God Strikes Down Hitchens

Ickle Magoo

Meh, if it makes people think twice about being quite so insidiously duplicitous and highlights how insincere and uncharitable they actually sound with regards speaking of a man who is fighting for his life, I don't see that a strong response is such a bad thing.

fontanalis

http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/08/a-message-to-those-praying-for-christopher-hitchens/61131/

robindch

fontanalis wrote: »

http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/08/a-message-to-those-praying-for-christopher-hitchens/61131/

Elegantly put.

murrayp4

New interview here

MagicMarker

murrayp4 wrote: »

New interview here

lol

Hitchens' first line is depressingly hilarious!

Zillah

Soul Winner wrote: »

Listen, if I was sick and an atheist said to me that he hopes I get well but to not ask him to pray about it, I'd accept that as his way of showing that he at least cares. Obviously he is not going to compromise his beliefs just because I'm sick. So why should I because Hitch is???? If Hitch wants to puke because I pray for his healing then let him puke is what I say. I wasn't saying what I said to make anyone puke, I was saying it because I believe that it helps. If I'm wrong about that then I'm wrong about it, but don't take cheap shots at my faith because I actually practice it. I'm sure deep down Hitch appreciates the prayers, but if he doesn't then that's his prerogative, would you slap your granny because she blessed you on the way out of her house?

Way to completely miss the point. I am not complaining about you praying for Hitchens, if anything I think it's kind of sweet. I am not complaining about you practicing your religion, you're perfectly entitled.

What I am complaining about is that you feel the need to go online and approach the matter with unctuous tones and tasteless remarks about his religious brother converting him before the end. As I said, it comes across as passive aggressive taunting, like kicking a man when he's down. Pray if you want, just shut up about it.

Kooli

murrayp4 wrote: »

New interview here

God that interviewer is unbearable. Stop interrupting!!

It's a great interview all the same though.

Soul Winner

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Hope he recovers and continue to rip shreds out of believers. I wonder if they will pray for him

For all the ranters: What I said was on topic and a direct response to the OP's own ponderings. Here's to hoping Hitch makes a full recovery.

Zillah

Soul Winner wrote: »

For all the ranters: What I said was on topic and a direct response to the OP's own ponderings. Here's to hoping Hitch makes a full recovery.

*throws toys out of the pram*

condra

I hope you recover too Soul Winner.

From the wrath of us angry atheists, and of course from your god delusion.

mardybumbum

He looks very ill in that interview.
I sincerely hope he gets better soon. The world needs more people like him.

magicbastarder

hey, if was was sick, and a friend of mine reckoned he might be able to put a word in with someone who he believed would be able to help, who am i to tell him not to?

Ush1

magicbastarder wrote: »

hey, if was was sick, and a friend of mine reckoned he might be able to put a word in with someone who he believed would be able to help, who am i to tell him not to?

If you then asked your friend, who are you putting a word in with? A professor or consultant skilled in the field that my sickness is?

He then replies, no mate, I'm putting a word in with Ronald McDonald and his mate the Hamburglar.

If you were a good mate, you probably should discourage him from this dillusion. Just saying.

magicbastarder

use my illness to beat him with the atheism stick while he was trying to be nice? i'd probably have better things to worry about.

Ush1

magicbastarder wrote: »

use my illness to beat him with the atheism stick while he was trying to be nice? i'd probably have better things to worry about.

Well what's your objective here? To make your friend comfortable in his pointless efforts? Or ACTUALLY helping with your illness?

Dades

In that situation, it might help your illness to not antagonise your well-meaning friends and relax.

magicbastarder

Ush1 wrote: »

Well what's your objective here?

my objective? to get better, and to stay friendly with my friends. i.e. the best possible outcome.
my religious friends would be just as annoyed by me proselytising at them as i would them proselytising at me.

Ush1

magicbastarder wrote: »

my objective? to get better, and to stay friendly with my friends. i.e. the best possible outcome.
my religious friends would be just as annoyed by me proselytising at them as i would them proselytising at me.

If they know you are an atheist, why would they offer to pray for you? It's fine if they believe it and want to do it in their time, but why tell you if you clearly don't believe in God. It would seem like them putting you in an awkward situation.

Soul Winner

condra wrote: »

I hope you recover too Soul Winner.

From the wrath of us angry atheists,

I'm sure I will, I'm very thick skinned. :cool:

condra wrote: »

and of course from your god delusion.

Zzzzzzzzz....

magicbastarder

Ush1 wrote: »

If they know you are an atheist, why would they offer to pray for you?

none of my friends have said it. my mum has, though.

Ush1

magicbastarder wrote: »

none of my friends have said it. my mum has, though.

I see.

I suffer from an illness and my girlfriends mother is very religious. She has said to me before that she will pray for me. In this context I just smile and nod to avoid conflict, I'm not sure if she knows I don't believe in God.

So if it eases your mothers worries perhaps it's for the best to let her go on praying for you.

murrayp4

I've been a big Hitchens fan for quite some time and it saddened me greatly to hear this news, although it did not surprise me.
To those who say they'll pray for him, that's fine; just don't couch it terms which imply that he may learn the error of his ways.

The day we loose Hitchens, be it sooner or later, will be for me a very sad day. Although I don't agree with everything he says, what he does say usually couldn't have been said in a more erudite and honed manner.

