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Morality seems to be the issue. Hitchens talked about it constantly. Yet he was one of the most gluttonous people to have ever existed, and ultimately killed himself at an early age from a smoking habit he knew all along might kill him. Where is the personal morality in all this?
And now you want his opponents to not ridicule him, when he sought at every opportunity to “ridicule an opponent” (his words).
So, in the spirit of Hitchens, and to him personally (since he is more alive now than he has ever been), let me tell you (and him) that he was mostly self-serving, and only highly intelligent in one sense—being able to think and respond quickly.
His big problem was that he was incapable of thinking deeply, that is, he was devoid of metaphysical imagination, something he derided at every chance.
And right now, at this very moment, in every sense of its meaning, Hitchens wishes he would have separated God from religion in his attacks on religious intellectual errors, no matter how justified these attacks were, for some of them I agree with completely. But they were intellectual errors and not spiritual errors, for the spirit of God is always good.
Hitchens knows this now.
But he knows more than this now, too.
He knows that he should have chosen moderation and responsibility over excess and ruination.
He knows that it was blackness he poured over his soul, year after year, thought after thought, vulgarity after vulgarity, hatred after hatred, and on and on.
He knows that there is nothing more important than facing out death fit to stand before goodness itself.
In other words, the “big brother” God Hitchens ridiculed his whole life, was actually his hope, joy, and love.
And now he knows it.
And now every time you tip of your atheist hats to him, he hangs his head in shame again and again and again and ag…
Just quoting so BM can’t edit this little gem of god love.
Now this is how a believer with respect for human dignity remembers a friend and opponent.
Why can’t all be so dignified.
Yeah, that’s my favorite Hitch obituary thus far.
This evening I shall procure a bottle of Black Label Johnny Walker, and with good friends raise toasts to Hitch until it’s dry ...
Wish I could be there to join you Skep, have to say it has been my favourite obituary too, it shows there was even more depth to him than we all could see.
Was watching BBC this morning, the review of the newspapers, they listed some people who had died this year and I was really surprised I had missed some of the more well known folk.
I Found a list on the web, not the easiest to browse.
Mr Hitchens obviously.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the Michigan pathologist who put assisted suicide on the world’s medical ethics stage.
Osama Bin Laden.
Peter Falk “Columbo,”
Betty Ford
Steve Jobs.
Smokin’ Joe Frazier.
John Walker “The Walker Bros”
Elizabeth Taylor.
Gerry Rafferty.
There are certain ironies and connections that I made in my pattern forming mind, seems Mr Hitchens fight against religion and it’s crazy fundamentalist terrorists was eased with the death of Bin Laden and Betty Ford would feel her own goal made easier without Hitch’s whiskey drinking tendencies….John Walker…tenuous connection I admit.
Another wonderful contribution from CH is his masterful compilation of Atheist essays from some of the most prominant thinkers in human history. The almost 500 paged, ‘The Portable Atheist’ should be on every thinking person’s book shelf. Words of wisdom from Lucretius to Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Thank you Hitch.
I’ll second that. Has been on my shelf since it came out. And often consulted.
Morality seems to be the issue. Hitchens talked about it constantly. Yet he was one of the most gluttonous people to have ever existed, and ultimately killed himself at an early age from a smoking habit he knew all along might kill him. Where is the personal morality in all this?
And now you want his opponents to not ridicule him, when he sought at every opportunity to “ridicule an opponent” (his words).
So, in the spirit of Hitchens, and to him personally (since he is more alive now than he has ever been), let me tell you (and him) that he was mostly self-serving, and only highly intelligent in one sense—being able to think and respond quickly.
His big problem was that he was incapable of thinking deeply, that is, he was devoid of metaphysical imagination, something he derided at every chance.
And right now, at this very moment, in every sense of its meaning, Hitchens wishes he would have separated God from religion in his attacks on religious intellectual errors, no matter how justified these attacks were, for some of them I agree with completely. But they were intellectual errors and not spiritual errors, for the spirit of God is always good.
Hitchens knows this now.
But he knows more than this now, too.
He knows that he should have chosen moderation and responsibility over excess and ruination.
He knows that it was blackness he poured over his soul, year after year, thought after thought, vulgarity after vulgarity, hatred after hatred, and on and on.
He knows that there is nothing more important than facing out death fit to stand before goodness itself.
In other words, the “big brother” God Hitchens ridiculed his whole life, was actually his hope, joy, and love.
And now he knows it.
And now every time you tip of your atheist hats to him, he hangs his head in shame again and again and again and ag…
Hitch brought more light and joy into the world than you and all your likes will ever understand. He was a great human being. You, on the other hand, are an embarassment. And only a small one at that.
That you people do not see a connection between a selfish person seeking personal pleasures and freedoms at every turn and that person being a fervent atheist is ridiculous.
Look at Penn Jillette, of Penn and Teller fame, who just wrote a book against belief in God. He stated on Real Time with Bill Maher that he is in favor of everything that gives people more freedom to do whatever they want. He has a bedroom in his house set up for extreme sex acts, and on his recent Bullshit show, he promoted pornography continuously and vehemently.
Your darling Hitchens was known for his over-the-top eating and drinking binges as much as for his abusive language toward every religious person across the board. His atheism served his lifestyle perfectly, and he despised any thought of being watched by a “big brother god”. And he killed himself as a direct result.
Listen, I said he had valid arguments against religious stupidity. But he ran with them, and foolishly threw the living God out with a vulgarity and derision that can only be viewed as the rantings of a self-serving angry man.
And, like I said, he’s still alive.
Your panties are in a bunch over my comments because you think his death was a complete tragedy from where there is no return.
No. His death was not what it seems to us, but what it actually was—a journey back to the God who loves him (a whole lot more than a bunch of self-serving atheists who are first and foremost little children who don’t want to stop playing and come in for supper when their mommy’s call).
Listening to people like Mario most of his life probably had a lot to do with why Hitchens enjoyed JW black. The frustration at trying to intellectually connect with people of such adolescent fantasy must be very difficult. To try and get fellow humans to understand that we can be humanists and care about each other and have moral societies without making up fairly tales and indulging in delusions of grandeur to accomplish it.
Hitchens was a polemic and an iconoclast and a contrarian because that was his methodology to get people to think. And to a large degree it worked. Sadly Mario is not intelligent enough to understand any of this however. Because he doesn’t think, he just believes. He doesn’t even respect or believe in human thinking. He just believes in following the fictious leader that he was taught to follow.
Christopher Hitchens thought that a human tragedy, and he lived his life trying to change it. He was not a God, just a thinking man who cared greatly.
And for the record, despite what the supernaturalists think, Hitchens does not know the truth NOW. In fact he knows nothing now. Every cell in his body and brain are dead. But he knew quite a lot when they were all alive.
Listening to people like Mario most of his life probably had a lot to do with why Hitchens enjoyed JW black. The frustration at trying to intellectually connect with people of such adolescent fantasy must be very difficult. To try and get fellow humans to understand that we can be humanists and care about each other and have moral societies without making up fairly tales and indulging in delusions of grandeur to accomplish it.
Hitchens was a polemic and an iconoclast and a contrarian because that was his methodology to get people to think. And to a large degree it worked. Sadly Mario is not intelligent enough to understand any of this however. Because he doesn’t think, he just believes. He doesn’t even respect or believe in human thinking. He just believes in following the fictious leader that he was taught to follow.
Christopher Hitchens thought that a human tragedy, and he lived his life trying to change it. He was not a God, just a thinking man who cared greatly.
And for the record, despite what the supernaturalists think, Hitchens does not know the truth NOW. In fact he knows nothing now. Every cell in his body and brain are dead. But he knew quite a lot when they were all alive.
And, thankfully, much of what Hitch knew and felt is preserved in his writings for others to appreciate and learn from. The Marios of this world leave nothing in their wake - neither art nor science. The joys of the intellectual life, nay, even the simple pleasures of ordinary congenial social interaction allude them. No one enjoys their company and they are “outcast from life’s feast.”
Avacado, that you BELIEVE that a human being’s life and thoughts and actions are the workings of biological cells and nothing more makes you the opposite of a humanist, for you have dwindled down the measure of humanity to that of a physical entity. The “super-naturalist” measures humanity to that of an eternal supernatural being.
In other words, our life and thoughts and actions are the workings of a divine spark that ignited our physical existence into a blaze of meaningful reality.
Now this is humanism built upon an unshakable foundation.
You and Hitchens and atheists across the board are engaged in a humanism built upon the sands of time.
His death was not what it seems to us, but what it actually was—a journey back to the God who loves him…
Wait a minute… are you saying that God loves atheists??? How can that be? Aren’t atheists excluded from Heaven (especially one as prominent and influential as Hitchens)? Hitchens is now with God? Wouldn’t he be with Satan paying the price for his blasphemy?? Please explain.
Hitch confessed his sins and accepted Jesus on his death bed, didn’t you all know that? Just like Darwin, Hume, Einstein and all other Atheists. There are no Atheists in fox holes, haven’t you heard?
I am quite sure this will come out from someone. The propaganda must continue for the meme to survive.
