God Is Not Great (Christopher Hitchens)

[Atheist]

Difficult to know what category to put this in.

I haven't read his book before, but he is devastating in his analysis of religious/irrational/dogmatic thought.

I don't believe that he hates decent people who happen to have faith.

I think that he hates people who condemn decent people who do not have faith.

[Atheist]

Spungle, you don't sound like a hate-filled person and you are happy with your beliefs. If your belief in an after-life is mssplaced, at least you will never know about it, so no disappointment and no regrets. Best of both worlds. All the best.

[Spungle]

Thank you Spungle- I appreciate the level-headed response.  You too sir.

[Patsy33]

That's a very small minded statement, Khandro, regards Christopher getting cancer, because of his hate towards believers. Very vindictive reasoning.

[Khandro]

I wasn't being vindictive Patsy, I was just answering Douglas' at 9:30 

There is a link between continuous hatred and physical illness, & hate is mentioned in the OP

[Patsy33]

It was the post before.

Christopher's cancer, nothing to do with his heavy smoking then?..

Yes, I agree with bad feelings being detrement on our health. I believe Christopher was just a passionate man in his views. 

[Peter Pedant]

Hitchens, unhitched

now that is more like AB ! - superficial, useless and untopical

[naomi24]

You got it in one. Patsy.  

 

Khandro, your imagination is.working overtime.  Hitchens dissected religion in a logical manner.

[Atheist]

C Hitchens was anti-hatred, as you would realise if you read his book.

[Atheist]

Khandro. I wrote "I think that he hates people who condemn decent people who do not have faith"

What do you think about people who condemn decent people who do not have faith?

There are a few here who do just that, although they try to portray themselves as warning people rather than condemning them. I don't really fall for their protestations of kindly concern for unwitting sinners - I think they feel more enjoyment than concern.

I have nothing against religious people who have good hearts.

[Khandro]

naomi //Khandro, your imagination is.working overtime.  Hitchens dissected religion in a logical manner.//

Religion cannot be dissected by logic.

Logic is about reasoning, - a cerebral activity.

Religion is  an individual human relationship to that which they feel emotionally, as something holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine, or worthy of especial reverence. Which seems to be an unrequired aspect & component of your existence, - but not mine.  However;  chacun à son goût.

[Deskdiary]

I had the pleasure about 20 years ago of attending a debate as an audience member with Hitchens, a Catholic priest and an Iman, and such was his towering intellect he absolutely ripped them to shreds.

He knew far far more about their subject than they did. He completely dismantled their arguments.

It was epic.

[naomi24]

Khandro, //Religion cannot be dissected by logic.//

 

It most certainly can.  

 

//Logic is about reasoning, - a cerebral activity.//

 

Precisely.

[Khandro]

Deskdiary; You don't have to possess a "towering intellect" to   "rip to shreds" a "Catholic priest and an Iman" particularly in front of an audience sympathetic to the speaker, as I imagine most, including you were.

Even the feeble-minded can do it & do so regularly even here on AB. All you have to do is come up with some version of the age-old trope "Prove to me the existence of God and where is your evidence?" 

Of course, they cannot, & there is none, so the questioner sits back & feels superior, argument won ..... end of, no need for a "towering intellect" at all .

Though it has zero impact on the religious community.

 

[naomi24]

That's not what Hitchens does though, Khandro.  If you took the trouble to watch or read that with which you are determined to disagree you would know that.

[Deskdiary]

"All you have to do is come up with some version of the age-old trope "Prove to me the existence of God and where is your evidence?" "

Well, er, yes!

Given there's exactly as much proof in the existence of god is there is of leprachauns, that's a perfectly reasonable argument.

[Khandro]

^^ See what I mean ?

[naomi24]

Well, if you want a basic argument that does it, Khandro, but Hitchens - and Dawkins - another one who gives you the jitters - go beyond that. 

 

Incidentally, the religious don't have the monopoly on spirituality - even though they think they do.

[fiveleaves]

Of all the stupid things a person can do with their life, publically mocking God has to be up there near the top.

What is the legacy of his undoubted great intelligence. A series of angry, bitter, sarcastic, sneering books and essays. 

Tragic that he now knows at least two things about God: God is real and God is great.

His brother Peter claims to be a Christian (i have my doubts) but comes across as a graceless, bitter, argumentative contrarian picking fights for the sake of it

[Atheist]

fiveleaves. What do you think happened to Christopher Hitchens when he died?

[fiveleaves]

Atheist, I wont answer that except to say that Bible reveals just two possible destinations