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Comment by Edward theurj Berge on August 24, 2012 at 5:20am

I haven't seen the complete video yet, just the clip, so he might address my point therein. The new atheists are rightfully and vehemently anti-theist in terms of a mythic God, and of those who claim to be his spokesperson. Many of them, not just Harris, also promote a kind of spirituality that it not contaminated by such myth. To not oppose the mythic theism, to just be amused by it and let it be, it tantamount to relinquishing a civic responsibility to humanity, who suffers greatly at its hands. This goes along with the apt criticism of Buddhism generally that it focuses too much on inner development and not enough on civic or political engagement. Granted Buddhism generally provides ample aid to the poor etc. but on an individual level, and has tended to not be so much engaged in the political process where masses can be helped via policy. And granted there has been a social engagement movement within Buddhism in recent years, but it seems this is largely from a western influence.