Miami Student

I am an alumni who casually keeps up with events through the e-mail edition of The Miami Student. As such I have no knowledge of the "Sam" campaign or the actual program that took place.

Nor do I have any knowledge of the problems that Heather Weaver encountered on the www.doyouagreewithsam.com posts. However, as a Christian, I must respond to Heather's assertion that "truth is not absolute."

This idea of there being no "absolute" truth puts our languange on its head! How can something be "truth" if it is not absolute? There cannot be one truth for someone and another truth for someone else. We may believe in something as a truth -- such as the deity of Jesus Christ. And someone else may believe in something else as a truth -- Jesus is not the incarnate Son of God. But, ultimately one is true and the other is not. To say that truth is "individual" or "personal" is a misunderstanding of the meaning of the word.

The Christian aims to speak the truth of God in love and compassion. Since we are unable to do so perfectly (for even a cursory study of the Christian doctrine of Original Sin will explain why) it is not surprising that Heather encountered difficulties.

However, whatever our position, can we agree that there can only be one truth? Either the Christian religion is the most wretched hoax perpetrated by twelve men of the first century or it is true and is the most important item for you to consider in your life. Whichever, it demands your attention. It is is important for everyone either to reject or believe. To expose the fraud or embrace its creed.

In essence to seek the truth.

Truth is completely subjective.
Objectivity is entirely fabricated by people with authority in a particular region. Like white Christian men in the United States. ...for example.

Do I agree with Sam? Yes. Sam Harris.

There's a reason we refer to "leaps of faith" - because the decision to consent to any notion of divinity is a mighty jump from the rational over to the unknowable, and I don't care how diligently scholars of every religion will try to sit you down with their stacks of books and prove to you through scripture that their faith is indeed rational. It isn't. If faith were rational, it wouldn't be, by definition, faith. Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity, it would just be...a prudent insurance policy.