 |
|
|
|
My Take: Why Christians should pray for Christopher Hitchens
By the Rev. Robert Barron, Special to CNN Perhaps you’ve heard of Christopher Hitchens. He is a British writer and cultural commentator who lives and works in Washington, D.C. For decades now, he has been observing the political/societal scene and writing about it in a particularly insightful, witty and acerbic manner. Early in his career, he was something of a Trotskyite, but in the years following September 11, 2001, he emerged as a strong advocate of the Iraq war and, much to the chagrin of his colleagues on the left, a supporter of George W. Bush. He is best known, certainly, for his recent contributions as a critic of religion. His book "God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything" appeared a couple of years ago and proved to be a bestseller. Since the publication of this text, Hitchens has traveled the country debating a series of religious thinkers—Christian, Muslim and Jewish—meeting them with an extremely swift mind and wickedly barbed tongue. Along with Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett and Richard Dawkins, he is one of the “four horsemen” of the New Atheism, the movement that advocates an aggressive, take-no-prisoners approach to the claims of faith. I think it’s fair to say that Hitchens is playing today the role that another brilliant Englishman, Bertrand Russell, played nearly a century ago, namely that of religion’s public enemy No. 1. Just a few weeks ago, I picked up Hitchens’s latest, an autobiography entitled "Hitch-22." The book is a lot like the man: by turns funny, strange, deeply wise, infuriating, outrageous, critical, sometimes just plain baffling—and never dull. Something that surprised and intrigued me was Hitchens’ affection for two of my own literary heroes, Bob Dylan and Evelyn Waugh. He echoes a number of top critics in saying that Dylan should be mentioned along with T.S. Eliot and W.H. Auden as one of the poetic giants of the 20th century. (Now I’ve said something like that for years, but people usually just write me off as an overly enthusiastic Dylan fanatic). And for Waugh, the author of, among many other novels, "A Handful of Dust" and "Helena," Hitchens has almost unlimited enthusiasm. Here’s why I say I was surprised: Both Dylan and Waugh are inescapably religious writers. In fact, I would argue that it is impossible to understand and appreciate their work apart from the deeply Biblical sensibility that they share. In songs from all parts of his career—"A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall," "Blowin’ in the Wind," "All Along the Watchtower," "New Morning," "Gotta Serve Somebody," "Every Grain of Sand"—Dylan draws on the Scriptures, and Waugh’s "Brideshead Revisited" is one of the greatest celebrations of Catholicism in all of modern literature. I confess I began to wonder whether, despite his brassy atheism, Mr. Hitchens didn’t have a good deal of sensitivity to things religious. This was on my mind when word came out last week that Hitchens was suffering from esophageal cancer, a particularly aggressive and unforgiving form of the disease. I realize that certain believers couldn’t resist the temptation to see in this misfortune the avenging hand of God: the one who for so long blasphemed God was now getting his just reward. But it’s always a very tricky business to interpret the purpose of the divine providence. After all, plenty of good, even saintly, people die prematurely from terrible diseases all the time, and lots of atheists and vile sinners live long prosperous lives before dying peacefully in their beds. Hitchens’ disease is indeed ingredient in God’s providence, since at the very least it was permitted by the one whose wisdom “stretches from end to end mightily.” But what it means and why it was allowed remain essentially opaque to us. Might it be an occasion for the famous atheist to reconsider his position? Perhaps. Might it be the means by which Hitchens comes to think more deeply about the ultimate meaning of things? Could be. Might it bring others to faith? Maybe. Might it have a significance that no one on the scene today could even in principle grasp? Probably. But what struck me with particular power as I surveyed the Catholic media was that the vast, vast majority of Catholics reported Hitchens’ disease and then, with transparent sincerity, urged people to pray for him. In making that recommendation, of course, they were on very sure ground indeed. Jesus said, “Love your enemies; bless those who curse you; pray for those who maltreat you." Christopher Hitchens is undoubtedly the enemy of Christianity—even of Christians—but he is also a child of God, loved into being and destined for eternal life. Therefore, followers of Jesus must pray for him and want what is best for him. Hitchens seeks by means of specious argument, insinuation, and sometimes plain smear-tactics to undermine religion. He ought to be opposed, vigorously, with counter-argument and clarification of fact. But all the while, he ought to be respected. One of the greatest Catholic apologists of all time, G.K. Chesterton, debated the agnostic George Bernard Shaw up and down England, and their arguments were often pointed and aggressive; but after the debates, the two friends could be seen drinking and laughing together. That’s a model of how a Christian treats his intellectual opponents. So read Christopher Hitchens; disagree with him and get angry with him; defend the faith against his attacks. And pray for him. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Robert Barron. soundoff (1,319 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Next »Post a comment
Next entry »Music festival brings world faiths together
|
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Dan Gilgoff and Eric Marrapodi, with daily contributions from CNN's worldwide newsgathering team and frequent posts from religion scholar and author Stephen Prothero.  |
|
|
|
© 2010 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertise with us | About us | Contact us | Help | Advertising Practices
Editor's Note: The Rev. Robert Barron, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, is founder of 
I think some people just need religion, whether there is a god or not-they just can't cope with eternity and their own demise. Others think only in terms of obediance to a mighty (and unmerciful) god, and even more think the party starts when you die. Whether they are right or wrong (as an unprovable premise), the fact remains that religion on the whole has been responsible for some of the more nasty things done to people by people. Hitler, was the epitome of unenlightened dogma carried out to the extreme, which seems to be purpose of Catholics, Muslims, Jews and Evangelicals, in that the only choices are thier way or the highway. Religion has NEVER bettered manklind, but more often driven a wedge between people. The monarchies imposed their will on the serfs by virtue of religious means. We need to recognize that we, along with every living thing on this planet are inter-connected in a way that has nothting to do with religion or spiritualism. We are of the dust and return to the dust in a closed system. People, plants, animals are come from interconnecetd and intertwined organic materials, DNA recycled over and over, and what we think or dream up in terms of imaginary constructs means nothing in the long haul. So, religion is not and should not be important. Just get a grip and get on with it. My thanks to Mr. Hitchens.
After reading many of these entries I find it hard to believe how many on this blog talk past each other and with such anger. I would think in our Postmodernist pluralistic context we would try and see that the priest is trying, based on his narrative of the world, to be nice. This is a good thing in a world where so much hate rules. I get the atheist position of not believing prayers should be offered because it is offensive to atheists. But the criticism is based on another narrative which is offensive to those praying and round and round the world turns. I think we should believe our narratives for the reasons we do and at the same time try to understand that humans can hope for the best of another of their kind who is suffering no matter what the ruling narrative. We all do share humanity in common. To wish or to pray or to trust in science to find a cure for a human is a good thing no matter what camp one comes from. For my part, I will pray to God and I will trust in modern science to do the best it can do for Mr. Hitchens.
If in your good intentions you do something damaging, don't you think you would want to know if you really cared?
What part of "Humans make up gods" do people not understand? I could name a thousand gods and even the most ardent believer is going to agree with me and say, "Well yea, that one's made up, and that one's made up and that one's made up...." They're all made up.
And how exactly are you going to prove a god doesn't exist, without the use of prejudice? ....
One can't prove a negative. I also can't prove that unicorns don't exist or ever exisited. The burden of proof is on the positive. So do you believe in everything thing that can't be proven not to exist? Bigfoot? Loch Ness? Leprechans?
A 'negative' simply means *YOU* don't have the experience, it doesn't mean the god doesn't exist in a objective fashion.
Proving God is the easiest thing that exists, the only condition is that you make the first-step, and that is prayer. Why? Free-will.
Davinci-
Bobcarp is correct. Proving a negative has nothing to do with having experience with the subject matter. you asked him to prove that god DOESN'T exist. That is proving a negative condition, and it is impossible task because one would have to have infinite knowledge. For example, if I asked you to prove that I had NOT hidden a unicorn somewhere in the universe, you could not do it. Based on your previous posts, I don't expect you to learn anything from this, but I'm telling you anyway.
