one of the best defenders of his stance, but he still beats around the bush. It's easy to see where he was going with the scriptures, but let us face it, if you are religious either you believe the text or not. Religion is belief as long as there are dogmas to believe In.
I treat all religion equal, to me Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and many other mythological religion as equal, just bed time stories for the intelligent.
@giaforever12 fail. I'd give an intelligent retort but since you don't even know where the caps key is, I doubt you'd have the capacity to comprehend. Arguing with you would be like teaching a monkey calculus, which presumably would be more entertaining. If only closed minds came with closed mouths.
@giaforever12 Religion hasn't existed since man crawled out of the slime, unless you mean of course superstition. That's the word you're looking for mate.
@giaforever12 "did THIS SAM GUY JUST COMPARE ASTROLOGERS TO RELIGION WHICH HAS EXISTED SINCE MAN ? WHAT A FREAKIN MINDLESS IDIOT LOL" Lose the caps yelling. Why do people making ill-formed comments so often laugh with them?
Astrology has been around since well before Christianity, Judaism, etc. But I won't call you a mindless idiot; you were just wrong.
I'm very surprised at the comments section here; if you'd only read them rather than watched the video, you'd think it was Sam Harris v. Kirk Cameron. Reza Aslan has some excellent points on the sociopolitical nature of a lot of these conflicts, and clearly points out the fallacy in Harris's reductionism.
@pyropakman Are you kidding? Sure, the war in Palestine isn't religious? The hatred between Jews and Muslims is because they hate each other's freedom? You're out of your mind, man.
Reza's arguments are so weak, annoying and unconvincing. His voice and demeanour are as appealling as the sounds of sodomy to a 4/4 beat. I would rather listen to the sound of a baby being attacked by a bag of cats.
For those of you smart enough to believe in the fact that we all will die consider the very very simple fact that Humanity did not need or "depend" on any of the scientific and technological advances of today until after they were invented or discovered. We are devolving. To evolve would make us less dependent on medicine not more dependent.
That is because we are living a lot longer than our ancestors. Not to long ago the average life span was 40 years old. Now it is somewhere around 80-85 years old. We were not "dependent" on technology and medicine, as you said, in the past because we would just die. Now we ave these things to live longer. Which t me seems very much like an evolutionary step rather than "devolving". The only proof we have of devolution is your knowledge on the subject.
@Hotstufflamb The reason the average lifespan was at 40 is because of infant mortality. A lot of people died before the age of five the ones that didnt lived into their 70-80s. If you take 4 people, 2 live to be 80 and 2 die at 6mths average lifespan is 40.
does seem to indicate a predisposition to said concept. The difference here is, believing in a flat earth is a spacific (incorrect) idea, whereas 'some form of belief' is a general concept which can be observed in a plethera of manifestations.
Religion is not something you believe in or you Dont believe in.again, I think thats a misunderstanding - yeah, a Misunderstanding of the definition of religion. Moron. Harris is respectably patient with this moron.
Reza's "You're missing the issue - I lived there for a long time" manra is growing tiresome. Is there more you think we should know about the economic conditions that drive muslims and Israelis to war? If there is, Reza should make it known, instead of giving us this blanket argument from authority. Experience like that means nothing in a debate if you can't convey its meaning to your opponent.
This entire debate essentially presumes a materialistic worldview ... that is the problem
Yes, Jihad and martyrdom for a just cause is a mainstream Islamic belief. Much in the same way anyone respects their veterans or soldiers for fighting for justice.
The same mainstream Islamic belief explicitly condemns killing noncombatants.
I would suggest you read the Quran to learn it firsthand
dicker!
grandaddynative 3 days ago
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Sam is being hammered for his stupidity. What a shame for an educated individual.
dalasoft 1 week ago
For Reza every concept of religion and violance connected with it is misunderstood. We just dont understand
Gumikrukon 1 month ago 3
The point Sam makes at 2:15 is really the only thing he needs to say. religion is stupid and ignorant and we should all mock it and make fun of it until it goes away. Fuck the crazies, let them work at Burger King.
rep300 1 month ago 2
they need to turn on that microphone
tapasoflife 1 month ago
@tapasoflife Agreed.
writersblock26 1 month ago
i think both them have really valid points..
