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December 16th, 2011
04:45 PM ET
My Take: An evangelical remembers his friend Hitchens
By Larry Alex Taunton, Special to CNN (CNN)– I first met Christopher Hitchens at the Edinburgh International Festival. We were both there for the same event, and foremost in my mind was the sort of man I would meet. A journalist and polemicist, his reputation as a critic of religion, politics, Britain's royal family, and, well, just about everything else was unparalleled. As an evangelical, I was certain that he would hate me. When the expected knock came at my hotel room door, I braced for the fire-breather who surely stood on the other side of it. With trepidation, I opened it and he burst forth into my room. Wheeling on me, he began the conversation as if it was the continuance of some earlier encounter: “The Archbishop of Canterbury has effectively endorsed the adoption of Sharia law. Can you believe that? Whatever happened to a Church of England that believed in something?” He alternated between sips of his Johnnie Walker and steady tugs on a cigarette. My eyebrows shot up. “‘Believed in something?’ Why, Christopher, you sound nostalgic for a church that actually took the Bible seriously.” He considered me for a moment and smiled. “Indeed. Perhaps I do.”
There was never a formal introduction. There was no need for one. From that moment, I knew that I liked him. We immediately discovered that we had much in common. We were descendants of martial traditions; we loved literature and history; we enjoyed lively discussion with people who didn’t take opposition to a given opinion personally; and we both found small talk boring. Over the next few years, we would meet irregularly. The location was invariably expensive, a Ritz Carlton or a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. He disliked cheap restaurants and cheap liquor. In his view, plastic menus were indicative of bad food. I never ate so well as when I was with Hitch.  Christopher Hitchens, standing, debates his friend Larry Taunton. More than bad food, however, he disliked unintelligent conversation. “What do you think about gay marriage?” He didn’t wait for a response. “I don’t get it. I really don’t. It’s like wanting the worst of both worlds.” He drank deeply of his whiskey. “I mean, if I was gay, I would console myself by saying, ‘Well, I’m gay, but at least I don’t have to get married.’” That was classic Hitch. Witty. Provocative. Unpredictable. Calling him on his cell one day, he sounded like he was flat on his back. Breathing heavily, there was desperation in his voice. “What’s wrong?” I asked, anticipating some tragedy. “Only minutes ago, I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.” He was almost gasping. I didn’t know what to say. No one ever does in such moments, so we resort to meaningless stock phrases like, “I’m sorry.” Instead, I just groaned. I will never forget his response: “I had plans for the next decade of my life. I think I should cancel them.” He asked me to keep the matter private until he could tell his family and make the news public. Hesitatingly, I told him that while I knew that he did not believe in such things, I would pray for him. He seemed genuinely moved by the thought. “We are still on for our event in Birmingham, right?” He asked. I was stunned. Sensing my surprise, he continued. “I have made a commitment,” he insisted. “Besides, what else am I going to do? I can’t just sit around waiting to die.” Hitchens brothers debate if civilization can survive without God As time approached, he suggested a road trip from his D.C. apartment to my home in Birmingham, Alabama. “Flying has become a humiliating experience, don’t you think?” He said. “Besides, I haven’t taken a road trip in 20 years and it will give us a chance to talk and for me to finally take you up on your challenge.” Arriving in Washington some five months after his diagnosis, I was shocked by his appearance. Heavy doses of chemotherapy had left him emaciated, and hairless but for his eyelashes. His clothes hung off of him as though he were a boy wearing a man’s garments. He was, nonetheless, looking forward to our journey, having packed a picnic lunch and, predictably, enough Johnnie Walker for a battalion. After breakfast with his lovely wife, Carol, and his sweet daughter, Antonia, Hitch and I headed south on an eleven-hour road trip. “Have you a copy of Saint John with you?” He asked with a smile. “If not, you know I do actually have one.” This was a reference to my challenge of two years before: a joint study of the Gospel of John. It was my assertion that he had never really read the Bible, but only cherry-picked it. “Not necessary.” I was smiling, too. “I brought mine.” A few hours later we were wending our way through the Shenandoah Valley on a beautiful fall morning. As I drove, Hitch read aloud from the first chapter of John’s Gospel. We then discussed its meaning. No cameras, no microphones, no audience. And that always made for better conversation with Hitch. When he referenced our journey in a televised debate with David Berlinski the next day, various media representatives descended on me to ask about our “argument.” When I said that we didn’t really argue, they