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71Tele
I was calling attention to the need of some people to disparage those with whom they disagree with dishonest name-calling and labeling. That kind of tactic is intended to freeze discussion and avoid talking about the substance of the issue itself.
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electric-duane
I don't post here often, but thought I would considering the topic.
RIP Mr. Hitchens.
Peace,
E-Duane
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electric-duane
I don't post here often, but thought I would considering the topic.
Christopher Hitchens' death actually hit me harder than I thought it would. Generally the deaths of celebrities go relatively unnoticed in my world (the death of the Big Man was probably the last death that kind of stunned me, though).
I loved Hitchens' intellectual honesty; a characteristic I learned to implement in my life largely due to his writings and from hearing him speak. It has - as to be expected - made parts of my life better but also more difficult. If Hitchens had a point to make (and he had many), he always had an arsenal of facts to back it up. He didn't rely on emotion, gut-feeling or faith. His arguments always contained fact-based logic and rational-thinking.
I grew up in a typical middle-American Catholic household (central Ohio) where the reaction to, for example, the pedophile scandal that erupted from within the Catholic church years ago and that has since festered into an out-of-control attempt to lie, deceive and cover up, was lukewarm, more or less. The most-repeated comment went along the lines of, "well, there's always going to be good and bad in everything and as long as I live the good and go to church for the right reasons, well everything else is just picking fly shit out of the pepper." This, coming from the complacent and silent congregation expressing outrage that more moderate Muslims weren't coming forward to denounce terrorism in Islam (the pot calling the kettle black).
For years I never concerned myself with the above. Catholicism was just a part of my life, kind of like going grocery shopping. You belonged to the organization, went to mass sometimes, sang the songs and left (in all fairness to Catholicism, though, it's basically like any other congregation of Christians, regardless of denomination). At some point in time, however, I started taking these types of things seriously and after discovering the writings of Hitchens, it became easier to step back and analyze the situation intellectually and honestly. I think I even learned more about morality from the likes of Christopher Hitchens than from any other religious institution.
And in the end, I realize Hitchens really didn't do much as all, other than convince me that honesty trumps anything, and it might even mean letting go of some things that were dear to me or that had been a part of my life from the beginning. In the end, however, I feel more comfortable with my decisions and the road I'm on because I'm not lying to myself or going along with the status-quo. Of course I don't, as many people here have stated, agree with everything he was for or against, but that's secondary to the above. In the end, you knew where he stood, you knew why and you knew his stance was based on substance and facts, which is why I even applaud him for flip-flopping some of his opinions and beliefs - he wasn't afraid to admit that he was wrong if the proof was there to convince him. That's a strong characteristic to possess and many are too proud to do so. Hitchens, no matter how arrogant he sometimes seemed, never seemed to proud to concede if it were justified.
I'll miss hearing him speak and also reading his witty and intellectually stimulating prose. The world has indeed lost one of the greatest and most honest thinkers of my lifetime.
RIP Mr. Hitchens.
Peace,
E-Duane
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71TeleQuote
deadegad
I remember reading George Orwell's "Politics and the English Language" for the first time and how much it resonated with what I was thinking and feeling about world events. Orwell hit it right on the head. It was incredible that someone had already articulated so very, very well my burgeoning B.S. detector.
C. Hitchens certainly studied Orwell and furthered the journalistic exposure of 'bovine scatology.' While I did not always agree with his world view, this is a significant loss.
R.I.P. Hitch. He's probably surprised right now.
True about Orwell, and Hitchens tried to go by Orwell's standards for clarity and truth-telling. Wish we had more like both of them today.
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SwayStonesQuote
71Tele
I was calling attention to the need of some people to disparage those with whom they disagree with dishonest name-calling and labeling. That kind of tactic is intended to freeze discussion and avoid talking about the substance of the issue itself.
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Jerry, first of all I want to say I got a little bit carried away yesterday but it wasn't against you personnaly .
Plus it was not my intention to get into politics on an agressive way ,I do know bv doesn't allow it.
I always get carried away when that subject is put on the table .
I would really appreciate if you would give me the opportunity to express my point of view and most important,why I have this point of view -on a polite and kind way ,of course .This thread is inapropriate for it .
May you send me an e-mail ?
Annie-Laure
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SwayStones
No I don't .Mine isn't hidden so it's up to you .
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stonesrule
Electric Duane, your tribute to Christopher Hitchens was very special.
Thank you.
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NWSooner
Good Evening fellow Stones Friends, as you all know I rarely post here even though I read the boards weekly. As a Christian man I obviously diagreed with the framework of Hitchens thought, however I respected him greatly for his honesty and the passion from which he wrote. He did a series of debates with an an American Theologian Doug Wilson that was turned into an excellent Video Series called "Collision", if you haven't seen it I highly reccomend it. Anyway, Christianity Today asked Mr. Wilson about his thoughts on the passing of Mr. Hitchens and it was an excellent article so I thought I'd share the link and will anticpate reading your thoughts on it regardless of which side of the debate you reside.
Thoughts on Hitchen's Passing by Douglas Wilson
Merry Christmas my friends,
NWSooner
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21stcenturystones
He won't miss the pain he was in here - nothing he experienced on this earth compares to what he will experience for enternity - HELL -
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21stcenturystones
sure...he did not recognize God...therefore was probably not "born again", therefore - HELL -
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24FPS
Tim Tebow, the Denver Quaterback, is lauded as courageous for espousing his religious views openly. What's so courageous about that? Someone like Hitch was a lot more courageous for espousing atheism, whether you believed him or not. The world does not treat atheists kindly. You probably couldn't be elected President of the United States if you didn't swear allegience to some unseen deity. Hell, Texas is trying to rub out the memory of Thomas Jefferson in its textbooks.
What was so offensive about Hitchen's view on Israel? I find it appalling in America that you can't even criticize Israel without being called anti-semitic. Why do we have to bow to some foreign country that's no more equal to us than any other foreign country? They're not the 51st state.
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21stcenturystones
John 3:16
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Angus MacBagpipeQuote
21stcenturystones
John 3:16
Sorry, who's been in the John since 3:16?
Oh right, "Love Jesus or Burn."
Well isn't that a lovely thought, and so typically Xian.
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21stcenturystones
John 3:16
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21stcenturystones
sure...he did not recognize God...therefore was probably not "born again", therefore - HELL -
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21stcenturystones
touched a nerve huh? good,this topic can do that. people that get offensive about religion are usually in reality actually trying to find their inner peace and become defensive because they don't know where to look for it. Read the new testament for starters.