Hitchens / McGrath - Religion: The Center vs The Fringe, Pt 2
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- Опубліковано 7 лис 2007
- Complete video at: fora.tv/2007/10/11/Christopher...
Bestselling author and atheist Christopher Hitchens responds to theologian Alister McGrath's defense of mainstream religions from their extremist "fringes."
This is part two of a three-part excerpt.
Part one: • Hitchens / McGrath - R...
Part three: • Hitchens / McGrath - R...
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Poison or Cure? Religious Belief in the Modern World: A debate, dialogue, and discussion with Christopher Hitchens and Alister McGrath.
The Ethics and Public Policy Center and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University host a debate between writer Christopher Hitchens and Oxford University professor Alister McGrath on the role of religious belief in the modern world.
Christopher Hitchens is an author, journalist and literary critic. Now living in Washington, D.C., he has been a columnist at Vanity Fair, The Nation and Slate; additionally, he is an occasional contributor to many other publications. He is most recently the author of "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" (2007) and editor of "The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever" (2007).
Alister McGrath is a biochemist and Christian theologian born in Belfast, North Ireland. He currently enjoys the title of distinction "Professor of Historical Theology" granted by the University of Oxford. He has written extensively on history and theology, including "In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture" (2001), and "The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World" (2005).
He has written biographies of John Calvin, Thomas Torrance, and J. I. Packer. He has also written on the interaction of science and theology and his "A Scientific Theology" (4 volumes, 2001-2004) has been hailed as one the most important works of systematic theology to appear in recent years. He has written two critiques of the biologist "Richard Dawkins: The Dawkins Delusion?" (2007) and "Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life" (2005). His most recent book is "Christianity's Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution - A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First," published by HarperOne. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2005 and in 2009 he will give the prestigious Gifford Lectures at the University of Aberdeen.
For so long of my growing up. Him and people like him were censored out of main stream media. Very few if any got through that would have been able to express his thoughts and feelings in the way that he does. So I say to everyone do not squander this super resource of the internet where we can listen and enjoy free thinkers such as this wonderful and learned and well read man. I would certainly advocate that no one should follow a faith. The word faith itself should scare you away if nothing else.
Thank you for posting this, ForaTv.
How wonderful that Hitchens and McGrath can debate and share ideas and at the end, thank each other and shake hands. Get better soon, Hitchens! You are a very special person.
@rugbyboy198127 Thank you in turn for your generous comment. As you pointed out, it really is quite hard these days to discuss the topic of religion without either getting ridiculed for your faith or chastised for your lack of faith. That is why there so much malcontent and disunity: people have divided themselves, and are unwilling to break out of their small mindsets. So, again, thank you very much for your comment.
"....I have spent well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval..." Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Miss you Hitchens <3
hitchens is the atom bomb of debate: it's just not fair
As a formerly religious person myself I'm starting to agree with Hitchens. Religion is not necessary for morality and teaches people that they are required to believe things which are simply not true. All other questions aside, this alone is enough for me to reject religion.
He doesn't realize it, but the fact that Hitchens can boldly criticize Christianity (on its own turf so to speak) reveals that he's borrowing from the capital of Christendom's historical capacity for self-criticism (as opposed to Islam). In his book A Secular Age, philosopher Charles Taylor has pointed out that the Reformation was the most radical form of self-criticism, and the foundation of our secular society today. McGrath's argument stands, despite Hitchens' of "outrageous quote" mining.
This is Hitch at his prime. I hope there is someone out there who is as intelligent, witty and brave as Hitchen willing to speak out against religion after he is gone.
Which faith?
Hitchens has a wonderful grasp of the english language, it must be said
hitches seems like a good preacher and i feel much more strengthened in my faith by watching him. This is because he picks at the beliefs i hold and consequently makes me a better christian. So thank you
No martial artist would ever be able to protect themselves from the hitchslap!
Ok, as long as you admit that he was very Christian in public. If you want to say that in his private life he was not a Christian then that is up for debate. What bothers me is all these fundamentalists clumping Hitler in the Atheist bin, ignoring everything he had to say about a god or things like having emblems on his buttons that mentioned god. He had a problem with the direction Christianity was moving, but a rejection of a particular religion does not make him an Atheist. That is my point.
I find it extremely interesting, and entirely telling, that Hitchens comes across arrogant and close minded while McGrath is conciliatory and generous. Hitchens bases his arguments on what his understanding of Christian beliefs are, yet he obviously doesn't have a correct understanding, and refuses to even question whether his understanding is correct. In addition Hitchens states in his opening remarks that he will try to limit his arguments to Christianity, yet continually refers to Islam.
@ivlfounder I'm not sure. He admitted losing a debate to Lennox, but I don't think it was this one. I think it was one titled “Can Atheism Save Europe?”
@Sneezlebob I watched both debates, but I didn't see Lennox beating anyone.
4. " Lurking under all religions is a yearning for this life to end"
What is it we were bullied into believing & threatened with torture if we didn't and which has caused misery and wretchedness to millions down the centuries and today?