"mere contradictions, dressed up in velvet"
Sam Harris has written his final response to Andrew Sullivan here at BeliefNet, with this powerful indictment of faith:
You want to have things both ways: your faith is reasonable but not in the least bound by reason; it is a matter of utter certainty, yet leavened by humility and doubt; you are still searching for the truth, but your belief in God is immune to any conceivable challenge from the world of evidence. I trust you will ascribe these antinomies to the paradox of faith; but, to my eye, they remain mere contradictions, dressed up in velvet.
Harris’ conclusion is the very model of modern atheist conversational civility:
I do share your feeling of gratitude for this conversation. It has been a great pleasure to correspond with you. I very much admire your writing, your candor, and your willingness to put your beliefs on the line.
What’s that about “angry atheists” again?