Alkindi90 1 month ago
Sam Harris doesn't even speak that much in this debate, but still manages to say more than Reza Asian
phillylion215 1 month ago
Right on Reza, Sam should go back and hit the books and may read a little rather than rely on fox news for research. It is becoming evident that Sam is ill suited to deal with Reza's superior intellect, knowledge and fluency. I beginning to feel sorry for Sam, he seeming like a pupil out of his depth with his master.
arraba99 1 month ago
@bunji1990 Yes, I found that irritating as well. I've noticed the monotheistic cultures have a very solopsistic view of history and society.
that1commandment 1 month ago
Astrologers are still taken far more seriously than I'm comfortable with.
kalbahamut 2 months ago
I hate Aslan's disgustingly verbose rhetoric. He sounds like an oleaginous bastard--and, sadly, he says virtually nothing. This man is the epitome of postmodern pseudo-intellectualism masquerading under a torrent of superficially meaningful words.
Calliope222 2 months ago 4
I a little upset by aasla saying that religion is bound to human history. Does he not realize that half of China's history and culture has no reference to religion? Scriptures from ancient chinese scholars talk nothing about religion, yet dictate how humans should live. I'm pretty sure that this makes up a large population of the world
bunji1990 2 months ago
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BS! Muhammad violent SINFUL dead Murderer! Islam/Quran is corrupt! Jesus/Healed/Blessed/Peace/Salvation/GOD! All MUSLIMS who converted to Christianity ARE HAPPY & FREE OF ABUSE & MISERY Islam leaders are killing you! Christians LOVE YOU! PLEASE accept JESUS CHRIST as your SAVIOR John 3:16 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him! REBEL & ACCEPT JESUS! Be FREE of ISLAM LIES Visit cbn.com /radio
tigersforchrist 3 months ago in playlist Sam Harris Debates/Lectures
Reza's view of religion is almost a unique one. Most moderate religious people define religion and god for themselves which is some level of bastardization of the text to meet their irrational needs.
test123ok 3 months ago
--"Secularist approach religious texts is to provide us a concept of the evolution of thought, that is necessary to our experience of the divine"
Ridiculous statement.
I resent Reza's suggestion that religion and transcendence are interdependent. First, religion absolutely inseparable from the supernatural. "Transcendent" experiences are not. Second, transcendent human experiences are not "revealed" to us by any authority figure that other humans can claim to represent
AntitheistPOV 4 months ago
The most amazing thing we'll ever have is our brain and it's so sad we waste it worrying about how others see us that we agree to accept imaginary ideas of others so we we won't be ostrasized. What a waste of a perfectly happy life.
xkcman 6 months ago
moderator stfu
kaduisaui 6 months ago
Reza calls it a "three throw"...
merckens 6 months ago
reza says the word profoundly way to much. ... he has intellectual points... but really he just spices it up with jargon.
nateasrlc2 6 months ago
santa isn't real, but equally imaginary, and has, as far as i know, caused fewer deaths, in myth or by the belief in him. if i were given to superstition i would rather believe in him than in god.
papelhojas 7 months ago
3:18 EPIC WIN for the microphone
SourcesAreEverything 7 months ago
Religion is a language? Not a set of beliefs and propositions? Yet most religious people don't actually think it's a language? WTF is he talking about? So if I say chess isn't a boardgame, it's a way of "being"in the world. And you tell me that just about every chess player agrees its a boardgame, their still wrong just cause I said so?
AnotherMasterMind 7 months ago 3
this reza dude just spends 5 mins talking about somthing that isnt even relevant or true.
P4PMike 7 months ago
reza just keeps talking.....shocking.........and bill maher has him on??? shocking..........
dantes731 7 months ago
@rashaan6 i had a threesome with your mom and sister = )
get your immaturity of this comment post you dumb retarded pyscho-bigot son of a bitch i dare you to say what you just said infront of a crowd of muslims they would gobble you up...... stop criticizing people regardless of what they believe
Zanthios 7 months ago
@idris090 No,
rehanabey 7 months ago
Every time Reza speaks I quickly zone out, and I’m really trying to understand his point of view but all I hear is bs bs bs, then watch him quick change the subject whenever a valid point is presented
playboycity 8 months ago
@playboycity stfu you dumb bitch
Zanthios 7 months ago
@Zanthios why?
playboycity 2 months ago
I love listening to Sam Harris!
JoshwithaJ 8 months ago
@idris090 What fucking truth are you talking about??!
JoshwithaJ 8 months ago
@idris090 Lol! You are aware that Dr Aslan has several degrees in the relevant fields they are debating about. This what cowards do to hide the truth??? A fair debate is an attempt to hide the truth? What truth?
DodoPandemic 8 months ago
hahaha yeah Islam is a religion of peace. Wach this video
/watch?v=-xef384fWFs
TheUntrueFantasy 9 months ago
I now understand why some Muslims are suicidal.
Listen to him long enough and one wants to kill one’s self.
tohtoo 10 months ago
What Reza Aslan is doing here can be described in one word - BLOVIATING. (He is full of it...)
ppervy 10 months ago
Aslan is so painfully verbose and says little, Harris is terse and measured, and speaks volumes with few words.
ParisSpleen74 10 months ago 57
Half the time Aslan sounds like he's preaching at the university islamic center; the other half he sounds like he's trying to get some grad school funding.
Aeschylus 10 months ago 20
...one thing we know for certain is that they're both high.
rsa411 10 months ago
When you hear Reza saying that Bin Laden's speeches are not religious at all, you can see a big liar in him......in fact, the biggest liar!!!! Mr.Reza, if that's the case, then why did Bin Laden ask the Americans to accept Islam? ......You big LIAR!!!!!!!
shikanja 10 months ago
@shikanja What he is true. Usama Bin LAden has a famous speech in which he mentions why he wages war against the West. He claims that the policies of the west are the reason, and claims that he hasn't attacked Sweden (which is also a western infidel country). UBL speak within a relugious frame, and asking that they. the enemy embrace the faith is his way of providing a way out (another being to end "hostilities") and is common thing in war.
Giagantus 4 months ago
"...attempts to self-communicate itself..." Check please!
It's clear that Reza is so far out of his element. I'm not a Sam Harris fan boy, but he's so comfortable with this conversation. It's like watching a high school basketball state champion go one-on-one with Kobe. He may be hot shit on his home court, but he's pissing himself here.
dorsk188 10 months ago
there are diamonds in the dunghill of religion. lol
tyroy57 10 months ago
reza, waffle merchant, transcendant hooey, religion is the language used to describe the transcendence and religion provides that language. Its not something you believe or don't believe in. hmm sophistry...
tyroy57 10 months ago
haha it's funny how the top comments talk about becoming an atheist by reading the bible, because that's how i became an atheist. =P
maikoo25 10 months ago
Dear Aaslan religions are like dicks with no heads on perpetual orgasms with many fanatics offspring's . You may change your book title to NO DICK BUT DICK. Best regards from Iran.
BabackKhorramdin 11 months ago
4:40...religious people have a misconception of what religion is...WHATS THE FUCKING POINT THEN?!
DrAmorphos 11 months ago
Sam is a Genius. The greatest, clearest, philosopher of our time!
AnnaMishel 11 months ago 4
@4:30 Wow that is not a horribly inaccurate definition of religion. Is this guy serious?
jmblock2 11 months ago
reza is an idiot m all white noise , either its true or not true , ultimate truth doesnt change to person o person
loly1969 11 months ago
It's amazing how a nation can be engaged in three state terrorist/torture, carpet bombing operations,Iraq,Afghanistan & Pakistan+ multiple nation drone bombings--all begun by Bush who told Fatah official Nabil Shaath that 'god told me to go fight terrorists in Afghanistan & to free Iraq from tyranny'--and how Isreal,the most brutally terroristic,racist apartheid state in the mid-east,run by a far-right fundamentalist military junta can be viewed as purely political in their aims but not Islam.
xtremerace 1 year ago
That paki guy is one boring cunt. Also i think the discrepancy between his perception of his own inteligence and his actual intelligence is the biggest in history.
