Moderated Book about Hitchens claims he almost converted

[The Big Dog]

Basically 16 is claiming the bible is true because the church didn't allow anything else to be used,

ZOINKS! That is one Hell of a strawman. Not only am I not saying that, I am saying that the claim that the Church didn't allow anything else to be used is not only completely unsupported, it is untrue.

How the Irish Saved Civilization

say, another book to angrily declare that one is not going to read.

 

[The Big Dog]

Let's also point out that the Bible is "the most referenced work in history" largely because the church controlled the entirety of western culture for centuries and people not only didn't know much else but what was church approved, but also were not permitted to reference anything else. So that's kinda like saying English must be the best language because it was imposed on so many other countries through colonialism that they lost their own main languages.

EVIDENCE

 

[SpuriusMaximus]

Which makes me wonder if he then agrees with the Quaran, since ISIL doesn't allow anything else there, and if Confucious was also true, because Chinese and Japanese authorities didn't allow anything else there. Yeah, censorship!

Well, I wouldn't say that they disallowed everything else -- though some schools of philosophy WERE suppressed at various times -- but everyone who ever hoped to get a government job at all, had to learn Confucius by heart.

It still makes a good example, though. Probably FAR more Chinese learned their Analects and other confucian books, than Europeans learned the bible. Even if by virtue of just having more people, and again, it being THE thing you had to know for an Imperial Exam. And I wouldn't be surprised if more people quoted it than the Bible. So, yeah, would anyone believe that therefore you need to accept Confucius and lead your life accordingly?

 

[Joey McGee]

What's more likely, a hardcore Christian is delusional about why Hitchens took an interest in their belief, or Hitchens seriously contemplated becoming a Christian... since we have no evidence, the answer and motivations are obvious.

That's like 16.5 telling us that they corresponded with Hitchens and he said privately that Mother Teresa was a fine example as a human being whose imperfect actions were trivial.

Keep dreaming!

 

[The Big Dog]

What's more likely, a hardcore Christian is delusional about why Hitchens took an interest in their belief, or Hitchens seriously contemplated becoming a Christian... since we have no evidence, the answer and motivations are obvious.

That's like 16.5 telling us that they corresponded with Hitchens and he said privately that Mother Teresa was a fine example as a human being whose imperfect actions were trivial.

Keep dreaming!

Now now, lets not make stuff up about me.

I never corresponded with Chris Hitchens, because i don't have an English to Scotch translator!

 

[The Atheist]

During my years as a trying-to-believe-er I read the Bible through five times. Doing that is a big part of why I was not able to believe.

I often make that comment - if christians actually read the bible fully, there is no way they could possibly remain christian. It is self-defeating garbage that is only useful for cherry-picking, which is why sermons exist.

 

[Dani]

So that book says Hitchens almost converted?



Yeah, I almost read that book.

 

[Desert Fox]

I often make that comment - if christians actually read the bible fully, there is no way they could possibly remain christian. It is self-defeating garbage that is only useful for cherry-picking, which is why sermons exist.

The trouble is that there are sections of the Bible which would put anybody in a coma such as the lineages.

 

[The Big Dog]

The trouble is that there are sections of the Bible which would put anybody in a coma such as the lineages.

Trouble? I like those lists. So much history

 

[Craig B]

Now now, lets not make stuff up about me.

I never corresponded with Chris Hitchens, because i don't have an English to Scotch translator!

I have corresponded with him, to point out a huge number of silly mistakes in the first edition of "God is not Great". He responded gracefully to say that my observations might help to remove some of the errors from the paperback edition.

I also am a Scot, but I found it possible to communicate with him in standard English, a language in which he seemed at home. The barbarian dialect of Northern Britain is called "Scots", not "Scotch". Clearly you are telling the truth when you tell us that you have no access to a translator.

 

[The Big Dog]

I have corresponded with him, to point out a huge number of silly mistakes in the first edition of "God is not Great". He responded gracefully to say that my observations might help to remove some of the errors from the paperback edition.

I also am a Scot, but I found it possible to communicate with him in standard English, a language in which he seemed at home. The barbarian dialect of Northern Britain is called "Scots", not "Scotch". Clearly you are telling the truth when you tell us that you have no access to a translator.

wrong Scotch.... think more of a brown liquid that comes bottled....

 

[Craig B]

wrong Scotch.... think more of a brown liquid that comes bottled....

I do think of that from time to time.

 

[Magrat]

What's more likely, a hardcore Christian is delusional about why Hitchens took an interest in their belief, or Hitchens seriously contemplated becoming a Christian... since we have no evidence, the answer and motivations are obvious.

I have to say, I can understand why Hitchens would be interested in this guy. Morbid curiosity aside, it is fascinating to converse with someone who is so utterly enraptured with a line of thought they are constitutionally unable to even defend it, let alone to consider any other viewpoint.

Fascinating to a point. Then it gets sad.

I still say it is the opposite of a compassionate christian for this man to try to make a buck off Hitchen's name. Perhaps he attends the church of Creflo Dollar.

 

[The Big Dog]

I have to say, I can understand why Hitchens would be interested in this guy. Morbid curiosity aside, it is fascinating to converse with someone who is so utterly enraptured with a line of thought they are constitutionally unable to even defend it, let alone to consider any other viewpoint.

Fascinating to a point. Then it gets sad.

I still say it is the opposite of a compassionate christian for this man to try to make a buck off Hitchen's name. Perhaps he attends the church of Creflo Dollar.

Who are you talking about? The author of the book under discussion?

On what possible basis did you draw the conclusion that he was unable to defend it, let alone consider another viewpoint.

Any evidence at all, or should we take that on belief?

“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.”

That is what Hitchens said about the author.

 

[angrysoba]

wrong Scotch.... think more of a brown liquid that comes bottled....

I also had some correspondence with Hitchens about how to get into North Korea. He was very helpful and congenial.

Anonymous sources tell me that Taunton was very rude about you however.

 

[Joey McGee]

What you people don't get is that all of his engagement with the believers was proof of his secret affinity and curiosity about the religion. Whatever interest he showed, and sympathy he showed with believers because of the shared limitation of being human, that was secret belief.

What is more likely, that Hitchens really did have mystical experiences or that Larry believes his bible that only a fool hath said in his heart that there is no God.

 

[Joey McGee]

I still say it is the opposite of a compassionate christian for this man to try to make a buck off Hitchen's name. Perhaps he attends the church of Creflo Dollar.

Nah, I think it's fair game. He deserves the money for people to see what he truly thinks because Christopher gave him his time and respect and we have to believe that he did that with the intent that it would be beneficial to have that conversation, which includes what he thinks after his death. I've just finished several books on human bias. What Larry believes about Hitchens and what he is doing seems like the most natural thing in the world. Right? His arguments all have the hint of real events but with his own bias like, Hitchens is an outlier to most of his fans. Let's take a poll, how many fans of Hitch would have had Scalia over for dinner and drinks? How about Paul Wolfowitz? Not only would a lot of fans of Hitch have a rough time keeping up with him in the boozing department, I think they would have had a rough time keeping up with him otherwise, including gaining the respect of the religionists or politicians with whom he kept company and correspondence. It's one of the paradoxes of the guy that he was such a polarizing figure and was able to retain respect of a wide range of people. A certain kind of person, a person that was willing to lay their argument on the line and defend it honestly. That's what is fun about a life thinking about this stuff. Larry is just a boring old agitator with an idealist streak. And he uses the "oh Hitchens was more tolerant and intellectually curious than many of his fans" as a wedge. We all know there is every reason to believe that his curiosity was honest and not mystical.

 

[Magrat]

You can also try walking around and hitting your head with a board
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4q6eaLn2mY

I cannot tell you how many times I was sat in some church ceremony trying not to giggle because that's what I was thinking of lol

What a fumbling buffoon the biblical god is.

Which one? There's at least three in the OT alone. There's a great book about this. God, a Biography by Jack Miles. They are all ***** IMHO.

That's why I'm never without my Boble.

Srsly lolllll

Nah, I think it's fair game. He deserves the money for people to see what he truly thinks because Christopher gave him his time and respect and we have to believe that he did that with the intent that it would be beneficial to have that conversation, which includes what he thinks after his death.

Maybe you're right my friend. Maybe he has bought into his God so deeply he really can't fathom atheism in someone he respects. We are supposed to be creatures of darkness who eat puppies, you know!

 

[The Big Dog]

When you want to know what someone thought, reading the books they themselves wrote just might be better than the words of someone with a singular agenda. My own opinion.

I was actually with you until you wrote "with a singular agenda."

You ever read the author's work, or just gonna go by the misinformed opinions of pro Hitchens zealots in this thread?

 

[Craig B]

Since men created God that makes sense.

An honest God is the noblest work of man.​

Robert Green Ingersoll. This is derived from Alexander Pope's "An honest man's the noblest work of God."

Motto of Ingersoll's essay "The Gods" (1876) as published in The Gods and Other Lectures (1879).