The Rage Against God
By Tom Quiner
[Writer Christopher Hitchens died yesterday. He gained notoriety in recent years for his attacks on religion and for his evangelical atheism. I am re-running a Quiner’s Diner post from last year that talks about Mr. Hitchen’s view point. I always enjoyed reading Mr. Hitchens, even when he infuriated me.]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5B1U2Y7KRw&feature=player_embedded]
At the age of 15, Peter Hitchens burned his Bible and denied God’s existence.
At the age of 58, his older brother, Christopher, wrote a best-selling book, “God is Not Great.” If you didn’t guess, Christopher, too, is an atheist. However, something happened to younger brother, Peter, along the way.
He changed his mind.
He became a Christian … again.
The younger Mr. Hitchen also wrote a best-selling book at the age of 58 called “The Rage Against God.” The theme: ”how atheism led me to faith.”
I bet that makes for interesting family gatherings!
Whereas older brother, Christopher, believes religion has been the source of international conflict throughout history, younger brother Peter disagrees:
“They [atheists] have a fundamental inability to concede that to be effectively absolute a moral code needs to be beyond human power to alter.”
Unlike his brother, Peter Hitchens sees godlessness as the root cause of history’s most notorious examples of man’s inhumanity toward man:
“In all my experience in life, I have seldom seen a more powerful argument for the fallen nature of man, and his inability to achieve perfection, than those countries in which man sets himself up to replace God with the State.”
Germany and the Soviet Union quickly come to mind.
One of the Christian’s world most intellectual and articulate spokespersons, Fr. Robert Barron, weighed in on Mr. Hitchen’s book in the YouTube clip above. Take a few minutes to listen to him discuss Peter Hitchen’s premise, that there’s an essential relationship between a healthy society and Christianity. Then listen to Peter Hitchen’s commentary below.
The courts and liberal pressure groups are gaining momentum in removing God from the public square in America. They are systematically installing a different value system based on secular humanism.
Is that a good idea?
What will be the cost to America?
Listen to these commentaries … and weigh in with your own personal reflections. I want to hear from you.
Thank-you.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO7u01eewDY&feature=player_embedded]
I am an atheist and I concede that to be effectively absolute a moral code needs to be beyond human power to alter. I believe there is no moral code beyond human power to alter.
I try to follow the philosophy of the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I also believe we individually have the fundamental right to protect our lives, liberty and rightfully obtained property against those who would use force or fraud to take those things from us. I also believe that people should be free to voluntarily socially cooperate to protect themselves or do other things. This belief is not based on any absolute truth. It is a practical philosophy that allows all people to live together in peace.