Intellectual midgets trying to sound clever always grates on the listener.
1878EFC2008 1 year ago
@1878EFC2008
The jew guy is the a boring asshole.
xtremerace 1 year ago
@xtremerace
He's a dick as well.
1878EFC2008 1 year ago
@1878EFC2008
eazy e is muslim you neo nazi fuck.
xtremerace 11 months ago
@xtremerace
He's dead.
1878EFC2008 11 months ago
@1878EFC2008 Oh the irony....
jamilor 1 year ago
@jamilor
Lol at the muzzie getting angry cos I called it straight.
Fuck off and have a bacon sarnie you daft jihadist.
1878EFC2008 1 year ago
@1878EFC2008 Lol, no. Calling it straight would be at least knowing Aslan is persian, not pakistani before saying anything about intelligence. Talk about midget.
jamilor 1 year ago
@jamilor
PAki is a generic term.
1878EFC2008 1 year ago
That paki guy is one boring cunt. Also i think the discrepancy between his perception of his own inteligence and his actual intelligence is the biggest in history.
Intellectual midgets trying to sound clever always grates on the listener.
1878EFC2008 1 year ago
the guy on the left seems to think religion is responsible for absolutly zero conflict
Dpesh7 1 year ago
@Dpesh7 its a human thing. humans are responsible for the conflict period. because if you want to talk like science is responsible for no conflict. then you already know. AIDS, new diseases, weapons, nuclear weapons, MK ultra.... its a human thing. take responsibility, and america the great where u people ack like you guys dont need God, just pay attention. you guys cant think for yourselves at all.
96792rebel 10 months ago
@96792rebel well a few things. Science doesnt make people do bad things, it is a tool that can be used for bad or for good. Religion however can make ppl do bad things. Secondly, if all bad things are human then what is the point of having religion. Thirdly, religion increases the death toll in a conflict because it involves ppl who are not afraid to die. The last statement you make is ridiculous drivel.
Dpesh7 10 months ago
why is it always so difficult to understand the points that religious people try to make
BRIANisALRIGHT 1 year ago
Raza is totally falling into denial.
trolvag 1 year ago
Reza has never heard of Shaquille O'Neal
beemecks 1 year ago
why cant people learn how to speak into a mic? :(
maggru91 1 year ago
@maggru91
They know how, it just wasn't working for the majority of the questioners.
l3lip 1 year ago
I love how apologists say things like "such and such is not how religion is supposed to work, although most religious people DO view it that way". If the majority views 'religion' in one manner, and have for thousands of years I might add, you cannot answer a question about 'religion' in defense of a completely separate conception.
Moreover, it is disingenuous to project your own belief system onto every argument against the majority belief system, and pretend people are just "unsophisticated".
Reerrpad5515 1 year ago 4
What is Reza actually saying...I find it very hard to understand him, babblegaff...
RayThaw 1 year ago
We must invalidate wrong scriptures, in particular the quran. We must attack the false claims of religion.
bhigr 1 year ago
No religion is not the language of the trancendant, lets cut the bullshit. We already have a word for it.
seekhtruth 1 year ago
"Religion is not something you believe in, or you don't believe in..." And that it is, "is a misunderstanding of the function of religion found primarily amongst people of religion."
What a bloody idiotic thing to say. Who is he to say that people misunderstand what religion means to them? By the way, that religion isn't something you believe in would be a surprise to a suicide bomber.
dgumbrecht 1 year ago
.......Still waiting for Reza to make a valid point.........
rep300 1 year ago 2
Why does reza take so many words, to say absolutely nothing?
jsteve2112 1 year ago 3
Sam Harris should get a dollar every time aslan says profound while clenching his fists.
alihandromontoya 1 year ago
You actually can be a basketball player if you can't shoot a free throw. Shaq. :)
bigballer215 1 year ago
Yes . . way off track! Go to a mental institution and you will find numerous
"supposedly" TRANSCENDED individuals. We know they are not really transcended. But when they're thinking/speaking the same idiocy OUTSIDE of mental institution, some people (who are searching for answers/meaning & easily swayed) think these people know something special. They don't! They're just plain CRAZY! (This is not PC to say but, TRANSENDENCE is a BS chemical reaction in the brain).