lost interest. But that was the truth. It was a civilized, rational discussion. I did my best to move through the prologue verse by verse, and Christopher asked thoughtful questions. That was it. A bit put off by how the Berlinski event had played out, Hitch suggested we debate one another. Friend though he was, I knew that Hitch could be a savage debater. More than once I had chaired such engagements where Hitch went after his opponents remorselessly. Hence, I was more than a bit anxious. Here he was, a celebrated public intellectual, an Oxonian, and bestselling author, and that is to say nothing of that Richard Burton-like, aristocratic, English-accented baritone. That always added a few I.Q. points in the minds of people. With hesitation, I agreed. We met in Billings, Montana. Hitch had once told me that Montana was the only state he had never been in. I decided to complete his tour of the contiguous United States and arranged for the two of us to meet there. Before the debate, a local television station sent a camera crew over to interview us. When he was asked what he thought of me, a Christian, and an evangelical at that, Hitch replied: “If everyone in the United States had the same qualities of loyalty and care and concern for others that Larry Taunton had, we'd be living in a much better society than we do.” I was moved. Stunned, really. As we left, I told him that I really appreciated the gracious remark. “I meant it and have been waiting for an opportunity to say it.” Later that night we met one another in rhetorical combat. The hall was full. Christopher, not I, was of course the real attraction. He was at the peak of his fame. His fans had traveled near and far to see him demolish another Christian. Overall, it was a hard-fought but friendly affair. Unknown to the audience were the inside jokes. When I told a little story from our road trip, he loved it. The debate over, I crossed the stage to shake Christopher’s hand. “You were quite good tonight,” he said with a charming smile as he accepted my proffered hand. “I think they enjoyed us.” “You were gentle with me,” I said as we turned to walk off the stage. He shook his head. “Oh, I held nothing back.” He then surveyed the auditorium that still pulsed with energy. “We are still having dinner?” he asked. “Absolutely.” After a quick cigarette on the sidewalk near the backstage door, he went back inside to meet his fans and sign their books. There was something macabre about it all. I had the unsettling feeling that these weren’t people who cared about him in the least. Instead, they seemed like a bunch of groupies who wanted to have a photo taken with a famous but dying man, so that one day they could show it to their buddies and say, “I knew him before he died.” It was a sad spectacle. Turning away, I entered the foyer, where 30 or so Christians greeted me excitedly. Mostly students, they were encouraged by what had happened onstage that night. Someone had spoken for them, and it had put a bounce in their step. One young man told me that he had been close to abandoning his faith, but that the debate had restored his confidence in the truth of the gospel. Another student said that she saw how she could use some of the same arguments. It is a daunting task, really, debating someone of Hitchens' intellect and experience, but if this cheery gathering of believers thought I had done well, then all of the preparation and expense had been worth it. The next day, the Fixed Point Foundation staff piled into a Suburban and headed for Yellowstone National Park. Christopher and I followed behind in a rented pick-up truck. Accompanied by Simon & Garfunkel (his choice), we drove through the park at a leisurely pace and enjoyed the grandeur of it all. The second chapter of John’s Gospel was on the agenda: The wedding at Cana where Jesus turned water into wine. “That is my favorite miracle,” Hitch quipped. Lunching at a roadside grill, he regaled our staff with stories. Afterwards, he was in high spirits. “That’s quite a - how shall I put it? A clan? - team that you’ve got there,” he said, watching the teenage members of our group clamber into the big Chevrolet. “Yes, it is,” I said, starting the truck. “They enjoyed your stories.” “I enjoy them.” He reclined his seat and we were off again. “Shall we do all of the national parks?” “Yes, and maybe the whole Bible, too,” I suggested playfully. He gave a laugh. “Oh, and Larry, I’ve looked at your book.” He added. “And?” “Well, all that you say about our conversation is true, but you have one detail wrong.” “And what is that?” I feared a total rewrite was coming. “You have me drinking Johnnie Walker Red Label. That’s the cheap stuff. I only drink Black Label.” The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Larry Alex Taunton.
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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 Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's note: Larry Alex Taunton is the founder and executive director of the 
Does anyone else find it difficult to distinguish the comments of religious people from blatant trolls?
@ fda – LOL, I don't like beer, but I would take a Piña Colada or a Margarita...easy on the liquor....I can't handle to much of it.