@RonnieC
Doesn't matter. To proof God one must first make a move towards God, and then judge. The fallacy of the argument is handling of God's existence as a scientific topic. Science deals strictly with material nature, and God is obviously beyond this level and thus not subject to it. Understand?
Davinci – I was merely correcting your misunderstanding of what bobcarp said. That's fine if you want to "prove" god to yourself based on some subjective feeling you get when you pray. Doesn't work for me, but if it is ok for you, then I have no problem with it. I just don't accept it for myself. Have a nice day.
@RonnieC
Skeptics like yourself are by definition close-minded, therefore you will not try to pray.
OK, DaVinciKode, let's put YOUR open-mindedness to the test. Have you personally prayed to Ahura Mazda? To Vishnu? To Kokopele? To Anansi? To Gitchee Manitou?
Maybe if you tried, you'd get the answer "Your belief in Jesus is all wet." But you didn't, did you? You just bit on the dominant religion in your culture and didn't spend much time exploring any of the options. (Actually, the most likely response you'd get from any of those prayers was exactly what you got from praying to the Christian God, namely nothing that anybody else could hear, IE, a delusion.)
Yes, pray and after praying for those who do not believe in the "supernatural," why not critically think when you read your Bibles and then explain why the all knowing creator, under whose direction the Bible was allegedly written, said: 1) in the first chapter of Genesis that Adam and Eve were created last, but in the second chapter that Adam was created first and Eve was created last; 2) in the first chapter that there is a body of water above heaven and it rains when windows in heaven are opened (KJV Genesis 7:11 & 8:2); and 3) why the all-knowing God was so cruel as to bring a son into the world to die, when all he had to do was call a timeout and/or change the rules of the game he had designed; and what about God's other sons – the ones mentioned in the sixth chapter of Genesis? If you want to pray, then pray that God will heal everyone who has lost a limb or is a paraplegic or quadriplegic or who has ALS. Let's see the power of prayer!
A perfect deal to be struck between Atheists and Christians -
You Pray For Us
We'll Think For You
Everybody wins!
Sounds good to me!
A child of God or an image barrier of God?
Anyway, I think a lot of times Christians have the "us vs them (atheist)" mentality. It's always about proving them wrong and we're right. I do think that whoever has spiritual eyes will see things differently. I think we need to be reminded that it is us against the dark powers of this world, not the people.
And the current dark powers are? The imams of Islam? Considering the number of suicide bombers they recruit and brainwash the answer is YES INDEED!!!
Tommas,
That was just a silly visual. My point was, what was the mechanism that created offspring of an organism to not have the death traits of the parents. Also my initial question was where do we see in life systems getting more complex and for you to show me that when we leave things to chance that system improves its chances of survival.
Reason-
Things becoming more complex – ice crystals forming from liquid water. A fertilized egg growing into a baby then a grown person.
Look through the fossil record. Is there a reason why there are no human skeletons past a certain age? Yes – because theree were no humans. However, there were skeletons that are a mix of human and more apelike animals. Before that, there were fewer and fewer "human" characteristics. Go further back and there were no ape-like traits, only lemur-like animals. I mean, its all there in the fossils!
A simple, more easily to grasp example are bacteria and viruses. Why do we worry about a new influenza virus every year if their was no change (granted viruses are not exactly considered alive, but the same can be said of many bacterial infections). Why do we worry about abusing antibiotics.... BECAUSE THE EVOLVE RESISTANCE!!!! Nothing makes sense in biology if not through evolution.
I am a Christian. About nine years ago +/- I had a near-death experience. I asked God a question and He answered me back. He has a voice that will melt you like butter! I was a Christian before this happened and I am still one today. I live knowing I will meet Him again.
Ahh, dreams and hallucinations both in sleep and near death experiences. Pain killers also are great hallucinogens.