AnnaMishel 1 year ago
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AnnaMishel 1 year ago
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AnnaMishel 1 year ago
worst moderator ever. he needs to stfu and ref.
SlayingMinion 1 year ago
By the time Reza finishes talking I forget what the fuck the question was.
Master8laster 1 year ago 4
@Master8laster that's because your too stupid lol
blackstars56 1 year ago
whatever happened to answering a question as concise as you can? Aslan needs to stop rambling and get to the fucking point.
rockos414 1 year ago 2
"Religion is not something one believes in"? What on earth is this clown talking about?
felisleo101 1 year ago
The best way to become an atheist is to read the bible.
GHortaV 1 year ago 113
@GHortaV I just bought a copy (King James of course), $8.95. Every atheist should do the same.
Nemesis000000 1 year ago 2
@Nemesis000000 torrent it
peamealbaconrules 1 year ago
@GHortaV You're so damn right, add Quran as well.
Regards from Iran
BabackKhorramdin 11 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I think it may also prove helpful to some of the viewers here to try to evaluate many of the more strident claims of the anti-theist critique ("brights") from a ideological/ metaphysics perspective. Check out the recent article by Jackson Lears in the May 16, 2011 issue of the The Nation entitled "Same Old New Atheism" .The article offers a compelling analysis of Sam Harris' works. Consideration is given to general secular social perspectives
shieldsff 8 months ago
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@GHortaV
And the best way to become a Muslim is to read the Quran...
sfyr 7 months ago
Everytime someone takes a drug . .i.e., demerol, opium, even pot . .etc. they are "transcended". I wouldn't give their thoughts (in that drugged state) any credibility . . and neither would they,(after they've recovered).
The more I hear Reza . . . the more I disount him totally. He is dangerous precisely because he's PROFOUNDLY articulate . . but he contradicts himself constantly...
which is also PROFOUND . . but in a negative way!
AnnaMishel 1 year ago 3
@AnnaMishel Yup, his articulateness is, indeed, dangerous. people like him need to be stifled. Nonviolently, of course.
P.S. I disagree with your listing of pot. I would argue that with enough tolerance, pot actually increases intellectual capabilities. Oh well, to each his own...T/C!!!
SlayingMinion 1 year ago
There is no transcendence!
AnnaMishel 1 year ago
One might say that Aslan, being a moderate, is sort of on our side, but as long as intelligent people devote energy toward justifying religion by playing tricks with words and defining religion as something that it isn't, such people are serving all the bad things that religion is in addition to whatever redeeming (pardon the pun) qualities it might have.
quaternio 1 year ago
@quaternio My "hunch" is that he has to sell books and unlike Harris doesn't target the atheist audience. I would be curious if Sam is open to the government equals violence argument. He is also quite intelligent but will only allow his logic and reason to take him so far. That said, it's great to see that we can even have conversations like these.
BrainInSkull 1 year ago
No offence, but I don't believe you zephyr3x3, I think you're an atheist sick of not seeing people professing their atheistic revolution.
I myself am atheist but I think your lying.
jsmitt06 1 year ago
4:20 How intellectually dishonest of Aslan to suggest that religion as represented in human history was not a tool for explaining the world around them. A tool which thanks to science is no longer needed.
inademv 1 year ago 3
Reza you speak with the anger and frustration of someone who continues to be unable to stubbornly face reality... its time to grow up, young man.
evanmarkfilms 1 year ago
omg harris is amazing!!!
HeyHeyHarmonicaLuke 1 year ago
Sam is too nice sometimes, he really should have come out with Hitchens 'white noise' comments after that deluge of nonsense. (see Hitchens v. Boteach, Q&A)
Reerrpad5515 1 year ago
Thanks to: fear, ignorance, superstition, arrogance, pride and a host of other defects the only thing that is to be observed here is a failure to communicate.
LessAmused 1 year ago
i wonder how long Aslan can talk without answering a question?
playboycity 1 year ago
Reza is like a mystical half hindu half idiot with a little muslim somewhere. I am an Atheist though so, it doesn't bode awesome with me
BlueWaveOfLight 1 year ago 3
Acceptance and tolerance can't be one way traffic. Can I build Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian temple in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia. Can I openly teach Bhagwat Geeta, Bible, etc in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia? I think its time to ask these questions to muslims.
keaesha19 1 year ago 2
Am I the only one who thinks that Sam looks like Ben Stiller?
xentech 1 year ago 3
@xentech ROFl not at all, i think they are twins :D
noLorik 1 year ago
These guys are talking about Mythic religious views, which correspond to a stunted vertical stage of human psychological development.
If we can progress these people to the higher integral expressions of religion then we have no more problems to deal with.
MrGunwitch 1 year ago
@MrGunwitch Wrong..higher integral expressions of religion, will NOT bring more problems. In fact d opposite, there'll b more tolerance, harmony, peace&love if religion is practiced PROPERLY, i.e. in Islam, whereby, rich were taxed 20% of d excess money, food, etc., & luv for elderly, sick, neighbor & orphans brought years of prosperity for all. World w/o religion will bring selfishness, self serving, cruel & violent society where everyone will b 4 himself. Think about it why shud it b otherwise
todd4pc 1 year ago
@todd4pc
Re-read my post Todd and you will find you are saying the exact same thing I said! Get some glasses bud :)
MrGunwitch 1 year ago
@MrGunwitch
Does Sam Harris know about Integral Theory, Spiral Dynamics, etc. ?
nemirn 1 year ago
@nemirn
I seriously doubt it, he's a sophist and a hack. I find him entertaining the same way I find a sitcom entertaining. All artifice and no substance.
MrGunwitch 1 year ago
@MrGunwitch
Interesting. Please elaborate on your analysis of Harris' statements.
Or Aslan's.
nemirn 1 year ago
@todd4pc That's your idea of religion. Religion is, at its roots, dogmatic, and that alone is a problem even without all of its ease of misinterpretation (which makes people practise it "wrong" in your opinion.)
ErwinERommel 10 months ago
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"religion isn't something you believe in"
are you fucking shitting me aslan?
risingsun08107 1 year ago
hold on a goddamn second, shouldn't the religious people just show some EVIDENCE? we all know that the single biggest problem of the world IS religion, but without evidence, it should be treated as we would treat people who think they are talking to fairies, treat them like the mentally ill wackjobs that they are
patrickledford420 1 year ago
Yarr. I try to let Sam do his thing with his asceticism/mysticism/spiritual angle, but Eckhart Tolle? We'll beat religion at some point, then have to deal with gurus and yogis and ashrams and Deepak Chopras for another ten thousand years. Eckhart Tolle is neither deep nor original, just a poorly syncretized amalgamation of guru babble. Every jackass wants to feel like a deep thinker, and guys like him writing "transcend, become, aware, truth" and such in circles just cash in.
JiangZiyaTabooDays 1 year ago
@JiangZiyaTabooDays Sam Harris always walks a fine line on the spiritual angle but has always managed to remain reasonable. There's a video of him vs Deepak, and he owns him =)
NullA164 1 year ago
@NullA164 I don't know about that...literally everything Sam said about Islam was absolutely wrong. For a so called scholar & someone who has sold 500k of books, he is as ignorant & clueless as you can find. He does not even know the simplest facts about Islam but he goes around and makes outrageous remarks that he must have picked up here & there. For all those who do not know anything, yes, he's great. Realitywise he is completely ignorant about Islam!! But anything to sell yourself & books!
todd4pc 1 year ago
@todd4pc thanks for elaborating on what he's wrong about... you wasted a whole paragraph talking about how wrong he was without specifying how
trtnec 1 year ago
reza could defend the 911 bombers as non religious motivated
johnnyd101 1 year ago
@johnnyd101 The 9/11 hijackers weren't religiously motivated. Haven't you heard they were steamed about the cancellation of the N'Sync reunion tour?
Mohammad Atta was quoted as saying, "Oooo I want see Lance Bass, but that Joey Fatone, he is so like, ewww! What!? No Tour? *choked up* Den is time for open big can of jihad!"