Keep up the good work, it's not in vain. God loves His warriors!
Why would a loving "God" need warriors?
Bet all those dead Muslims from the Crusades are full of your love. And the victims of the Pogroms. And all those people in South America who died if they didn't convert... or heck, the Native Americans who met the same fate.
Jon O, I am not a Muslim, so don't think you know who I am.
You can choke on a mierdacoladaputa.
Where did I say you were a Muslim?
Talk about reading comprehension fail. No wonder you believe in the Bible.
"HeIsGod
Jon O – You seem to have so many questions but refuse to listen to all logic answers given to you. So why don't you seek God for better answers instead of seeking others for it. After all, you are too closed minded you won't listen."
HelsGod – you have provided no answers, just propagandic rhetoric.
Get real. Please provide an example of one of your post that contains factually verifiable information since LOGIC would require that facts – real facts – be used to reach a conclusion.
I'll be waiting. Until then, I'll just continue to watch you make single-statement posts devoid of any information.
And I don't have any questions pertaining to Christianity. I know what I need to know.
But hey, care to talk about some of those Biblical contradictions since were talking about Logic... because we all know, for example, that "creationism" is based on logic, right?
Because when confronted with the undeniable proof of microevolution, and the ever developing fossil record that strengthens the theory of macroevolution... I don't see the logic in the belief that you poofed into existence.
Oh, and alcohol? Really?
The bible says 75 times that you are not to imbibe alcohol. 75 times. Seems pretty important if its referenced that many times. But hey, who said you needed to actually live by the book, right? All you need to do is wave it in front of other peoples' faces and tell them how evil they are, right?
Atheists say that those who believes in God need to get a brain.....I guess they don't have a heart to know what LOVE really is because God is ALL about LOVE.....for God is LOVE.
Love?
Last time I checked you don't order those you love to kill others that you love... you know, because they weren't virgins when they were married, or a child backtalked his parents...
Yeah, lot's of love.
If Atheists are so bad why haven't we wiped all the believers off of the earth? You get to be with your invisible god and we don't have to put up with your BS... and we get to drink all your beer. Enjoy the milk and honey. By the way I don't think intelligence has anything to do with whether a person believes or not, just more intellectual reasons to lie to themselves.
Yup, love is destroying an entire planet for a mulligan and sitting idly by while your creation are eternally tortured.
If that's your definition of love, I'm scared to see what hate or anger look like.
Jon O – You seem to have so many questions but refuse to listen to all logic answers given to you. So why don't you seek God for better answers instead of seeking others for it. After all, you are too closed minded you won't listen.
I have never met a Christian who practices Christianity. The religion of today is like a sociopath just trying to fit in and survive regardless of truths and how their actions effect society.
Most of the Atheists used to be Christians who were NOT committed to their faith and backslide to their old way of SELF DESTRUCTION.
Wow, you sure do presume to know a lot of Atheists.
Yeah, must be were the ones who are so misguided... what with our refusal to bow down to a book that contradicts itself constantly.
I find the Christian assertion that the Bible, and God, are infallible when the Bible has several hundred direct contradictions of things it says within its own pages. Interesting take on the concept of infallibility.
"Most of the Atheists used to be Christians who were NOT committed to their faith and backslide to their old way of SELF DESTRUCTION."
And you know this how? Because it makes you feel better about yourself? Deep in your heart you know you question things and you try to deny it by making up ridiculous, false statements about others. Sad, really.
Oh, and I'm a Deist – not an Atheist. But let's not act like you know what that is.
OH, I SURE HAVE EVIDENCE OF MANY COMMENTS FROM ATHEISTS PROCLAIMING THAT THEY ONCE BELIEVED IN GOD AND SERVED IN CHURCH FOR 15+ YEARS.
TALKING IN CAPS DOESN'T MAKE YOU SMARTER.
And I know plenty of Atheists who never subscribed to a faith or believed in non-Christian faiths. What's your point? You think your tiny amount of exposure to atheists represents the whole of reality.
Here's some logic for you – America comes back as 64% Christian. Thus, since that's a majority... (are you following or is this too hard for you) it would make sense that many American Atheists were once Christian.
And if you go to the Middle East... I'd bet you'd find most of their Atheists were Muslim.
And in Israel? Something tells me they were Jews.
You're not saying anything remotely intelligent or important...
Better a fool for Christ than a DEAD atheist fool.
We are both atheists about most gods, I just go one god further 🙂
Wow, your multiple examples of "love thy neighbor" sure do show how good of a Christian you are.
You're just another bully with a holy book. You should move to Iran, you'd fit right in.
I think not! Better to believe what you will and leave others to reality.
@ Jon O – LOL, boy you made me laugh!!
No wonder too many blind people don't UNDERSTAND the Bible because they are reading it with a CARNAL mind and without SPIRITUAL understanding.
You say that Satan only killed 10????? So, tell me, what about the people that have been killed that are NOT mentioned in the bible? Are you going to blame God too? I am pretty sure that more people have died after the Bible was written, so who are you going to blame for that?
You must be a riot at all the parties you never get invited to, Higgy. Dilusional piece of mierda.
Thanks for your support Hels. May we share a beer in heaven someday laughing at the souls who laughed at us first.
HeIsGod,
Speaking of killing people, the Bible says that God torturously killed virtually every man, woman (pregnant or not), child and fetus on the face of the earth at one time.
Observer, what was the reason he done that?
fda,
"Observer, what was the reason he done that?"
God felt that every man, woman (pregnant or not), child, and fetus had sinned so much that they deserved early death.
Why do you Christians hate those who don't share your beliefs? All someone has to do is doubt your version of events no one alive witnessed, and the fangs come out. Why? What do you think you gain by having everyone believe as you do? History shows that any nearly universal belief soon splits into different sects, and usually war between them.
Far better to have a significant percentage that go for a third, non-committal option.
They are following the example of their deity. Anyone who will not fall in line deserves unhappiness, death, and eternity in a torture chamber.
No, history shows that has already happened in Christianity, numerous times in fact.
When it all boils down, religion is a plague in general – its a bunch of people using an invisible man to excuse their bad behavior.
Are you fully committed to your non-commitalism?
Aye, ladie, it's the Bully in the Clouds™
The gospel teaches us that God is all-loving and all-accepting. Those that attack others for not agreeing with the gospel or those that attack others for not agreeing with their Christian faith are not following the example of Christ and are not being good Christians. It is unfortunate that many proclaim a Christian belief while not constantly displaying the core element of Christianity, Universal Acceptance. Those that attack others in the name of God do not represent me nor do they properly represent the Christian faith. God is all-loving and all-merciful.
Yes Matthew, No True Scotsman indeed.
I'm a Christian and try to have an open mind about everything. Not all of us are these hateful people who take joy in the death of someone. I see my faith as something that is constantly evolving and have to be open to every possibility. From what I've read and heard from Mr. Hitchens, he seems to have been an incredible intellectual. I have no joy in anyone dying and pray that his family will find comfort and peace in this very hard time to lose someone.
Matthew – your god is a murderous monster.
He killed millions and millions of people just because they didn't kiss his butt enough... meanwhile the Devil has a whopping 10 deaths attributed to him. And that's the Bible talking.
He tells you to murder children. Murder women. Enslave people.
There is nothing "loving" about the Abrahamic God.
Jon O – LOL, boy you made me laugh!!
No wonder too many blind people don't UNDERSTAND the Bible because they are reading it with a CARNAL mind and without SPIRITUAL understanding.
You say that Satan only killed 10????? So, tell me, what about the people that have been killed that are NOT mentioned in the bible? Are you going to blame God too? I am pretty sure that more people have died after the Bible was written, so who are you going to blame for that?
HeIsGod- Nature. Duh.
HelsGod – unfortunately, your religion is based on the Bible, not on what happened last week.
But thanks for dodging the actual point of my post. Always easier to deflect and change the subject rather than hold yourself, and your God, accountable. Right?
You'll have to remind me about the moral superiority of God... how many Jews did while Rome refused to take a stance in the holocaust?
How many non-Christian Russians died in the Pogroms? Do you even KNOW what the Pogroms are?
Or how many people did the Spanish Inquisition kill? Or the Crusades... which... oops... were about money.
Yeah, you guys sure do have a crystal clean history.
Rather be an individual who sins than a sheep who follows the murderous orders of a vengeful, hateful God... oh wait, I meant to say the orders of men seeking power and wealth who brainwash the ignorant into doing their bidding.
Oh, and don't forget the 10,000 kids who died today of starvation. God sure loved them.