But reality- the voice would melt you like butter! Therefore, ya gotta believe!
People of other religions have also had near-death experiences and reported the same thing. Does that mean that their god is real also? It's a common antidotal evidence claim.
I don't smoke. I don't drink alcohol. I don't do drugs. I believe in God the Father. Jesus the Son. Holy Spirit. I have been blessed to go on some of the most incredible! 'trips' with the Holy Spirit. I don't have all the answers. I just know that He is....
You do know, don't you, that you can't trust what your brain is telling you during a near-death experience, any more than you can trust it while you're dreaming?
Regardless of whether you voluntarily take any stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, etc., your body is busy cranking them out when it's under extreme duress. It's part of the "fight or flight" response to stress, threats, loud noises, etc. And, since you were a Christian when this happened, it's not at all surprising that what your brain summoned up is Christian imagery. It's the same process that summons up images of your family and friends. At any given time, the brain constructs a view of the world based on (a) sensory input and (b) memories, and with sensory input shutting down as you draw nigh upon death, what you're left with is essentially nothing but the memories.
Too bad those experiences aren't consistent between different people. If they were, they might be considered evidence rather than just anecdotal stories.
@richardsrussel
Thank you! for the medical report.....I too, am somewhat knowledgeable of this event since it occured. I have been given a tiny peek into the wonders of the spiritual world that most folks find hard to understand. It's OK. I figure that if God can do such a thing for me, He can (if He wants) do for you. !! Otherwise, as my sister has told me, I am living my second life. I died as a Christian. Today, I live as a Christian.
I find it fascinating that Rev. Barron's article has sparked this enormous debate over the existence of God. As for me, I do not question the existence of God; rather I question the popularity of this foolish debate. I hope everyone who adds to the discussion remembers that it is pointless to contribute a viewpoint on ‘existence’ because no conclusion will be reached, no definition will be written, and no consensus will be obtained. Instead of religion being the opium of the people, it's rather this silly debate that we believe to be ‘highly intellectual and significant’ and we find ourselves constantly feeding into it.
Back to the context of this article, I concur with Rev. Barron that it is the duty of his fellow Christians to not hold prejudice or judgment against the prestigious writer and obedient cultural commentator, Christopher Hitchens. I would also add that regardless of one’s religious beliefs or lack of religion thereof, it is important to reflect on this article’s significance. Despite the two men having two very different ideologies, Barron realizes the differences they have and still urges others (i.e. religious others) to pray and not to condemn—even though he refers to Hitchens as “the enemy of Christianity”!
This is not to suggest that Rev. Barron and Christians are the only group of people who would do such a kind act, for I am sure that Christopher Hitchens (as well as his followers) would wish any of his fellow colleagues or ideological rivals well in the struggle with any life-threatening illness or condition.
Therefore, instead of finding this article infuriating, inappropriate, et cetera, et cetera; I find it as a form of progress. That despite our differences, we are able to wish one another well and encourage others to do the same (as human beings, we just have different ways of doing this). So please, fellow contributors, avoid attacking the straw man because with these acts we exchange to one another, the straw is running out.
As long as religion finds its way into laws i will continue to fight this battle. I would be working on stem cells right now, helping humanity, if religion hadnt convinced everyone that a tiny ball of cells has a soul. My good friend would also have the same rights as the rest of the people in this country if it were not for politicians catering to the religious majority. Not to mention the teaching of evolution in schools and a whole list of others.
"I try to deny myself any Illusions or delusions, and I think that this perhaps ent!tles me to try and deny the same to others, at least as long as they refuse to keep their fantasies to themselves." – Christopher Hitchens
"Don't Pray in My School, And I Won't Think in Your Church"
Very well put, Mr. Saunders. After reading some of these comments, I agree with you calling this a straw-man argument (given that the article is not questioning God's existence but rather calling for prayer among christians.) These comments make me wonder what happened to religious tolerance.