JiangZiyaTabooDays 1 year ago
@so true absolutely nothing to do with islam :) they were just trying to get some virgin's for N'Sync... i think we cracked that whole 911 conspiracy thing on the head they can't come back with anything now surely
johnnyd101 1 year ago
aslan !! talk less, say more !!
prazi86 1 year ago 3
I doubt this civilization will go one for thousands of years, Reza.
JacksInn 1 year ago
@JacksInn it will either kill itself off or we will force it to wake the fuck up and become civilized
patrickledford420 1 year ago
@patrickledford420
Force it to become civilized? I don't think "forcing" goes well together with being "civilized".
JacksInn 1 year ago
@JacksInn not actually physically forcing it, but rideculing it so much that it can not be accepted by anyone that is not completely mentally insane, i mean, straight jacket and white padded cell insane
patrickledford420 1 year ago
Why didn't Reza answer the question? He simply just ignores and asks his own question. Would it be different in the Middle East if the Jewish and Muslim people didn't view the land as sacred?
FSMWorshiper 1 year ago
@FSMWorshiper Reza spoke somewhat on this question a little earlier in the debate. He denied claims that religion was the cause for what we would describe as holy wars. He explained the causes to be possibly social, economic, etc. So applying his previous answer noted above, I think you can assume his answer to your question would be no.
I don't agree with him I'm simply trying to extrapolate an answer for you.
samuelhadams 1 year ago
hahaha he said dicker
chrismx24 1 year ago 2
It is rare to find the articulateness of lucidity and reason that Sam Harris brings forward. Reza Aslan needs to figure out what he means by religion and stop doing a wishy-washy tap dance around the issue. Aslan baffles, Harris dazzles.
Brahmsfourth 1 year ago 6
lmao didnt see buddy comment under me, lol
maxfedor1 1 year ago
you cant be a basketball player if you cant shoot a freethrow? I guess Shaq proved Reza wrong, rofl
maxfedor1 1 year ago 3
You can't be a basketball player if you can't shoot a free throw? Ever heard of Shaq?
boxingaddict25 1 year ago 4
@boxingaddict25 lmao buddy i wrote a comment when i posted it it came up above yours. what are the chances , almost exact same comment. good one bro, my dog could beat shaq in freethrows
maxfedor1 1 year ago
Reza is one of the best defenders of his stance, but he still beats around the bush. It's easy to see where he was going with the scriptures, but let us face it, if you are religious either you believe the text or not. Religion is belief as long as there are dogmas to believe In.
UtopiaMinor666 1 year ago
I wish the moderator would STFU & GTFO
lilzeus7 1 year ago 3
this moderator blows!
tkdchamp971 1 year ago 3
I treat all religion equal, to me Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and many other mythological religion as equal, just bed time stories for the intelligent.
tociph 1 year ago
@tociph you mean unintelligent
emiljanowicz 1 year ago
@emiljanowicz for intelligent people religion is just a bed time story for the religious theotards its a fact (which it is not)
tociph 1 year ago
did THIS SAM GUY JUST COMPARE ASTROLOGERS TO RELIGION WHICH HAS EXISTED SINCE MAN ? WHAT A FREAKIN MINDLESS IDIOT LOL
giaforever12 1 year ago
@giaforever12 fail. I'd give an intelligent retort but since you don't even know where the caps key is, I doubt you'd have the capacity to comprehend. Arguing with you would be like teaching a monkey calculus, which presumably would be more entertaining. If only closed minds came with closed mouths.
zephyr3x3 1 year ago
@giaforever12 Religion hasn't existed since man crawled out of the slime, unless you mean of course superstition. That's the word you're looking for mate.
sillonnelenet 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@giaforever12 "did THIS SAM GUY JUST COMPARE ASTROLOGERS TO RELIGION WHICH HAS EXISTED SINCE MAN ? WHAT A FREAKIN MINDLESS IDIOT LOL" Lose the caps yelling. Why do people making ill-formed comments so often laugh with them?