Personal Faith is between man and the Living Loving God of Creation. The Felloowship of that God was broken in the Garden of Eden and God brought His Son Jesus as a baby by the Holy Spirit to be the FINAL SACRIFICE for mans sin of disobidence that seprated man and God. It is a PERSONAL CONFESSION on each ones part.
What rubbish...
This is where most of you believers go wrong and start sounding like idiots; You should say "Personal Faith is... personal" because everything else you say after it is complete nonsense and you don't realize how crazy and pathetic you sound to sane people.
AMEN!!!
THANK GOD FOR MY FREE GIFT OF SALVATION THROUGH CHRIST.
My only personal encounter with Chris Hitchens occurred several years ago at an evening event at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. We spoke for perhaps 15-20 minutes before the formal program started, agreeing on some issues and sharply disagreeing on others. But I was much impressed by him and enjoyed the exchange immensely.
I continue to believe he was profoundly wrong about many issues (as I'm confident he would have said of me), but he struck me as an exceptionally bright, thoughtful, and passionate individual who was truly engaged in a search for the truth.
I had long hoped that we would someday have an opportunity to debate. Knowing that won't happen saddens me, as he would have been a formidable adversary. But I am much more saddened by the loss of this exceptionally able human being.
It is very fortunate for you that you never got the opportunity to debate Hitchens, if he would have even thought you worthy of a debate, that is. He would have swept the debate floor with you, as he did with each and every debate opponent he ever faced.
I know, it's so horrible that a man believes that the responsibility to shape the world falls on his own shoulders, that he should be held accountable for his own actions...
What a misguided individual, choosing to manage his behavior because he knew the effects it had on other people and himself rather than using some invisible man as an excuse for everything.
He was 10,000X the moral giant that the vast majority of "Christians" are.
fda,
"a more recent poll showed that more average christians read the whole thing than the average atheist"
If the polls are right, it says that Christians read more of the Bible and retain less. That sounds realistic to me.
statistically that is not what its says. Id suggest you learn the difference between an average and a mean.
I've read the Bible. Twice. Front to back. And picked out passages a thousand thousand times that I needed to reference.
What did I learn about the Bible? That every other page is a contradiction. The histories contradict each other. The messages contradict each other... from one book to the next, nothing is ever kept straight.
Genesis... couldn't decide if beast or man came first. Who went to Jesus' tomb and found the boulder moved? Several different accounts on that one... how did Judas die? Apparently two different ways.
Judge. Don't judge. Good deeds matter... nope, they are as dirty rags.
The whole entire book is a bunch of hypocritical contradiction.
fda,
Why not do some RESEARCH? Check out the Pew Research findings:
It's not evangelicals or Catholics who did best – it's atheists and agnostics.
It's not Bible-belt Southerners who scored highest – they came at the bottom.
Those who believe the Bible is the literal word of God did slightly worse than average, while those who say it is not the word of God scored slightly better.
Don't let any FACTS get in your way.
Observer, if he cared about facts he wouldn't be following some several-thousand year old holy book that makes scientifically disproven claims about both human history and the history of our planet, when said book contradicts itself and thus can't even keep its own "facts" straight.
Let's not act like "rational thought" ever enters this guy's head.
Let us raise a glass to the Hitch! He was a great man and a great writer!
Wasn't this man, Hitchens, supposed to have proven that there was no God? He died without leaving any proof. What evidence did he have to prove that there is no God?
He is NOW wishing he had believed in God. God hides from the blinded fools.
Indeed, your god excels at a good game of hide-and-seek.
No, simpleton. He never claimed to have proved there was no god. A negative assertion cannot be proven. Logic 101. Obviously you have never read or heard Hitchens.
HeIsGod,
Please supply proof that you know what Hitchens is thinking right now. Keep in mind that the Bible says that fortune tellers should be killed.
Observer – I am not God to say what he is thinking, but I don't doubt in my heart that he wishes he never denounced God.
How long have you been brainwashed?
Higgy...You're an astronomical piece of your own sheez.
@HeIsGod, Therefore, you must disprove the existence of Zeus, fairies, unicorns, and magical bunnies that f@rt rainbows.
...so tell us what is your proof that HE does exist? Because surely your walk as a christian is not very godlike. I know this just from reading your posts.
Id rather take a chance on the man that loves me so much he died for me and the place i believe he is creating for me in heaven, than to not believe and know that noone loves me that much and risk eternal torment.
