How I found God and peace with my atheist brother: PETER HITCHENS traces his journey

Dades

Christopher Hitchens' brother on why he's religious...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1255983/How-I-God-peace-atheist-brother-PETER-HITCHENS-traces-journey-Christianity.html

A bit of an 'shout at the screen' read, tbh. Claims on one hand atheism is tarnished by Stalin's Russia - but that religion isn't be blamed for conflicts fought in the name of religion?

Speaking of his brother:

I am not hoping for a late conversion because he has won the battle against cigarettes. He has bricked himself up high in his atheist tower, with slits instead of windows from which to shoot arrows at the faithful, and would find it rather hard to climb down out of it

LOL - atheists in towers.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Galvasean

Dades wrote: »

LOL - atheists in towers.

But not just any towers Dades...

robindch

Peter Hitchens wrote:

If there is no God then your moral qualms might just as easily be the result of indigestion.

<shakes head>

The Mad Hatter

He doesn't half look like his brother, though.

What do ye think - fake beard and schizophrenia?


(That's Peter on the left - don't know who the guy on the right is.)

Fanny Cradock

Dades wrote: »

... that religion isn't be blamed for conflicts fought in the name of religion?

As far as I can see, he didn't actually make such a claim. What he said was:

Another favourite argument of the irreligious is that conflicts fought in the name of religion are necessarily conflicts about religion. By saying this they hope to establish that religion is of itself a cause of conflict.

Undeniably religion is often a component of the stuff that goes into fuelling war. (PH doesn't seem to be denying this.) Yet it has been argued that religion is not always the primary cause of conflicts that people often assume it is. More on this hypothesis here (full "War Audit" PDF here).

Vomit

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

He doesn't half look like his brother, though.

What do ye think - fake beard and schizophrenia?


(That's Peter on the left - don't know who the guy on the right is.)

Bearded, disheveled, bloodshot eyes, shirt unbuttoned - look what atheism does to people!

Turtwig

Dades, please tell me you don't read the Dailymail!??:eek:
You came across this link by accident.

Dades

Malty_T wrote: »

Dades, please tell me you don't read the Dailymail!??:eek:
You came across this link by accident.

My missis reads the gossip bits of their site. She saw that story and informed me!

WeeBushy

Some of the comments after the article, eg:

My best friend from high school is a Marxist. He, too, is unable to justify his atheist morality. For a long time he was fond of quoting to me some comment of Stalin's that one death is a tragedy, and a million deaths is a statistic. Atheist morality is indeed a very dark and immoral worldview.

make me feel like this:



and this:

:mad:

fitz0

Why is there such a fury against religion now? Because religion is the one reliable force that stands in the way of the power of the strong over the weak. The one reliable force that forms the foundation of the concept of the rule of law.

Wait, what? Since when has religion stood in the way of the strong? Seems to me that throughout history they have been the strong lording it over the weak, or at least have stood behind the strong giving words of encouragement.

Vomit

My best friend from high school is a Marxist. He, too, is unable to justify his atheist morality. For a long time he was fond of quoting to me some comment of Stalin's that one death is a tragedy, and a million deaths is a statistic. Atheist morality is indeed a very dark and immoral worldview.

Why is there such a fury against religion now? Because religion is the one reliable force that stands in the way of the power of the strong over the weak. The one reliable force that forms the foundation of the concept of the rule of law.

Actually, Marxism (as he mentions in the first quote) is closer to the force he describes in the second quote.

Zombrex

Peter Hitches is, how should I put this delicately, a crazy person

Just read through his views on everything from education to Northen Ireland to evolution. The man is the worst stereotype of a middle England conservative.

Zillah

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

(That's Peter on the left - don't know who the guy on the right is.)

Uhh, what? That's Christopher on he left, and presumably his brother on the right. Is there a clever joke I'm missing here?

The Mad Hatter

Vomit wrote: »

Bearded, disheveled, bloodshot eyes, shirt unbuttoned - look what atheism does to people!

Um, that's the Christian one.

Zillah: According to the Mail, that's Peter on the left. That said, that's assuming the Mail got something right.

Dades

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

That said, that's assuming the Mail got something right.

Which it didn't in this case.

James74

Fairly sure that's Christopher on the left....em...

Zillah

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Zillah: According to the Mail, that's Peter on the left. That said, that's assuming the Mail got something right.

They're completely wrong.

Personally I am shocked that the Daily Mail has slipped from its normally fantastic journalistic standards.

Zillah

Also, I can't be the only one who thinks Peter looks a little inbred? Eyes too far apart, low forehead, jutting simian brow...

Vomit

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Um, that's the Christian one.

Zillah: According to the Mail, that's Peter on the left. That said, that's assuming the Mail got something right.

Are you seriously telling me you don't know what Christopher Hitchens looks like?

The Mad Hatter

Vomit wrote: »

Are you seriously telling me you don't know what Christopher Hitchens looks like?

Ok, ok!

Jeez, that's the last time I believe the DM when they describe one of their own photos.

Yes, I know what Christopher Hitchens looks like. I didn't know what Peter Hitchens looks like. As I've never seen Chris Hitchens with a beard, I assumed it was just an extremely close family resemblance.

Pretty stupid of me, I know.

Tim Robbins

They both come across as twats.

Ickle Magoo

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Ok, ok!

Jeez, that's the last time I believe the DM when they describe one of their own photos.

The DM describing one of their own photos of two men, one of which is a columnist for them...says it all really! :pac: