Agnostic.com

24 38

After watching several YouTube videos of Christopher Hitchens, I have now concluded that it is a shame that I'm only just now getting into him after he passed. Dear goodness I love the "Hitchslaps" and everything he has to say about religion. It makes me that much happier that I've grown in Atheism.

Here's the video:

Everything he says here I completely feel him! I totally understand and I cannot see how people still see religion as moral. How? Also, why do people think Atheists do not have morals? It is as though they treat being without god as a handicap (I'm saying this in gamer terms and not insulting people with disabilities).

CatiValti23 6 Dec 31
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

24 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

12

Yes, Christopher was a rare gem. Keep digging, there is no shortage of him on youtube.
There is a great one from 2007 called 'The Four Horsemen". with Hitchens, Dennet, Harris, and Dawkins, all having a great conversation. that was good stuff.

9

My favorite quote of his is "Atheism is not chosen, it is discovered".

9

He kicked ass!

8

Christopher Hitchens had a profound knowledge and memory of holy books and practices that combined with logical thinking made him an awesome debater.

8

I also wanted to say that it felt like he was the only Atheist person on the podium and he held his ground. I would love to be able to do that. It can be intimidating because you start second guessing yourself and stuff. I also love how he stays cool and collected when the other people started going bananas with every word he said. He continued to finish his statement despite how many times they interrupted him. It was great!

7

What an amazing intellect. It was Hitchens that brought clarity to the, why I am a nonbeliever. Here is a video that covers faith/religion very well.

GROG Level 6 Jan 1, 2020

Though I had previously seen at least some portion of this, I didn't recall it being so compelling. This immediately jumps into the top 10 or so of my favorite Hitchen's segments. It's a MASSACRE of religion on numerous,if not all, fronts. But why does the picture show him with Stephen Fry where in tandem they went after the Catholic church? Another absolute massacre which I highly recommend, especially the segment where he goes into all of the apologies the Catholic Church has had, and some day will have, to make.
UPDATE: Just realized that this apparently is an edit of the last segment of the main post video which I only just now watched.

Thank you for your post

@Rossy92 The debate with Stephen Fry in opposition to the Catholic bishop/priest(?) and the former member of Parliament was a classic. Thanks for posting. GROG

7

Read "the God delusion", you will not regret it

7

I love his lecture to the Catholic Archbishop.

7

A strong, intelligent man, who kept his cool under fire. He is missed.

twill Level 7 Dec 31, 2019
6

An amazing man and brilliant debater - plus a great historian to boot. I miss him a lot. If you love the YouTube videos, try his book God is Not Great.

@lauren i love Hitchens, he speaks the truth. He doesn't care about the "flocks" feelings on truth.
I've got the book "God is Not Great". He doesn't pull punches. He is certainly a rare talent to be remembered.

@TimeOutForMe I agree! And his grace during the "godly" ugliness during his illness was impressive. I hope to have that kind of dignity some day.

@Lauren we can only wish for the (admirable) courage he had until the end. His dignity stood the test of time.

6

What a wonderful man. I love Mr. Hitchens. 🙂

5

Some good ones there. A favourite of mine would be when Hitchens was asked if encountering a large group of men would he feel safer, or less safe, if he knew that these men had come from a prayer meeting? Here is Hitchens's reply: "Just to stay within the letter 'B', I have actually had that experience in Belfast, Beirut, Bombay, Belgrade, Bethlehem and Baghdad. In each case I can say absolutely, and can give my reasons, why I would feel immediately threatened if I thought that the group of men approaching me in the dusk were coming from a religious observance."

4

"God Is Not Great" really covers it all, from top to bottom. Hitch was beloved by many. He was crushingly brutal in debate, yet always in the defense of common sense and decency.

4

Yeah,,Hitch will be missed for a long time. There's no one at the present who can do what he did.

We're fortunate he left behind so much writing and so many videos.

4

His stuff is really entertaining and informative. I do not agree with all that he says but he is a good start. If someone wants to discuss this further then I will have to do some research as when I was reading his works I made notes in the books and would have to go back to the books to see what I wrote. I do not have the time for this now so it will have to go on my list of things to do. Do not get me wrong as much of what he has to say is correct and informative. He had a great and quick mind.

4

Yes, condoms are far more worse than AIDS. Everyone must know this by now. Also in Africa the belief is that you can be cured of AIDS and HIV if you have unprotected sex with a young virgin. To hold these beliefs in any form is to be engaged in genocide.

@DenoPeno
You speak as though Africa, a continent, is one country. There are 54 countries on the continent of Africa.
I hear what you're saying and I've heard of that too but that mentality is in the rural areas where people are sidetracked by superstition, witchcraft, incest and barbarism.
just that Africa is a continent, not a country.

@TimeOutForMe Thanks, and I am aware that it is a continent. I was speaking of tribal lore from Kenya in particular. My point is that the supposed cure for AIDS is what spreads it. The Catholic Church and condom beliefs do a good job of spreading diseases also.

@DenoPenno Hepatitis kills more people compared to HIV and TB. Also note that the increase of the HIV virus has moved to the affluent suburbs worldwide - amongst the educated and wealthy. This includes the wealthy countries in Africa like South Africa and Botswana.
...though the raping of a virgin for a cure is restricted to the rural villages all over Africa. It's tribal and lack of education on the matter and touched on that in my previous message to you further above. I have not been to other countries in Africa, except for Swaziland way back in 2000 to a resort for a conference for four days. I would really like to visit Egypt and Casablanca though, but with a group.

@TimeOutForMe I understand a lot of that. My time in Egypt was a 4 hour stop over in changing planes. I raveled some in the military years ago and then in 2004 I went to Kenya for the woman who is now my ex wife. We were married 12 years. These days at 73, I am a small town hermit. 🙂

3

I miss the power of this man's words.

Deb57 Level 8 Jan 3, 2020
3

The Four Horsemen are all great. Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Bennett, Sam Harris, and Richard Dawkins. Christopher held on to his beliefs and worked right up until the end of his life. He was a warrior for the truth. They are all great atheist philosophers
I have read at least one book written by each of them as well as a book written by all of them They have all been quite enlightening. You can add Michael Shermer to the list, also.

3

Check out the atheist experience call-in show with matt DillaHunty (lots of clips on youtube) for more scathing rebukes to religious arguments.

2

Thank you for your post.

1

i've read his books.. He helped me under stand the truth as i understand it.

1

I ran accross "Atheism, A Case Against God" by George H. Smith" in the mid 70s. Hitchens follows along the same line of rational thinking, and a better "I think" orator...

1

You say, " ...and I cannot see how people still see religion as moral. "

Religion ... pure and faultless is this: to help widows and orphans in need and avoiding worldly corruption. James 1:27

Why are you referring to anything other than "helping widows and orphans while avoiding worldly corruption" to be a form of religion?

Word Level 8 Jan 1, 2020
0

"One obstacle to liberty, is the poisonous role played by fellow primates of mine, who think they can tell me what to do, in the name of god, because god has told them that they have this power. So that is one thing I would like to be shot of, right here in the here and now, and my suspicion is, if they really are so religious, where do they want power, in what world they care about, the next one, or this one . . . . . it will be this one every time because they too, know perfectly well, that this is the only life we have got." Christopher Hitchens

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:444455
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.