Well if the entire idea is not to take a risk you better expand your religious practices outside of just the one with the story of a dead person coming back to life.
Thanks for the great display of cowardice. By the way, it's called Pascal's wager. It's just about the worst reason one can have for believing in a deity.
AMEN, fda!!!
ME TOO! BETTER A FOOL FOR CHRIST THAN AN ATHEIST FOOL!!
You risk more than torment FDA. By believing in god, you risk a life of never knowing anything. Your argument is not new. It is called Pascal's Wager, was postulated in the 1600s, and has been debunked long ago as a worthwhile dilemma.
Yup, Hels... better to corrupt and pervert God's message than to not follow it at all.
Great logic there.
Pascal must be rolling in his grave, for how much he gets mentioned by believers on this site. Ever think that your god will put you in hell because the only reason that you believe is to avoid it, if he is "all-knowing/all-seeing"? Also, if he really was omniscient, that pretty much does away with free will. Looks like you're caught in a double-bind, there.
And Hitchens' words will continue on as noted below:
Recognizing the flaws, follies and frauds in the foundations of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, the "bowers", kneelers" and "pew peasants" are converging these religions into some simple rules of life. No koran, bible, clerics, nuns, monks, imams, evangelicals, popes, ayatollahs, rabbis, professors of religion or priests needed or desired.
Ditto for houses of "worthless worship" aka mosques, churches, basilicas, cathedrals, temples and synagogues.
What possibly could this alcoholic done for the living? NOTHING!! NEVER CARED FOR THE POOR.
Careful HelsGod because you are definitely in danger of the judgement – with all the judging that you are doing.
Casting the first stone, HelsGod?
HITCHENTS WAS A GREAT MAN. HE AIMED TO ENCOURAGE THE ATHEIST COMMUNITY TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE ATROCITIES OF RELIGION. MAINLY CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM. RATIONALITY ALWAYS WINS OVER FAITH WITHOUT EVIDENCE.THE BIBLE, KORAN,TORAH ETC ARE ALL ANCIENT BOOKS TRANSCRIBED OR COPIED FROM OTHER EGYPTIAN/SUMERIAN TALES AND MYTHS OF VIRGIN BIRTHS AND TALKING ANIMALS. MAN WILL ONE DAY REALIZE RELIGION IS A COPING MECHANISM THAT MAN USES TO DEAL WITH THE REALITIES OF THE WORLD. NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU, WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WILL AND PRAYING WILL NOT CHANGE ANYTHING. NARCISSISM IN RELIGION TODAY IS AT ITS PEAK. IF YOU WERE BORN IN AFRICA OR ANY OTHER IMPOVERISHED COUNTRY THOSE PRAYERS YOU USE EVERYDAY WOULD BE WORTHLESS, YOU ARE LUCKY YOU WERE BORN IN TEH LAND OF THE FREE. BUT NONETHELESS PEOPLE TAHT BELIEVE IN A VIRGIN GIVING BIRTH ARE IRRATIONAL AND NOT WORTHY OF CREDITIBILITY
ATHEISM IS A RELIGION OF DISBELIEF......SO HOW CAN YOU FIGHT AGAINST ANOTHER CRAZY RELIGION WHEN YOUR RELIGION IS NO BETTER THAN THEIRS?
@HeIsGod, religion requires a deity. Who is the deity of atheists?
YOUR CAPS LOCK IS BROKEN
Yourself.
@HeIs Gid- "so are you" and " no, you are" are obviously the rhetorical tools of small children. The concept of the Holocaust denier and the climate change denier, the "denier of the obviously true" got stolen to create the "Christ denier", a weak attempt at best to bash non-Christians. This meme of calling non-religious people like atheists, agnostics, and secularists simply believers in a different religion, is a similar illegitimate concept, a weak argument resounding among some of the faithful, but a falsehood to most.
There is no such thing as "ATHEISM".
@ashrakay
Technically, you don't need a deity for a belief to be a religion. Buddhism worships no one it is considered a religion.
Obviously, I never had the privilege of knowing Christopher Hitchens. However, I found him to be absolutely fascinating, mesmerizing, galvanizing – you get my drift. Regardless of one's religious beliefs or lack of them, Hitchens could make his points without condescending to his listeners or readers, or without insulting their intelligence. I for one will miss him. I send my condolences to his family and friends.
