Interview about atheism with Peter Hitchens

[Dansiph]

The interview includes various topics but mainly atheism.

Peter Hitchens is someone I don't agree with in the sense he is Anglican and I am looking to be Baptist but I enjoyed the interview and agreed with the majority of points in it.

 

[durangodawood]

"Former Trotskyist turned conservative firebrand".

I'm automatically skeptical of people who bounce around from one radical ideology to another. Usually the real issues for them are more about their selves than about the reality we all share.

 

[Dansiph]

"Former Trotskyist turned conservative firebrand".

I'm automatically skeptical of people who bounce around from one radical ideology to another. Usually the real issues for them are more about their selves than about the reality we all share.

Sorry to nitpick but I feel it's important. At the beginning he said "Former Trotskyist firebrand turned conservative commentator". I don't think Hitchens is a radical man. I am also not on his side completely and I have some of the skepticism you have of people too.

Usually the real issues for them are more about their selves than about the reality we all share

He talks about selfishness in the interview so you'd hope and expect he isn't all about himself. We can't be sure tbh.

I also think it's important to note his brother Christopher's prominence and the ideas he had

 

[durangodawood]

Way too much psychologizing against some tiny subset of published atheists.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

"Former Trotskyist turned conservative firebrand".

I'm automatically skeptical of people who bounce around from one radical ideology to another. Usually the real issues for them are more about their selves than about the reality we all share.

I agree, that is why I don’t trust that Democrat currently in the White House.

 

[Par5]

The interview includes various topics but mainly atheism.

Peter Hitchens is someone I don't agree with in the sense he is Anglican and I am looking to be Baptist but I enjoyed the interview and agreed with the majority of points in it.

Hitchens talked a lot about intolerance. The intolerance he says that atheists have towards religion. Christians often accuse atheist of this while at the same time ignoring the elephant in the room. The elephant being that Christianity is all about intolerance. A fundamental Christian belief is that when a person dies and they have not accepted the Christian god or Jesus as their saviour, then the Christian god will send that person to a place where they will be tortured for all eternity. In other words, disbelief will not be tolerated and the punishment for such is to suffer everlasting pain and torture.
I have no doubt that some Christians will reply by saying, no, no, that is not intolerance, that is god administering righteous justice!
I wish Hitchen's late brother Christopher was still with us, he talked a lot more sense than Peter.

 

[Dansiph]

Hitchens talked a lot about intolerance. The intolerance he says that atheists have towards religion. Christians often accuse atheist of this while at the same time ignoring the elephant in the room. The elephant being that Christianity is all about intolerance. A fundamental Christian belief is that when a person dies and they have not accepted the Christian god or Jesus as their saviour, then the Christian god will send that person to a place where they will be tortured for all eternity. In other words, disbelief will not be tolerated and the punishment for such is to suffer everlasting pain and torture.
I have no doubt that some Christians will reply by saying, no, no, that is not intolerance, that is god administering righteous justice!
I wish Hitchen's late brother Christopher was still with us, he talked a lot more sense than Peter.

Me or anyone else saying people will go to hell doesn't automatically make people go to hell. Christianity is not all about intolerance. You're already comdemned.

Romans 3:23 King James Version
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 

[Dansiph]

Hitchens talked a lot about intolerance. The intolerance he says that atheists have towards religion. Christians often accuse atheist of this while at the same time ignoring the elephant in the room. The elephant being that Christianity is all about intolerance. A fundamental Christian belief is that when a person dies and they have not accepted the Christian god or Jesus as their saviour, then the Christian god will send that person to a place where they will be tortured for all eternity. In other words, disbelief will not be tolerated and the punishment for such is to suffer everlasting pain and torture.
I have no doubt that some Christians will reply by saying, no, no, that is not intolerance, that is god administering righteous justice!
I wish Hitchen's late brother Christopher was still with us, he talked a lot more sense than Peter.

John 3:17 - For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

 

[Par5]

Me or anyone else saying people will go to hell doesn't automatically make people go to hell. Christianity is not all about intolerance. You're already comdemned.

Romans 3:23 King James Version
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Already condemned? By who or what?

 

[Dansiph]

Already condemned? By who or what?

God

John 3:18 King James Version
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

 

[Tinker Grey]

God

John 3:18 King James Version
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Yeah, see, gods don't exist. Your threats of judgement are unpersuasive.

 

[Dansiph]

Yeah, see, gods don't exist. Your threats of judgement are unpersuasive.

They're not my threats though? They're not my words

 

[Tinker Grey]

They're not my threats though? They're not my words

Do you endorse those words? Then they are your threats.

 

[Dansiph]

Do you endorse those words? Then they are your threats.

I'm not in a positon to endorse them. I don't reject them.

 

[Par5]

God

John 3:18 King James Version
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

So then, do believe that Christianity does not tolerate disbelief in the biblical god and that the biblical god uses the threat of eternal torture for simply disbelieving? If that is so, then your belief system is not only an intolerant one, it also operates using threats and fear.

 

[Dansiph]

So then, do believe that Christianity does not tolerate disbelief in the biblical god and that the biblical god uses the threat of eternal torture for simply disbelieving? If that is so, then your belief system is not only an intolerant one, it also operates using threats and fear.

I suppose in a way, God is intolerant of sinners. To me there is no (in your words) "biblical god" there is only God. God informs us that we are condemned, he also provides a free gift of eternal life. We should fear God

 

[Tinker Grey]

God informs us

No god informed us of anything. They don't exist.

 

[Dansiph]

No god informed us of anything. They don't exist.

Why do you think that?

 

[Par5]

I suppose in a way, God is intolerant of sinners. To me there is no (in your words) "biblical god" there is only God. God informs us that we are condemned, he also provides a free gift of eternal life. We should fear God

It is not a free gift. A gift is only free if the one giving the gift is asking for nothing in return. This "gift" is loaded with conditions.

 

[Tinker Grey]

Why do you think that?

Because no theist has ever made a convincing case.