And McCluck, I think it's funny how you stereotype religion by suggesting that all religious individuals are against stem cell research. But anyway good luck with your 'battle', but I agree with R. Saunders, it is foolish to continue with this strawman debate "because no conclusion will be reached, no definition will be written, and no consensus will be obtained".
For "concernedperson"
The only spirits I ever encountered were in bottles. "Spiritual" people need to consider the quality of spirit they are consuming.
A belief in God is based on fictional or testimonial data, neither of which is reliable in evidence based thinking. Being spiritual is the equivalent of believing in God, because a degree of faith and imagination is involved in both beliefs.
When a man in made into a God, his real message to his followers is lost and manipulated by devotees to their own purposes.
First, I would like to wish the best to Christopher Hitchens an his family during this difficult time.
Him and I would disagree. But disagreement is good. It makes us grow. I come from a catholic family but wasn't raised like one. Twenty years ago I didn't believe in God. I feel different now. When I started to believe in God it felt like the walls of my reality were braking! There is more than what we go through every day (thanks God!). A lot of people think there are going to live forever... But isn't what believing in God is? Finding meaning in our life? (I know there are many more reasons that I can't comprehend!) I see a lot of people worried by so many trivial things! What a waste of time! For me my life is a journey where I learn and grow trough good and bad times.
I'll pray to FSM for Hitchens. May he be touched by His Noodly Appendage, and held in His Sauce forever. Ramen.
Ramen!
No you di'int! We pray to pink unicorns around here! If I believe history dictates that I attack and burn your family and friends in the name of peace and love over this important disagreement.
Oops i have an official correction comming in from god (the great pink unicorn). He says that the "if" should be removed from that last comment.
“Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.” – Pope John Paul II
The Catholic religion is a religion of faith and reason. To say that Christianity is not logical is to claim ignorance in the following philosophical arguments for the existence of a higher being: metaphysical, ontological, and cosmological and teleological. Philosophy is a science of reason!
@Steve Dave, My faith has grown tremendously due to this "New Athiest" movement. It was weak due to too many years of 'have faith and believe' mentality. It has caused me to test my faith and I continue to do so. The more I poke around the stronger I get and the closer I get to God. Unfortunately, unless someone has the energy or resources to test these claims thrown 'over the wall' at Christianity, it can be what causes some to loose their faith.
I do hope CH comes to faith in God. I do hope he overcomes this disease. Not because I'm a Christian and I should as a Christian but because compassion and empathy has become part of my being once I became a follower of Jesus. Throughout his ministry in the gospels his message was love (charity) – 1st Corinthians 13.. not judgement, not hell, not obediance. I hope others will take an honest look at their faith, that is when the Holy Spirit does his best work! (or if agnostic an honest look at the existance of God)
Which requires more faith? The belief in God or our own intelligence. Historical scholars wrote about Jesus' resurrection (both christian and non-christian). The explosion of christianity in the years following Jesus' death and resurrection. If this did not occur there would be no mass conversions, people would realize that Jesus was just a man and did not conquer death. We all evolved? When has anybody ever observed a beneficial mutation(evolution)? Where are all the transitional fossils? There should be an abundance if we evolved from fish to monkeys.etc.. Evolution violates the 2nd law of thermo dynamics. The earth is billions of years old? The same dating methods used by evolutionists also date artifacts that we know how old they are billions of years old(you can find numerous examples of this). They are many more scientifc facts that support creation and then by default God. I challenge you to look at the evidence with an open mind, you will be amazed by the media and growing number of secular society don't report and don't want you to know. It is easier to not have to live a certain way and know that you will be held accountable for our actions. Which requires more faith? Which would be the more logical choice?
John, Does it really matter to you if your god exists?
Eric G>> I just look at the evidence and use reason to determine the most logical answer. I challenge you to do the same.
Faith in what someone else tells you or concrete evidence that you yourself could discover or replicate. When you say "open mind" I assume you mean being objective, something that apparently escapes your perceptions as your mind is already closed when you mention god in your first line. And by the way, fossils are only used as support in this day and age for molecular evidence which is quite clear in the broader picture.