Among the many remarkable things about Hitchens, one of the things that I find particularly fascinating is that he was liked – and respected – even by his opponents, detractors and downright enemies. This includes the many who consistently came up short against him on the debate floor ... which was anyone who ever debated Hitchens.
A great loss to humanity. But he will live on as long as there is humanity.
All of the religious people here claiming Hitch is in hell, that he is in space cowering in fear before their imaginary friend, spreading ancient myths as some kind of actual fact with some kind of actual importance remind me of how important people like Christopher Hitchens are to the world. IF your god is real (s)he is unworthy of worship or attention.
Amen.
Ameen.
"One young man told me that he had been close to abandoning his faith, but that the debate had restored his confidence in the truth of the gospel." >> that young man wasn't paying attention...
and
"There was something macabre about it all. I had the unsettling feeling that these weren’t people who cared about him in the least. Instead, they seemed like a bunch of groupies who wanted to have a photo taken with a famous but dying man, so that one day they could show it to their buddies and say, “I knew him before he died.” It was a sad spectacle.
>> That's absurd. The atheist community adored this man for good reason – the power of his ideas. To describe his readers as a macabre "bunch of groupies" is wrong. Religious people always want to misrepresent Hitch and the atheist community. Friend of Hitch or not, this author of this article is not telling the whole truth... and he is mostly only relaying the bits he sees through the filter of his own unenlightened worldview. Using the death of a friend to promote your nonsense religion... now that's macabre!
Religious people do not share what they truly think, because in Hitchens situation, we all fear the same fate.
All these atheists may never have known anything about Jesus. But four men, at 4 different times read similar accounts of Jesus Christ, the savior of souls and the king of all nations. A man who holds 7 legions of armies in Heaven. He was born in Bethlehem from a virgin. He started preaching in the temples at 12 years.
He walked from place to place, performing miracles like full nets of fish for fisherman, curing the sick, the paralyzed and even someone who died. He made 3 fish and 5 loaves of bread feed 5000 men.
He eventually went on to suffer under Pontius Pilate, crowned with thorns, whipped and eventually stab in the chest with a spear where water and wine spilled from him. He later rose from the dead to provide hope for our mortal bodies.
His life has been testified for by billions and remains as the single greatest inspiration for good men to live the life of Jesus Christ.
Its not a myth, its stone cold fact. May God have mercy on yours souls.
Oh dear...
Haha, many have the same reaction Surry. But don't worry, its a good thing, he went through that punishment for you. Makes alot of people flabbergasted that someone would do that, that someone would love you THAT much.
A recent poll/test showed that the average atheist and average agnostic know more about the Bible than the average Christian.
May Dog have mercy on my brain and sense of decency.
An evangelical robbing the corpse of Christopher Hitchens. The evangelical cult nurtures itself on death. Don't drink the cool aid.
Think for a minute. What if none of what you said is true? The angry, jealous God who loves you so much he lets the boy he fathered with a virgin get nailed to a cross so you could come live with him up in the sky? Do you know how crazy that sounds?
He said they said is hearsay evidence not fact. You are living a fairy tale.
Oh My!! your scary
a more recent poll showed that more average christians read the whole thing than the average atheist
Why are armies needed in heaven? Could it be because the people who invented it couldn't help their thirst for blood and carnage, and simple had to extend their vile urges, even to a place they imagined and made up as heaven? WOW!!! That is serious psychosis. Is it any wonder why religion has been responsible for so much destruction and bloodshed?
haha thank you fda that made my day.I truly hope you live your life believing jesus is pulling some strings for you. I hope you pray that you don't live to share the same fate as Hitchens because that man had more people look up to him than will ever look up to you. Just don't forget your donation on Sunday or you may not make it through those pearly gates!
You are right, atheists are usually the ones buying Playboy for the pictures.
I try to live a good christian life. Id rather one jesus on my side than a trillion atheists looking up to me.
And Zeus so loved the world that he sent his Son Hercules to recuse Troy from a great serpent and to help Zeus kill giants. This is not a story. This is fact!
Actually, the romans – who were very good record keepers – have almost no mention of Jesus in their records.
Seems like such an important man would have shown up in the DETAILED histories of the world's greatest empire.
Actually, fda, I've read more religious texts now than when I was a practicing member. The bible, the qur'an, the torah, the i ching. I love your generalizations, they are laughable.