Posted on 12/15/2011 9:12:53 PM PST by Arthurio
R.I.P. Christopher Hitchens
December 15, 2011 11:51 P.M. By Daniel Foster Vanity Fair reports that Christopher Hitchens has passed away. Often frustrating, usually provocative, always brilliant. He added to the culture, and the conversation.
I’m sure I join many in hoping he is in for a glorious, glorious surprise.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
RIP.
If Hitchens after death is still Hitchens, he’d probably have us remember his public persona with a little bit of puzzlement, not to say unease. In the prime of life he was an atheist’s atheist, vocal yes but more to the point theatrical, cantankerously so and always barely-not-out-of-control. Who can plumb his psychology? He was the public intellectual who took no crap from anyone, and sometimes took nothing genuine either. He saw through Clintonism, famously lampooned Mother Teresa, and showed up drunk to every other interview. Oh, the humanity. As God-believing humanists we should hope the best comes true for Mr. Hitchens in the afterlife. We do. As realists we know that in our own case, as well as in Mr. Hitchens’, we must not take the better outcome for granted. So let us break new ground by avoiding the semantics of certainty when speaking of the dead. We can stomach it, and it’s the only honest way. We do not know that Mr. Hitchens is in heaven — we note his public persona with some puzzlement and unease — but we hope so.
RIP. A brilliant and witty observer of life. I will miss his contribution.
A place full of smug pompous prigs can hardly be Heaver. Ergo, one must assume that such folks' post-mortem destination lies elsewhere.
He is neither in Heaven or Hell. He’s asleep in the grave until the Day of Judgement.....................
You make lots of assumptions that I believe are not warranted. For instance, you imply that the Scripture verses you cite are “simple” to grasp. Ever pondered exactly what it means to “cometh to the Father”? Or the meaning of the threefold “way, truth and the Life”, including the subtle distinctions between the three concepts? Ever wondered whether there is more to “cometh to the Father except by me” than simply a statement that one is to believe the literal, historical account of the life of Jesus? And don’t even get me started on “Born Again” ... one of the most abused and misapprehended concepts in the modern Church.
In short, you import or transpose your own extra-Biblical intrepetive technique (one might call the technique “simplification”) onto Scripture. It is not inherent in Scripture itself.
Hitchens spoke at FR's March for Justice 1n 1998. He was a lefty, but had integrity about his views,
I wasn’t remarking that the Gospel is simple to grasp (though it is). No, I was pointing out that it is spiritually discerned. Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (Christ’s words not mine.)
Isn’t your saying that I make many assumptions itself an assumption? You assume that you KNOW the things you speak of [and that I am in error]. Could YOU possibly be the one that is in error?
You say, for example “Don’t get you started on the phrase “born again.” You say it is often misused/abused. Yet, how do you KNOW it is not YOU that is misuing/abusing it? Are you not assuming your own understanding, or, perhaps some preacher/priest/commentator that you enjoy (let’s assume s/he is human) waxed eloquent on the subject. Aren’t you assuming something about THEIR understanding of this scripture. What if you are sitting under the sounds of false teaching? Would you even know? Would pride prevent you from getting up and walking away?
Oh, and I particularly like the comment about the “simplification” technique you say I use to understand/present the scripture. Not too condescending, is it? When it says in Acts “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,” what complicated, sophisticatd, intellectually massive doctrine do you think the Holy Spirit [through Paul] is delivering?
The Gospel of Jesus Christ IS simple to understand (even a child can do it!) Do you not know the scriptures?
Luke 18:17
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
No. The problem here isn’t simple or complicated. Naive or intellectual. The problem has to do with spiritual discernment. Rom. 8:9 Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek and ye shall find. Knock, and the door shall be opened unto you. My it be your joy this season to seek Him with all your heart that you might find Him who is born King of the Jews (and King of Kings and Lord of Lords)
It may depend on their exposure to him. Some folks may have only seen him when he said things they disagreed with. I had seen him tweak both sides. When I disagreed with him, I could at least understand where he was coming from, although some of those times I thought he was way off base.
People have different philosophies about death. When someone they disagree with dies, they are happy and want to dance on their graves. I’ve never bought into that.
IMO, God grieves at the death of every person. He sees what could have been, and laments the poor choices that person that He loved made, and what their lives turned out like due to them. I don’t ever see Him gleeful that a person has died.
Who among us has not had a family member or a friend do things we did not support, but still loved them none the less?
I do think God could be happy that their evil actions and the resultant reactions were coming to an end.
I want to think that his brother’s prayers, and mine as well, were not in vain.
- - - - - -
Even unanswered prayers are not in vain. Sometimes all we are to do is pray, even if the answer is no.
Best post of the thread! Seriously, you nailed it.
What made Hitchens a different person for me, was that he didn’t shy away from admitting what was wrong, was wrong.
Contrast that with all the apologists who never publicly admitted Bill Clinton was anything other than a very popular hip president.
Thanks for the note.
D1
Thank you, he needs all the prayers he can receive. For some reason, he is the one sibling I worry about the most. I am the youngest of 8, 4 boys & 4 girls. I have and one brother who passed May this last May, but believed. Another brother doesn’t believe, but he is more logical and I feel he will one day accept. A sister passed away in 1980, before I was a Christian, my other three sisters are all believes, however, my brother Gene is the one who is the most lost of all. But if you could keep both brothers in prayer when thinking of it, I would appreciate it.
God bless and Merry Christmas,
OV, Chuck
Thanks for the comments. I think you’ve said some things that others were thinking here. Nice.
God is Holy, He is also a jealous God. By His nature, He cannot abide sin, that is why He sent His Son to die on the cross. BUT, we have to accept that sacrifice. God’s justice must be satisfied, if we reject His offering of that satisfaction (acceptance of Christ and His work on the Cross), then we are doomed to His just wrath.
Of course it made no sense to you. I’m not surprised.
He now knows Truth, and I hope God is merciful on his soul for his recognition at how wrong he was all these years.
Wow. Just wow.
No one deserves a seat in heaven. No one.
However, some of us have accepted God’s way to Heaven. Hitch wasn’t one of those from all accounts.
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