Are there any believers who admired Hitchens?

[finleeport]

Atheists/non-believers cannot be the only people who were influenced by Christopher Hitchens.

 

I don't think you'll believe me, but I really admired and liked the man, despite that I'm a Christian.

 

Before I heard of him, I was an all black-and-white morally absolute Christian, and hearing what he said shook my faith and everything I believed in. I became obsessed with his work and reading other things about Dawkins and Harris etc. But then I came to realize that most things he said was true and very bold to say.

 

I started studying on other religions, mostly paganism, and I found it very interesting. I don't know why I didn't become an atheist, I just thought atheists cannot be the only intelligent, sensible people.

 

But all thanks to Hitchens, I began to see things clearly, think logically and rationally, live life as it is and explore the possibilities. I may be still a Christian but I abhor all theocracies.

 

As for the Christofascists who say he's in hell, they wish. There's no Hell for Christopher, He's at peace. Man do I love this guy's balls (figuratively speaking that is) he was the greatest. I will admit that he was harsh and slightly unfair in his criticism, but he had his reasons.

 

I wonder what he would thought of a person like me?

 

RIP Christopher.

 

Who else was influenced by Hitchens despite your beliefs of any kind?

[Daenerys]

American pastor Rick Warren, who delivered the invocation at President Barack Obama's inauguration: 'My friend Christopher Hitchens has died. I loved and prayed for him constantly and grieve his loss. He knows the Truth now'

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ed-62.html

[AmandaP]

Me.

I discovered his writings a few years ago and I truly admire his provocative style, vigorous mind, and his courage.

[finleeport]

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ed-62.html

I don't think much of Rick Warren. He thinks Mao Zedong, Joe Stalin and Pol Pot killed people in the name of atheism.

[Austin]

When I was still an evangelical, I admired him for his obvious superior intellect and his courage in taking on some of the sacred cows in our culture (Mother Teresa, for example).

Rick Warren =

[JenniferJuniper]

His brother Peter, conservative and devout Anglican, posted a rather moving piece about his brother in his blog at the Mail Online.

[finleeport]

His brother Peter, conservative and devout Anglican, posted a rather moving piece about his brother in his blog at the Mail Online.

You know it is ironic, that one is extremely religious and the other brother is extremely anti-religious. They're a Gemini.

[JenniferJuniper]

You know it is ironic, that one is extremely religious and the other brother is extremely anti-religious. They're a Gemini.

I don't know for sure, of course, but it seems possible that Peter, clearly the lesser of Christopher in intellect, developed his philosophies perhaps subconsciously to set himself apart from his brother knowing at some level he couldn't compete in Christopher's sphere.

Peter was a hard-core lefty in his youth as well and I believe introduced Christopher to Trotskyism.

[MamaJunebug]

Me. I didn't agree with a lot of what he said, but to me he was truly a free-thinker: He didn't tow any particular "party line," couldn't be labeled.

[Sweetpea1]

Me. I didn't agree with a lot of what he said, but to me he was truly a free-thinker: He didn't tow any particular "party line," couldn't be labeled.

That would be my take, also. I like knowing where people stand on things. Also, even if I don't agree with what he said, he made (and makes ) me think about things.

[MamaJunebug]

That would be my take, also. I like knowing where people stand on things. Also, even if I don't agree with what he said, he made (and makes ) me think about things.

Sweetpea, this! In spades!!!

[sugaree]

Another evangelical writes about Hitchens at CNN: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/1 ... &hpt=hp_c2

[thoughtful]

Another evangelical writes about Hitchens at CNN: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/1 ... &hpt=hp_c2

There seems to be a lot of condescending "wasn't I nice to love this atheist" stuff in this one. Maybe it's just my slant.

When Hitch called him to tell him of his diagnosis:

He asked me to keep the matter private until he could tell his family and make the news public. Hesitatingly, I told him that while I knew that he did not believe in such things, I would pray for him. He seemed genuinely moved by the thought.

After their debate:

After a quick cigarette on the sidewalk near the backstage door, he went back inside to meet his fans and sign their books.

There was something macabre about it all. I had the unsettling feeling that these weren’t people who cared about him in the least. Instead, they seemed like a bunch of groupies who wanted to have a photo taken with a famous but dying man, so that one day they could show it to their buddies and say, “I knew him before he died.†It was a sad spectacle.

Turning away, I entered the foyer, where 30 or so Christians greeted me excitedly. Mostly students, they were encouraged by what had happened onstage that night. Someone had spoken for them, and it had put a bounce in their step. One young man told me that he had been close to abandoning his faith, but that the debate had restored his confidence in the truth of the gospel. Another student said that she saw how she could use some of the same arguments. It is a daunting task, really, debating someone of Hitchens' intellect and experience, but if this cheery gathering of believers thought I had done well, then all of the preparation and expense had been worth it.

Lots of mention of Hitch's drinking, smoking and disdain for cheap food -- not sure if that's a subtle dig or meant as male bonding.

[debrand]

There seems to be a lot of condescending "wasn't I nice to love this atheist" stuff in this one. Maybe it's just my slant.

When Hitch called him to tell him of his diagnosis:

After their debate:

Lots of mention of Hitch's drinking, smoking and disdain for cheap food -- not sure if that's a subtle dig or meant as male bonding.

I noticed that the writer attributed the worst motives to Hitchens supporters. There is no reason to do so. According to the article the people were simply waiting and the writer just guessed what their motives were.However, he decided that his own admirers were sincere and joyful people who walked with a bounce.

The bias is so obvious that I would be ashamed if I was the writer. It shows a surprisingly lack of self awareness on his part.

[Bookworm]

Taunton's article was definitely biased, but at least he does seem to have had a lot of genuine affection for Hitch. I liked the rest of the article, but the bit about Hitchens's fans being all macabre rubs me the wrong way. Yeah right. That's why people have made websites, songs, tribute videos, thousands of letters - all to bask in a little reflected fame. :roll: