caught somewhere between real life, simple faith, & raw emotion
Notorious Atheist Christopher Hitchens Will Die!
Did you know famed Atheist Christopher Hitchens is going to die? Below is a clip from an interview Hitchens did with Anderson Cooper. I found it very interesting and wanted to talk about it, because there is something to learn in there. And as you read, please consider helping spread this around by copying and posting this in your social media status:
PRAY for ATHEIST Christopher HITCHENS #PrayForHitchens. And here’s why>>> http://bit.ly/hIdSco
I have regular interactions with a handful of atheists. So long as they’re respectful, I have not problem with them. Why would I make enemies with someone just because they don’t believe what I believe? That’s stupid. Let’s disagree, be direct, but have fun doing it. In fact, last year I was asked to review a book written by several atheists (and a couple agnostics) called The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails. It was a valuable experience, although I’m not sure the writers cared for my review.
Sure, atheists like Christopher Hitchens (and Richard Dawkins) can make me mad. In fact, I actually informally quote Hitchens in my book 10 Things I Hate About Christianity:
I heard a gentleman on a radio talk show say that the Bible is “obviously myth and must be considered a work of fiction.” He said we must all come to terms with the idea that religion in general is untrue and must be put aside for the sake of reason and enlightenment.
That was Hitchens. This may sound strange, but I find him very likable–not to mention articulate and intelligent. There is a certain charm and genuineness about him even when he is venomously bashing Christianity and saying people of faith deserve to be mocked and ridiculed. Ouch!
In some measure, I understand. Faith is strange. Even God says that those who follow him are a “peculiar people” (in the KJV translation). I think it’s important to remember this. What is a given for me, especially considering I have been doing this faith thing for 23 years now, is foreign to a lot of people. I think when Christians forget this, they are more prone to alienate people and create a tense response to their faith-stance–or develop a faith-stance that creates tension.
What is interesting is that Hitchens seems to fall under one of my two reasons people either stay away or stray away from God. As much as people say there is no evidence for God or that there are so many religions no single one is right, it’s much simpler than that. When there’s a way to find out more about a person’s story, I find two common denominators. They were also the main thrust of some recent lyrics I wrote and screamed for a band called VENIA, which I explain here and here.
What are they?
PAIN and PLEASURE.
It is either that a person’s painful situation has caused them to doubt the goodness of God or his existence. It’s just that simple. It has crushed them and destroyed their faith.
Or it is a battle with some form of morality that people wrestle with (or want to engage in), and it usually brings some sort of pleasure. Most people dabble in a behavior that they know is wrong, don’t want to stop, so they change what they believe so that it is not longer wrong in their own mind.
Most people who stray or stay away from God don’t have some sudden epiphany that “there is no God.” Something usually leads us there. Again, I talk about it in greater detail here and here.
Back to Hitchens. My heart broke when I heard about his mother committing suicide. How tragic. And clearly he will carry this with him until day he dies, whenever that may be. I can’t imagine the grief of that.
Yes, I am a Christian, but I do not wish death on Christopher Hitchens. I wish him all the best in his treatment and hopeful recovery.
And yes, I will pray for him. Not because it means something to me (and I know it doesn’t mean anything to him), but because I know he means something to God. I also pray he will at least have comfort in the strain, both physical and emotional.
So please join me and spread this around by copying this and posting it to your social media status: PRAY for ATHEIST Christopher HITCHENS #PrayForHitchens. And here’s why>>> http://bit.ly/hIdSco
Christopher Hitchens will die, but I hope he lives a long and happy life if at all possible.
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[…] find common ground? That is the question Jason Berggren has answered in a recent article âAtheist Christopher Hitchens Will Die!â His answer is unequivocally yes. With a tongue-in-cheek title, Berggren hopes to attract […]
your pain or pleasure theory is typical nonsense my friend. Atheists simply reject your version of an afterlife or deity based simply on a lack of evidence. It doesn’t have to be more than that. Most atheists are very willing to believe in something so long as their is some kind of proof. There is none and no one on earth that has any special insight to what happens when we die than I. Not you nor the most religious leaders either…now or anytime in history.
Sure, I get it. But the truth is we all believe in many things (not necessarily religious in nature) that we have had no personal evidence of. Is that not also ‘faith’ since we take the word of another?
[…] fine. Christians drive me nuts too. Before I get into it I also want to remind people to join my cause by praying for Christopher Hitchens in his battle with cancer. Please spread it around by copying […]
[…] find common ground? That is the question Jason Berggren has answered in a recent article “Atheist Christopher Hitchens Will Die!” His answer is unequivocally yes. With a tongue-in-cheek title, Berggren hopes to attract […]
I always think the same thing when I hear about an outspoken atheist in peril, who cares? Think about it, if they believe in nothing but themselves, then, when they die, they will be nothing. So, let them be nothing, I choose to believe in SOMETHING, not quite sure what that is yet, but I am not egotistical enough to think that I am the end of the line, nor my species.
Hmm…must admit it is an interesting thought, albeit a bit cold. So are you saying just ignore his plight in respect to his views?
[…] is from notorious atheist Christopher Hitchens. Talk about nailing it. By the way please copy and past this in your social media status: Pray For […]