John,
"The explosion of christianity in the years following Jesus' death and resurrection. If this did not occur there would be no mass conversions, people would realize that Jesus was just a man and did not conquer death." There are multiple logical factors which do account for the mass conversions of which you're speaking. Christianity was unique in that it offered a god who is not only all-powerful, but one who is interested in a loving, personal relationship with believers – this point alone certainly contributed to the incredible undercurrent of Christian conversions. Politically, to say that Christianity wasn't quickly turned into a political tool of control and spread via military conquests would be incorrect.
Wow! You listed nearly all the PRATT's!!
It is utterly amazing in this age of information at your fingertips that people willfully choose to retain their ignorance about nature.
Your evidence needs to be verifiable evidence to prove fact, but that is off topic..... What I am asking you is, hypotheticaly, you walk into a room and there is a box on the floor. In the box is verifiable, testable evidence either proving or disproving the existence of your god. Would you look into the box?
Eric G, absolutely yes.
John, so it is more important for you to know if god exists than to have faith that he does? If you were a true believer, you would not need to look into the box. You have proved that your faith is invalid and also that you have doubts that god exists. If you really seek the truth, why would you only look to the bible for answers when you have so many other sources of information available?
Eric G>> If the opportunity presented itself to re-affirm what I bieleve. I would absolutely seize that opportunity. You beileve that there is no God, yet you cannot prove this. Does this mean you, just as I stop educating ourselves? There are many theories of how life originated and all the other unknowns, yet none can be proven 100%. Their are differences between faith and educating ourselves. I have faith but continue my quest in this life for knowledge. You have faith that there is no God, but you also (I hope) continue on your quest. We all have faith, faith that we will be here next week, that is why we plan, yet we cannot prove that we will be here next week. No where in the bible are we instructed to ignorant, but to continue searching for him and increase in knowledge. To your second point, in my original post the points that I stated our not found in the bible, but our from science, historical records, etc. I appreciate the friendly discussion, all the best!
John you obviously have a few broken logic gates if you are attempting to use logic as evidence of creationism. In fact there is ZERO evidence for creationism. You need to step outside your world view, and do a little research. All of the above that you have quoted as evidence of creationism, has been throughly refuted by science.
I am one who has been part of "organized" religion all my life. I have been through different stages of my faith, from a very excited believer to currently a follower of because I "want" to believe and I want the life style for my children. I do not defend any religion, not even my own. There is too much inconsistency throughout all religions to get too devout to any particular one. I follow religion because it has given me a good way of life, its teachings have kept me away from things that I might have partaken of had I not had its teachings for that I am grateful.
I am not afraid of any persons view point. Atheist or believer, believer in my church or the church or rocks and twigs. I dont care if someone tells me that there is no god or someone that crys and devoutly says there is a living god. As I have read this debate I have read people talk of reason and science, of faith and feeling.
So here is my question to all of you atheists who as devoutly as the devout christian(Who say there is a god) say there is no God. I would like to understand your reason for the following:
The other day I was chewing something and I swallowed it, for a brief second it went down the wrong pipe. It was a terrible brief second when I realized that I could not breath and the discomfort of having something in the wrong tube. Then it felt grateful that we have a built in mechanism (so that I dont have to think about it) in our bodies that does not easily allow food to go down our wind pipe.
How long would this process take to go through the evolutionary process? This is too complex to be left to chance and evolutionary powers. How many cavemen and women gave their lives so that their predicesors could swallow food to their bellies and not to their lungs....what mechanism caused this type of evolution?
Our bodies are extremely complex, the world we live in is extremely complex. So left to chance how many things in your lives get better? When you leave your school work, your home, your lawn, your relationships, or any thing......to chance does it ever get better? But yet you expect us to believe that a micro organism climbed out of a swamp and somehow morphed through natural selection into a human being of today? Where is this reason or logic?
