I can't believe I received so many replies! Awesome! I am going to enjoy this community! Thanks!

By Sam Harris, I have read Letter to a Christian Nation. It does a nice job identifying and responding to many of the arguments that Christians put forward in defense of their religious beliefs. The [stated] purpose of the book is to arm secularists. In 91-pages he does a very nice job.

There are dozens of claims that Harris takes on. He begins with his observation that it is "ironic that Christians generally imagine that no faith imparts the virtues of love and forgiveness more effectively than their own... [yet they are] deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism…”

Harris also reminds Christians that “If God exists, either He can do nothing to stop the most egregious calamities, or He does not care to. God, therefore, is either impotent or evil.”

I especially like the observation: “imagine how breathtakingly specific a work of prophecy would be, if it was actually the product of omniscience... it would make perfectly accurate predictions about human events... [yet] the Bible contains nothing like this... it does not contain a single sentence that could not have been written by a man or woman living in the first century. This should trouble you.”

I do recommend this book unless the reader already has a good grasp of the many incorrect beliefs in the Bible. In this case, it may be redundant. However, it is a short, quick read and the reader may learn a few things they didn’t already know.

The other book, The Moral Landscape- How Science Can Determine Human Values I gave a 2-star rating on Goodreads and Amazon. See my book review here: [goodreads.com] My first paragraph, below, should give you a good idea of what the book is about.

I must first admit, I was skeptical that science could answer questions about morality but I was hopeful that Dr. Harris, with a degree in philosophy and a Ph.D. in neuroscience, might be the one with a sound argument as to how and why science might be the answer.

I was hopeful because I agree with him that there is [currently] no such thing as Christian or Muslim [or other religious] morality... I was disappointed in his argument.

Although I have not read any of Christopher Hitchens or Richard Dawkins, I have listened or watched both many times over the last decade or so, on podcasts, TEDtalks and YouTube videos. Most recent was a converstation with Richard Dawkins and Neil DeGrass Tyson. Richard Dawkins Conversation with Neil deGrasse Tyson at Hayden Planetarium

Yeah I have read all three. Those guys are great!

Read Waking Up by Sam Harris a couple years ago and Freewill by same author 5 or 6 years ago. Enjoy listening to his Waking Up podcast also.

I feel reasonably equipped to discuss Dawkins and Hitchens. I admit to not having read Harris but find his lectures and blog interesting. I'm wondering why you omit Dennett.

I have read books from all three. Really enjoyed them all.

The Blind Watchmaker is one of my favorites.