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According to the most common interpretation of biblical prophecy, Jesus will return only after things have gone horribly awry. Imagine the consequences if any significant component of the U.S. government believed that the world was about to end and that its ending would be glorious. The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes this should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency.
Sam Harris
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote warns about the dangers of apocalyptic beliefs influencing governance and societal stability.

Sam Harris's quote highlights the potential peril of widespread apocalyptic beliefs, particularly those held by influential figures in government. He expresses concern that if a significant portion of the population, including decision-makers, genuinely believes that the world is on the brink of an end that will be glorious, it could lead to harmful policies and actions that reflect those beliefs. This alarm raises ethical and intellectual concerns about how such ideologies could shape societal direction and governance.

Themes

ApocalypseBeliefsGovernmentMoralitySociety

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion on the influence of religion on politics, this quote can highlight the risks of apocalyptic ideologies.

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Everything we do is for the purpose of altering consciousness. We form friendships so that we can feel certain emotions, like love, and avoid others, like loneliness. We eat specific foods to enjoy their fleeting presence on our tongues. We read for the pleasure of thinking another person's thoughts.
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It is time that we admitted that faith is nothing more than the license religious people give one another to keep believing when reasons fail.
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It is taboo in our society to criticize a persons religious faith... these taboos are offensive, deeply unreasonable, but worse than that, they are getting people killed. This is really my concern. My concern is that our religions, the diversity of our religious doctrines, is going to get us killed. I'm worried that our religious discourse- our religious beliefs are ultimately incompatible with civilization.
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It is time that scientists and other public intellectuals observed that the contest between faith and reason is zero-sum.
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