Astrology has been around since well before Christianity, Judaism, etc. But I won't call you a mindless idiot; you were just wrong.
queenastilon 1 year ago
*cough* bull *cough* sh!t *cough*... Boy, were dos Aslan get this stuff...
s4stem 1 year ago
I'm very surprised at the comments section here; if you'd only read them rather than watched the video, you'd think it was Sam Harris v. Kirk Cameron. Reza Aslan has some excellent points on the sociopolitical nature of a lot of these conflicts, and clearly points out the fallacy in Harris's reductionism.
pyropakman 1 year ago
@pyropakman
mmm... ur when debating religion, people, here on youtube, seem to post their comment s, regardless whether the video changed their view
mrbaqer1 1 year ago
@pyropakman Are you kidding? Sure, the war in Palestine isn't religious? The hatred between Jews and Muslims is because they hate each other's freedom? You're out of your mind, man.
SocialDissimulation 1 year ago
Reza's arguments are so weak, annoying and unconvincing. His voice and demeanour are as appealling as the sounds of sodomy to a 4/4 beat. I would rather listen to the sound of a baby being attacked by a bag of cats.
RichieCarvaliho 2 years ago
For those of you smart enough to believe in the fact that we all will die consider the very very simple fact that Humanity did not need or "depend" on any of the scientific and technological advances of today until after they were invented or discovered. We are devolving. To evolve would make us less dependent on medicine not more dependent.
robeau23 2 years ago
You must either lack a clear understanding of evolution or the ability to make a coherent argument.
allreatd 2 years ago 2
That is because we are living a lot longer than our ancestors. Not to long ago the average life span was 40 years old. Now it is somewhere around 80-85 years old. We were not "dependent" on technology and medicine, as you said, in the past because we would just die. Now we ave these things to live longer. Which t me seems very much like an evolutionary step rather than "devolving". The only proof we have of devolution is your knowledge on the subject.
Hotstufflamb 2 years ago 2
@Hotstufflamb The reason the average lifespan was at 40 is because of infant mortality. A lot of people died before the age of five the ones that didnt lived into their 70-80s. If you take 4 people, 2 live to be 80 and 2 die at 6mths average lifespan is 40.
columbus63 1 year ago
Philosophy > Theology
Always.
SanguineBullet667 2 years ago 34
@SanguineBullet667 Hi!, If you're in a mood to reflect, watch hamza tzortzis's debate here on youtube. Good day.
bobbyjans 1 year ago
that Reza Aslan dude is so full of shit it's unreal...
SneakyDudeBG 2 years ago
does seem to indicate a predisposition to said concept. The difference here is, believing in a flat earth is a spacific (incorrect) idea, whereas 'some form of belief' is a general concept which can be observed in a plethera of manifestations.
goethethegreat 2 years ago 2
'Plethora of manifestations'... like what really? How about witchcraft, exorcism n stuff?
9886635574 2 years ago
Actually, I was referring to belief systems.
goethethegreat 2 years ago
Religion is not something you believe in or you Dont believe in.again, I think thats a misunderstanding - yeah, a Misunderstanding of the definition of religion. Moron. Harris is respectably patient with this moron.
zephyr3x3 2 years ago 3
reza is a real piece of shit
islam could very well be the thing that causes the end of our species
sylviabombs15 2 years ago
@sylviabombs15 ur a moron.
buraktigin 2 years ago
Completely Agree - and i used to be a muslim - sooo glad to be an atheist apostate.....i hope our species survives the plague of religion...
zephyr3x3 2 years ago 4
Reza's "You're missing the issue - I lived there for a long time" manra is growing tiresome. Is there more you think we should know about the economic conditions that drive muslims and Israelis to war? If there is, Reza should make it known, instead of giving us this blanket argument from authority. Experience like that means nothing in a debate if you can't convey its meaning to your opponent.
metaserve 2 years ago 5
This entire debate essentially presumes a materialistic worldview ... that is the problem
Yes, Jihad and martyrdom for a just cause is a mainstream Islamic belief. Much in the same way anyone respects their veterans or soldiers for fighting for justice.
The same mainstream Islamic belief explicitly condemns killing noncombatants.
I would suggest you read the Quran to learn it firsthand
peace
IslamicGoldenAge 2 years ago