Christopher Hitchens
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- mikotondria3
Just into my second round of the audiobook of his 'God Is Not Great - how religion poisons everything.' tome, and boy, especially with him narrating it, it is just exquisite, thoroughly recommended for believers and non alike - anyone else read it, or have an mp3 like mine that is filled with him, Dennet, Dawkins et al ?
Wanna trade atheist/religious debate podcasts ?
- mikotondria30
starter for 10:
- ukit0
Unfortunately, when it comes to this subject, the idiots are winning®
- I'm about 3hrs from these people. Well, several thousand years, and 3 hours.mikotondria3
- http://imgur.com/ZIh…jimbojones
- http://cafepress.com…jimbojones
- ukit0
- hahaAmicus
- lol so funny
iCanHazQBN - hahakrokdesign
- I want to squeeze those cute little bastards.CygnusZero4
- Warland0
He's a man capable of wielding the English language as a weapon. Impressive to read/listen/watch even when you disagree with him.
This is good to find new stuff on all things religion: http://richarddawkins.net/archiv…
- mikotondria30
I agree, I as much enjoy his literally awesome use of English as much as his reason and wit..
Honestly I have a bit of an intellectual mancrush.
- MrT0
Can't agree more or recommend it enough. I've read the book twice, mainly as the prose is complex and he's a fan of obscure words (they were to me, anyway).
It certainly puts across one hell of a case. Pun intended.
It's also a shame there isn't something as well put together and from the other side of the argument. Probably means reading a selection of books from each the major organised religions Mr H rebuffs...
- Warland0
A good place to get a great series of essays is a book Hitchens edited called 'The Portable Athiest'. It contains essays from the likes of Spinoza, Darwin, Twain, Freud, Orwell and Sagan.
Speaking of which, anything by Carl Sagan is really stimulating too, Pale Blue Dot, Contact (fiction) or Demon Haunted World are all ace.
- SteveJobs0
i appreciate the athiests' seemingly insatiable obsession for understanding the big "why's" to all those existential questions, in spite of how similarly their, dare i say, obstinate views inversely mirror those of their religious contenders.
but listening to Hitchens, i find nothing more than rhetoric, in it's most eloquent form I'll admit, that conveniently is based on physical evidence, which funnily enough is attempting to disprove supernatural/spiritual phenomena and beliefs.
the futility, in my mind, is attempting to wholly believe or disbelieve any of the proposed ideas from either side, and just accept that perhaps in the grand scheme of things and in our short lifetimes, none of this matters and it's quite possibly outside the reach of our finite comprehension and understanding.
- MrT0
I would hardly call Hitchens' views obstinate. And atheism is as much about what you don't believe in as what you do.
There are many people perfectly happy with their religious beliefs, and likewise those with none. The problem arises when those personal boundaries are crossed.
A prime example is the church in Victoria blaming the state's abortion laws for the recent bushfires. In my mind that kind of thinking should be doubted, questioned at in the very least, ignored.
- SteveJobs0
i believe that's another reason we have the seperation of church and state, is it not?
and perhaps the word obstinate is strong for him. admittedly, i don't know the guy from Adam (hehe). but it's quite fitting for many of the like-minded masses on either side. and seeing both groups never look for common ground, but instead distance themselves from one another with their views and contempt is pretty pathetic, if you ask me.
just my opinion though. maybe all this effort will actually bring people together on day? guess i'm just a cynic for not thinking so.
- MrT0
Sure is. Church and state need to be totally independent. Look at countries where they aren't!
This whole religion-bash thing has been in vogue for a few years now and you're right, it's tedious to watch the extremes of each side get further apart and use the same bloody-minded tactics.
And I don't see why everyone can't get along together while still choosing their own beliefs. But then I recently moved to hippy country and maybe it's affecting me!
- Church and Satan need to be totally independentnilsnihil
- ukit0
I think it's part of the process of moving out of the dark ages. You never had a time before in history where large numbers of people stood up and said, I'm an atheist. People find someone like Hitchens offensive because socially, it's still controversial to say that religion is a fraud. Religion is so ingrained in our society that even if we don't buy into it, we don't want to be against it, even while we make fun of Tom Cruise and Mitt Romney for their "crazy" beliefs. But the fact that you have these guys out there, I think, is a turning point. It's a leading indicator of the fact that more and more people in the Western world reject a religious view point.
- BRNK0
Atheism is not a set of "views inversely mirror those of their religious contenders". There are no values or beliefs associated with atheism, simply one disbelief. This is a fact that most faithful people I speak to simply don't grasp. Sam Harris says it best when he says calling someone an atheist is like calling someone a non-astrologer, it means nothing outside of not practicing astrology!
- PonyBoy0
dude's nothing more than an atheist who uses big words that give you all little hard-ons...
... you've all been duped by fucking Harry Potter... :)
- kelpie0
Hitchens is great, however (though I can't remember if this is him or his brother), he did once admit on tele to getting a semi when he met margaret thatcher in person.
this is not good, and trumps all
- MrT0
Heaven help QBN.
- GeorgesII0
I still don't comprehend what atheist see in a warmonger
- mikotondria30
I think then, you should take the time to read what he says about the wars in the middle-east, he makes some ferociously adept points, far clearer of mind than the vagueries of the peace movement, of which I counted myself one.
- teleos0
All of the new atheists have been gently handed their collective ass with this book:
http://www.thereasonforgod.com/b…
All the objectsions that Hitchens, Dawkins, Dennett et al. have raised, has in my opinion, been more than sufficiently slapped down, in the book.
- teleos0
I can't believe Hitchens has the balls to debate Craig. Talk about two completely different intellectual wavelengths.