Difference between revisions of "Christopher Hitchens"
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{{cquote|In Mike Shoesmith's book ''The Atheists are Wrong: How Modern Atheism Ruins Everything'' there is an abundance of material refuting the entire life's work of Christopher Hitchens. | {{cquote|In Mike Shoesmith's book ''The Atheists are Wrong: How Modern Atheism Ruins Everything'' there is an abundance of material refuting the entire life's work of Christopher Hitchens. | ||
| − | Hitchens personified the wasted life. A life lived as a fool. To live as one who embraces the [[philosophy]] of [[Naturalism (philosophy)|naturalism]] is to live a wasted life void of any originally intended and designed significance. It is the most closed-minded philosophy imaginable | + | Hitchens personified the wasted life. A life lived as a fool. To live as one who embraces the [[philosophy]] of [[Naturalism (philosophy)|naturalism]] is to live a wasted life void of any originally intended and designed significance. It is the most closed-minded philosophy imaginable.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHxjNcBZ9Tg Christopher Hitchens - A wasted life]</ref><ref>[http://www.lulu.com/shop/michael-d-shoesmith/the-atheists-are-wrong/ebook/product-18773719.html The Atheists are wrong by Michael D. Shoesmith</ref>}} |
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==Opposition to Islam and Support of the War on Terror== | ==Opposition to Islam and Support of the War on Terror== | ||
Revision as of 17:44, December 11, 2012
Christopher Eric Hitchens (April 13, 1949 - December 15, 2011) was a journalist, author and literary critic. Hitchens received a degree in PPE (philosophy, politics and economics) from Balliol College, Oxford, in 1970. From 1971-1981, he worked in Britain as book reviewer for The Times newspaper. He emigrated to the United States in 1981, and has written regularly, or been a contributing editor for Harper's, Vanity Fair and The Nation. He was an avowed Marxist, atheist and antitheist, and a prominent spokesperson for the New Atheism movement. Hitchens' younger brother, Peter Hitchens is also a journalist, author and critic.
Christopher Hitchens was a member of the International Socialists and an active Trotskyist during his youth. Before his death he claimed to be "on the same side as the neo-conservatives," but did not consider himself a conservative. He supported George W. Bush's foreign policy, but criticized Bush's support of intelligent design. Hitchens' support of the Iraq War made him unpopular: in his own words, he supported the Iraq War because he wished the oppression of local Iraqis by the religiously fundamentalist Taliban to come to an end.
He was a harsh critic of Ronald Reagan, and considered Henry Kissinger a war criminal.
Contents
Unhealthy lifestyle and premature death
See also: Atheism and health
Christopher Hitchens died on December 15, 2011, from complications arising from esophagal cancer. He was, however, unrepentent about the lifestyle choices that may have contributed to his death (Hitchens was a heavy drinker and smoker)[1][2]
Hitchens on the Biblical proscription of bestiality
See also: Christopher Hitchens on bestiality and Atheism and bestiality and Evolutionary belief and bestiality
Bestiality is the act of engaging in sexual relations with an animal.
At the end of a debate with Christian apologist William Lane Craig, Hitchens was asked by an audience member whether it was "good that the Bible prohibits humans from having sex with animals." Hitchens answered that moral codes of this kind do not need a supernatural author, and that Biblical proscriptions of practices such as homosexuality and bestiality were indicative of the Bible's male authorship. [3] Dr. Craig responded that the question illustrated that atheism cannot offer objective moral standards (see: Atheism and morality).[4]
A wasted life?
In a video entitled Christopher Hitchens - A Wasted Life the Christian YouTube channel PPsimmons declared:
| “ | In Mike Shoesmith's book The Atheists are Wrong: How Modern Atheism Ruins Everything there is an abundance of material refuting the entire life's work of Christopher Hitchens.
Hitchens personified the wasted life. A life lived as a fool. To live as one who embraces the philosophy of naturalism is to live a wasted life void of any originally intended and designed significance. It is the most closed-minded philosophy imaginable.[6][7] |
” |
Opposition to Islam and Support of the War on Terror
Christopher Hitchens became an activist against Islam when Ayatullah Kohmeini declared a fatwa against his personal friend Salman Rushdie. The event led him to become very vocal in his support of the war in Iraq and heavily critical of Muslim society and ethics.
Insults toward Jerry Falwell
In a TV interview with Hannity and Colmes a day after Jerry Falwell's death, Christopher Hitchens expressed his anger over Falwell's legacy, calling the media coverage of his death uniform in its "stupidity" and calling Falwell himself a "vulgar fraud and crook"[8]. Hitchens went on to state such comments as "we have been rid of an extremely dangerous demagogue who lived by hatred of others and prejudice", "that it's a pity there isn't a hell for him to go to", "the evil he did will live after him", and "and I think his death is a deliverance" [8]. Hannity said that such comments were "crude", "thoughtless", "mean", and "hateful."
Select bibliography
- Callaghan: The Road to Number Ten (Cassell, 1976)
- Hostage to History: Cyprus From the Ottomans to Kissinger (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1989)
- Imperial Spoils: The Case of the Parthenon Marbles (Hill and Wang, 1989)
- Blood, Class and Nostalgia: Anglo-American Ironies (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1990)
- The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice (Verso, 1995)
- Prepared for the Worst (Hill and Wang, 1989)
- For the Sake of Argument: Essays & Minority Reports (Verso, 1993)
- No One Left to Lie To: The Values of the Worst Family (Verso, 2000)
- God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything - outside the US, published with the alternate subtitle The Case Against Religion (Atlantic, 2007)
Some other titles include: “Letters to a Young Contrarian,” “The Trial of Henry Kissinger (2001)” and his memoir, “Hitch-22. [1]
“Stranger in a Strange Land”: In this piece that The Atlantic published two months after the attacks of 9/11, Hitchens summed up his break from the establishment left over the attacks and the war on terror that was then only beginning. Ibidem
External links
- Christopher Hitchens by Mariano Grinbank at the Christian apologetics website True Free Thinker
- "Why Christopher Hitchens Is Wrong About Billy Graham", Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy, Time magazine Tuesday, Sep. 18, 2007
References
- ↑ http://www.counterpunch.org/mccarthy02212003.html
- ↑ Christopher Hitchens: Despite Cancer, I'd Drink & Smoke Again
- ↑ Christopher Hitchens vs William Lane Craig - Does God Exist Debate
- ↑ Christopher Hitchens vs William Lane Craig - Does God Exist Debate. The question and answer cited occur about one hour and 50 minutes in.
- ↑ PPsimmons and Pastor Carl Gallups said Christopher Hitchens lived a "wasted life". The circus of pointless Darwinism is drawing to a close. Global creationism is on the rise and it will grow faster
- ↑ Christopher Hitchens - A wasted life
- ↑ [http://www.lulu.com/shop/michael-d-shoesmith/the-atheists-are-wrong/ebook/product-18773719.html The Atheists are wrong by Michael D. Shoesmith
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doKkOSMaTk4
