Earlier quoted context omitted.
Or he just didn't want to die of cancer, but rather of old age.
What does that even mean?
In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011
101–110 of 228 posts
Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
Canada doesn't count! ;-p edit (since it won't let me reply) - sorry, I meant Canada doesn't count as 'Outside the US'. Bad humour, no biscuit.
Wow! No Canada eh?! Mind == Blown! I just pasted this gem from Louis C.K in a different post and saw your comment. I'm sure Viacom as a perfectly good reason for blocking off Canada, but read on... "...I have a profit around $200,000 (after taxes $75.58). This is less than I would have been paid by a large company to simply perform the show and let them sell it to you, but they would have charged you about $20 for th…
Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011
#103Hitchens was wrong about a lot in my view, but for many atheists he was an important figure. He eloquently made the case for our faith in empirical evidence and the scientific knowing of reality, and he didn't pussy out at the end. Knowing he was dying, and soon on his way into that void, still looked that motherfucker in the face, and stayed frosty. Wish he could have died from old age, though.
Not sure what you mean by this, do you really believe that science validates a specific view on what constitutes reality?
Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
"So, with all due respect, I hope he is wrong in his beliefs about the after life because if there is a heaven he's surely earned his place in it." "all due respect" cannot change the fact that this is the most disrespectful thing you can write at the death of an atheist.
That's absurd. I'm an Atheist but I'd readily echo that statement. It's an expression of appreciation. If you find it insulting that's only your own eagerness to find insult, nothing legitimate.
Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011
#105#GodIsNotGreat is trending worldwide. It's quite entertaining to see the live timeline of people freaking out: http://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23GodIsNotGreat
Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
In Catholic doctrine one who commits a mortal sin without repenting is bound to hell. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal_sin#Roman_Catholicism If you look at the three conditions that a sin must meet to be considered a mortal sin, I think there is a very high probability that writing a book titled God Is Not Great is a mortal sin. There are hundreds of things that Christopher did which very likely meet those conditi…
The three conditions for a mortal sin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal_sin 1. Its subject must be a grave (or serious) matter. 2. It must be committed with full knowledge, both of the sin and of the gravity of the offense (no one is considered ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are inborn as part of human knowledge, but these principles can be misunderstood in a particular context). 3. It must be…
Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
"So, with all due respect, I hope he is wrong in his beliefs about the after life because if there is a heaven he's surely earned his place in it." "all due respect" cannot change the fact that this is the most disrespectful thing you can write at the death of an atheist.
No it's not. Why wouldn't an atheist want an afterlife?
While there are different interpretations, the common is that heaven is an eternal non-physical state of being together with God (the god of the Bible), perhaps even "absorbed" by this god.
The god of the Bible is racist, jaloux, blood-thirsty and opposed to critical thinking, and among other things calls for human sacrifice, genocide and killing babies. (Read the Bible if you dont believe me.)
Now, if you are christian you might think this is all justified and fair, but for an atheist, an eternity of being together with this being (without any possibility of rebellion or critical thinking) might seem more like a never ending nightmare.
Furthermore, it is generally agreed that there is no kind of physical pleasure in the heaven - no sex, no sunshine or rain, no books, no Johnny Walker Black Label. The only pleasure is being together with and eternally worshipping the aforementioned god. Who would in good conscience wish this for Hitchens?
Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011
#108He's in a better place, now. http://explosm.net/comics/2645/
Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
No it's not. Why wouldn't an atheist want an afterlife?
Because we don't need it. Our genes are reproduced and they are carrying the best and the worst parts of us and our experience.
Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011
#110Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's absurd. I'm an Atheist but I'd readily echo that statement. It's an expression of appreciation. If you find it insulting that's only your own eagerness to find insult, nothing legitimate.
I'd go further and suggest that a lot of atheists would echo the hope that there is some kind of fabulous immortality beyond the grave, it's just that the concept is, upon examination, absurd.