Christopher Hitchens, militant pundit, dies at 62

The Washington Times ^ | December 16, 2011 | Hillel Italie

[markomalley]

Cancer weakened, but did not soften Christopher Hitchens. He did not repent or forgive or ask for pity. As if granted diplomatic immunity, his mind’s eye looked plainly upon the attack and counterattack of disease and treatments that robbed him of his hair, his stamina, his speaking voice and eventually his life.

“I love the imagery of struggle,” he wrote about his illness in an August 2010 essay in Vanity Fair. “I sometimes wish I were suffering in a good cause, or risking my life for the good of others, instead of just being a gravely endangered patient.”

Hitchens, a Washington, D.C.-based author, essayist and polemicist who waged verbal and occasional physical battle on behalf of causes left and right, died Thursday night at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston of pneumonia, a complication of his esophageal cancer, according to a statement from Vanity Fair magazine. He was 62.

[A_perfect_lady]

Yes, Pascal’s wager was basically “what have you got to lose?” And I’m simply adding to that: what have you got to lose by continuing to believe in God and Jesus, and also facing East when you pray, just to show God that you are so eager to heed His word that you’ll give a nod of respect to the other Abrahamic religion. After all, presumably you follow certain elements of Judaic law, Old Testament injunctions like the Ten Commandments even though you, as saved by Jesus, don’t really have to. You do it to show your love. So face East when you pray. Just in case. Why not. What have you got to lose?

[Arrowhead1952]

I personally know several bright, intelligent, competent teachers who are also caring about their students.

Our neighbor and a family friend are also teachers and very competent. They are also very conservative and really care about the students as does our daughter. They all have students that pass the TAKS (Tx assessment of knowledge and skills test) with no problems.

[Arrowhead1952]

Apparently I did miss it . . . Everything gets bashed occasionally

I've missed stuff on the TX board when I stay off for a couple of days - which is rare - and post something on the TX board. Everything more than a day or so is gone after one post. Yup, TX FReepers bash a lot of things, especially DannyH - I need respect.

[IronJack]

I think my ambivalence toward Hitchens comes from his employment of such prodigious talents on behalf of such paltry, ephemeral causes.

[Jack Hammer]

Quite a character, whatever else one may say.

[GreatOne]

Interesting that the last word he wrote was "gaffe."

He now knows Truth, and I hope God is merciful on his soul for his recognition at how wrong he was all these years.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Well, that "if you have nothing to lose" part is a biggie. I have become convinced that adhering to a wicked spiritual master will pull you into places you'd rather not go, both in this life and in the next.

Second, religious profession based on "Right or wrong, I'll sign onto anything if it's to my own personal advantage" is spiritually depraved--- wouldn't you agree?

Third, there is a big difference between Biblical history and Biblical Law. Biblical history is full of homiciders, woman-abusers, looter-heroes, Israelite and Canaanite gang-bangers, long lines of apostate swindler-kings (check out Jesus' genealogy starting at Matthew 1:1)--- with glimemrs of "there is something better" "something better is coming" --- and then Jesus, symbolically framed between Elijah and Moses at Tabor as perfect fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.

While you're scoping the Genealogy at Matthew 1, you might also want to check out the Six Antitheses at Matthew 5:21-48.

This is not OT patriarchal desert-rat proto-Mohammadism. This is the Good Stuff.

[betty boop]

What I can't understand is why Hitchens "hated" Mother Teresa, from his youth.

Indeed, may God have mercy on his soul. R.I.P.

[esquirette]

“Let’s face it, mankind has invented religions throughout the ages, to cynically use the concept of God to advance their own personal ambitions.”
__________________________________________

Man has invented religions because he is aware of his spiritual need, but is too proud and stubborn to humble himself before his true Creator, so he manufactures rituals and worships demons instead - or tries to be ‘good’ according to his own definition. These religions are the ABC Religions - Anything But Christ.

[dfwgator]

‘If Satan took over Philadelphia, all of the bars would be closed, pornography banished, and pristine streets would be filled with tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The children would say, “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am,” and the churches would be full every Sunday . . . where Christ is not preached.’

-Donald Grey Barnhouse

[balls]

“Now comes the march of those who absolutely cannot stand anyone who can’t be bullied into kow-towing to their Imaginary Friend. How dare the man have the dignity to ignore all those threats of Hell — the spiritual equivalent of “pass on this chain letter or you’ll have bad luck.” But some people just can’t be intimidated by the myths of any culture, and it really galls those who are.”

Beautifully said. Hear, hear!

[wmfights]

If an unbeliever can redeem himself in any manner whatsoever then the sacrifice of Christ was in vain.

Amen Brother!

[esquirette]

Wonder where he is now - dead or alive.....

[Matchett-PI]

".. there are two contingencies on here I cannot stand: the teacher-bashers, and the smug Christians who pop up on threads informing us all of who is going to Hell."

"Ironically, one of the reasons men of potentially gifted intellect reject religion is that they mistakenly believe there is no place for the intellect in religion, a misapprehension that is most certainly reinforced by popular caricatures of religion that are engendered by none other than religious doofuses themselves. ...."

<>

"..So it is not so much that certain strands of thought are wrong because they are modern or postmodern. Rather, they're just wrong, period. On the other hand, many postmodern ideas are obviously correct. For example, I have no idea why materialists still exist, since modern physics utterly obliterated their anachronistic worldview a century ago. No serious thinker can be a materialist, which is why a Christopher Hitchens is obviously a brilliant man in terms of raw candle power, but extraordinarily naive in his background assumptions of how the physical (let alone spiritual) world works. He is not postmodern at all, but operating out of a defunct, 19th century Victorian picture of the world."

[Matchett-PI]

"Don’t take the Mark."

The first part of THIS is for you.

[cricket]

‘After death’? Seems to me; that is the most likely ‘time’ per Judgement.. .but then; what do we know about the timing of a soul’s judgment. I would offer - we know nothing about God’s timing. And given God is all-wise; suspect He can figure the ‘when/how/what’ per his own disposition.

[reg45]

What's wrong with “teacher bashing”? I'm old enough to remember some really good ones, so I know how good they can be and how mediocre they have become.

[reg45]

One way or the other, he now knows the truth.

[4Liberty]

I am an atheist. I don’t care about religion in any form, but enjoy Free Republic tremendously and support it financially each year.

I believe in treating people equally (all of us have inviolate human rights and economic freedoms) but I don’t base those sentiments on any kind of theology.

I am not interested in theology or afterlife discussions.

Others should be free to develop those faith-based models as they feel necessary or important.

Most of those who believe in a God tend to be supportive of self-responsible conduct and respect for equal rights. I appreciate that, whatever the origins of their beliefs.

Practical reciprocity, core human decency, or deity based.

It’s all good.

Human liberty, whatever the belief system from which it is argued or based, is the goal for a humane and just society.

Good for you, APL.

[A_perfect_lady]

I try not to be a wench about it, but there are so many threads on here devoted to the religion faction, and dissent is not allowed. Fine. I stay off those threads. But when an atheist dies, I hate them coming over here smirking and wagging their tails. I figure if I have the decency to stay off their turf, they ought to stay away from this and just let the man be buried in peace without their self-righteous twaddle.