George Galloway on Hitchens:"...[a] drink-sodden ex-Trotskyist popinjay"
Hitchens' Reply: "Only some of which is true."

robindch

magicbastarder wrote: »

use my illness to beat him with the atheism stick while he was trying to be nice?

One of my family underwent some fairly serious surgery a few years back and woke up a few days later in considerable pain to be visited shortly afterward by an elderly female relative who pulled a glove, formerly the property of a lecherous Italian prelate named Padre Pio, out of her handbag and began to wave it over his chest while loudly muttering some christian prayers. The relative was asked, politely, not to bother but ignored it; was asked again to stop, then got all offended and marched out of the room in a haze of sparks and sulfur fumes.

People are free to do whatever makes them happy in the privacy of their own mind. But in all fairness, once it intrudes into other people's private space, religious people shouldn't really try to hide behind the "I was just trying to help" excuse -- it doesn't wash.

drifting

robindch wrote: »

People are free to do whatever makes them happy in the privacy of their own mind. But in all fairness, once it intrudes into other people's private space, religious people shouldn't really try to hide behind the "I was just trying to help" excuse -- it doesn't wash.

Truly religious people don't make excuses. Sadly there are many that want to help but don't how as they have been brainwashed. These are those that tend to make excuses - accept them as they are but don't use them to bash religion as true religion is not necessarily on their side.

Ickle Magoo

Really? So that priest that woke the kids up that night he rang the bell incessantly isn't really religious - and real religion isn't on his side? Wow. I bet he doesn't realise that.

robindch

drifting wrote: »

Truly religious people don't make excuses.

Any why would they, if they think -- as most seem to -- that they are an extension of god's will on earth?

drifting

robindch wrote: »

Any why would they, if they think -- as most seem to -- that they are an extension of god's will on earth?

There are those truly religious people that act from faith, and those quasi-religious people that act from a sense of duty, but in the absence of real faith. They should not be confused.

robindch

drifting wrote: »

There are those truly religious people that act from faith, and those quasi-religious people that act from a sense of duty, but in the absence of real faith.

I gather that all of them take it on faith that they are implementing god's policy on earth.

drifting wrote: »

They should not be confused.

I agree that they shouldn't be, but there are hundreds of thousands of priests out there whose very job is to confuse them into thinking this. I wish they wouldn't.

Zillah

murrayp4 wrote: »

New interview here

This is so appallingly produced. The interviewer is also painfully amateur. Talking over your subject, how bloody retarded. No one wants to hear what the hell you have to say you irritating little man.

goingpostal

robindch wrote: »

One of my family underwent some fairly serious surgery a few years back and woke up a few days later in considerable pain to be visited shortly afterward by an elderly female relative who pulled a glove, formerly the property of a lecherous Italian prelate named Padre Pio, out of her handbag and began to wave it over his chest while loudly muttering some christian prayers. The relative was asked, politely, not to bother but ignored it; was asked again to stop, then got all offended and marched out of the room in a haze of sparks and sulfur fumes.

People are free to do whatever makes them happy in the privacy of their own mind. But in all fairness, once it intrudes into other people's private space, religious people shouldn't really try to hide behind the "I was just trying to help" excuse -- it doesn't wash.

Liam Fay wrote a very funny article about that glove once. He said that it was manky dirty, from being passed from one sick person to the next, and was probably riddled with fifty different diseases. If she had come in to me waving that thing, I would have incinerated it forthwith.

sponsoredwalk

Just have to share the following interview by Hitchens, just put up last week or so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFerUPe3X84

Haven't even finished the first video but it's just too good,
Peter Hitchens looks like a normal person :eek:, not the
man that would write in Alive! magazine...

This youtube channel is the best one I've ever come across,
I recommend browsing it.

murrayp4

1hr Charlie Rose Interview

MagicMarker

murrayp4 wrote: »

1hr Charlie Rose Interview

Nice one thanks.

The Mad Hatter

murrayp4 wrote: »

1hr Charlie Rose Interview

Anyone know what that flag pin is? I don't think it's the US flag, but I can't see it clearly.

[-0-]

Get well soon Hitch.

Funglegunk

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Anyone know what that flag pin is? I don't think it's the US flag, but I can't see it clearly.

Kurdistan I think, thats the one he usually wears.

murrayp4

Link to a great radio interview, sound cuts out a couple of times but talk about getting your ass handed to you on a plate...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxZrlNSsEyg

murrayp4

Another one that makes me laugh out loud.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZB0lLIcXIA

The Mad Hatter

A new article, the first in a series he's calling Topic of Cancer.

MagicMarker

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

A new article, the first in a series he's calling Topic of Cancer.

It seems the picture was taken in the future.

Rabble Rabble

Thats the pub date of the print magasine.

Why does he mention Sept. 20th?

Plowman

This post has been deleted.

sponsoredwalk

What do they expect to achieve with this? They only show how they don't
give a ƒuck about anyone else's personal beliefs.
They'd rather satisfy themselves when someone else is sick,
the whole thing is a

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkNa5xzOe5U

Plowman

This post has been deleted.

The Mad Hatter

sponsoredwalk wrote: »

What do they expect to achieve with this? They only show how they don't
give a ƒuck about anyone else's personal beliefs.
They'd rather satisfy themselves when someone else is sick,
the whole thing is a

I think it's rather sweet, actually. It's certainly well-meant (aside from those who are praying for his death, obviously) and mostly harmless.