Pancreatic beta cells produce enough insulin to counterbalance glucose hitting the blood stream, horemones that control horemones that control certain parts of the body. Optic nerves that work in conjunction with the brain that decern depth, color, light, adjust in darkness....Differnt parts of the brain working in conjuntion with other glands of the body balance and maintain natural growth. Now I know that things go arwy...I have type 1 diabetes. I know that DNA can evolve...just look at obsesity.
But unless you can answer that one question of how a systems evolves to get better over time, more complex and as extremely complex we are today, I will never believe that there is no God. I may not believe in a religion, but there most certainly is a God. To say there is no God is a like tiny bug in the amazon who lives under a leaf declaring that there is not a greater species on the earth than it. I dont have the answers to why there is so much inequality among people on this earth. Maybe we are all here to help and live and learn to live in harmony.
Just because we have not seen it with our eyes, does not mean that it does not exist.
I believe you have a skewed perception of evolution. When you say "How many cavemen and women gave their lives" you are missing the point that all of these structures evolved millions of years before mammals, let alone humans. Most of the evolution of life occurred in single cell to worm like organisms. Once all these building blocks were in place, changes and adaptability occurred at a much faster pace. Just because you don't understand does not mean that there isnt an answer.
Uh, all the cavemen and cavewomen gave their lives. Because the were human, they died. Just like jesus.
Once you have mutations, natural selection takes care of the rest. At that point its just a statistics game that plays out over time. Not to get too personal, but in the case of your Type 1 diabetes, if you lived 100 years ago, you wouldn't have made it to an age where you could procreate. But the genetic mutation that leads to it seems to b a fairly common one so it must be a regular mistake in replication. (Or maybe its recessive? I don't know)
How did it happen? Not easily. Not quickly. It took lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of accidents and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of time — billions of years, in fact. But it was like a ratchet. As soon as something came along that WORKED, it got saved and propagated, and we didn't have to reinvent that particular mechanism again. That's why all mammals give live birth and lactate, for example, and why all our limbs follow the bone structure 1-2-many-5. Also why ALL of them hack up hairballs, etc. when choking.
If you actually look at the anatomy of the head and neck, see the very high risk for aspiration, conclude that it has been intelligently designed, your designer made some HUGE design flaws. In fact the design of our neck is used far more commonly as evidence of lack of design. The fact of the matter is, it could have been designed much more efficiently, as we are fairly prone to choking. All this once again points to an argument from incredulity. Just because your measly mind can't imagine how/why, doesn't mean someone smarter hasn't figured it out.
BTFU,
Most importantly, in no case is atheism central to the building of these dogmatic positions. Atheism embodies no particular ideology, world view or dogma and cannot be justified as any significant factor in the activities of these people. If anything, the lack of belief in a supernatural overlord leaves one to respect the importance of all of mankind peacefully coexisting, because unlike in religious doctrine, the penalties one may face for immoral acts are often levied in the material world, during the life of the perpetrator.
Indeed to the founder of communist doctrines, Karl Marx (1818-1883), atheism, was just a stage on the path to communism, and it was ultimately "unreal" and "no longer needed" by socialism and communism. This is what Karl Marx himself said about atheism: Atheism as a denial of this unreality; has no longer any meaning, for atheism is a denial of God and tries to assert through this negation the existence of man; but socialism as such no longer needs this mediation...
It is important to pause for a moment and consider this statement carefully. If Karl Marx, the intellectual founder of Marxism and communism, repudiated atheism as meaningless and no longer needed, how then could atheism be considered the cause of the atrocities committed under communism?
Jesus did not say "respect your enemies." He said PRAY for them. That in a nutshell is WHY Christians ought to pray for Mr. Hitchens. This article is unnecessary, self-indulgent and in some instances, plain wrong. Scripture says the FOOL says in his heart "there is no God." The author of this article seems overly impressed with the intellectual arena of ideas and probably thinks much of his own platform. Do you want a model for “how a Christian should treat his intellectual opponents”? I’ve got a model for you. How about Jesus Christ? When Jesus spoke, He spoke to the heart of a matter. He didn’t waste time intellectualizing with Pharisees about doctrinal issues and such. I don’t share the author’s view that Mr. Hitchens is a “child of God,” given that THAT right and privilege Scripture quite pointedly says is bestowed upon those who believe in the Savior Jesus. I don’t know that Hitchens falls into this category. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love a good debate as much as the next person, but the suggestion that there is a code of conduct the Christian must adhere to (sharing the proverbial post-battle cup of tea, for example) begs the question – what code of conduct is expected of the atheist? Why is the onus on the Christian to “make nice,” so to speak? And why hold this in such lofty regard? I certainly appreciate what some Church members do in the way of “friendship evangelism,” but there is also a time when you need “shake the dust from your feet” and move on. The burden is not on me to save Christopher Hitchens.
Jone writes: "Scripture says the FOOL says in his heart 'there is no God.'"
Yeah, well, here I've got a little saying from the Book of Wisdom that says "Anyone who quotes scripture is an idiot."
So why should I believe YOUR work of fiction any more than mine?
PS: "... but whosoever shall say, Thou FOOL, shall be in danger of hell fire." - Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:22
richardsrussell, well said. And thank you for citing one (of HUNDREDS) example of how this supposed "holy book" contradicts itself.
@richardrussel
Sir, you're misquoting the Bible! Please try to read and understand carefullly.
Matthew 5:22 says: "But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brotherwill be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
You don't say fool to your brother - brother in Christ. Remember, not all humans are children of God!
Since you brought up the Bible quotes, please allow met me to add one: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Reverend,
I am sure Mr. Hitchens would have expected nothing less than this from the religious mind. It's exactly as he said it is: arrogant, condescending and smug, and laying claim to knowledge which the bearer cannot possibly possess.
If he read your article at all, I imagine he found it almost comforting, but for all the wrong reasons. I expect he'll be comforted to learn that he nailed your pretensions so perfectly. If not, he probably just finds you insulting.
It's bound to have been noted elsewhere here, but we know from extensive studies now that prayer offers no benefit. So you would only ever be praying for your own benefit. That, of course, is the point of the whole exercise, isn't it? Your benefit. It's cheap and tawdry and articles like these say so much more about you than they do about the person you're attacking with passive aggressive condescension.
Sean: WELL SAID. Agree 100%.
This is also my reply to Candy. To all who don't believe in God:
God is real. I have my own testimony. Most people would think I'm crazy. About a year and a half ago. I was feeling depressed, hopeless and helpless. One night I cried out to God and ask Him to come and take control of my life because I couldn't go on any longer. At that moment, the Holy Spirit came into me and live inside of me from that moment on. Some verses that I never read just came to me. Some biblical knowledge was given to me that I didn't have before. I didn't read it or hear it anywhere. It wasn't my own effort. So it must be from God. I started to have growing thirst for God's words. God gave me the desire to study His words and live a godly life which was totally opposite of my character. The Holy Spirit also gave me the knowledge that I was adopted to God's kingdom which is heaven. I've been filled with peace and joy ever since. Without the Holy Spirit, you will not go to heaven. I also have a new desire to minister to others. I didn't make this up. It really happened. It was the moment of my conversion, also known as salvation.
Can you give me an example of the "biblical knowledge" that you received?
To Eric G.,
One of them is that once we are born again, we have eternal life. When our body dies, our soul will go to heaven and to be with God. Some verses would be Romans 8:16, Matthew 18:3. I had never read these verses before my conversion. I used to think Bible was boring. Now I love to study and listen to sermons at least 4 to 5 hours a day. It was like a light turned on. It's very fitting to say "I was blind, now I see."
Sorry, no sale. I do not believe in your imaginary friend, nor have you offered any more "proof" than anyone else EVER has, which is exactly zero.
Thank you for sharing........I believe you.
The fact that you preface the story with "Most will think I am crazy" speaks volumes...