Christopher Hitchens' Letter to the American Atheist Convention - 4/22/2011

[Sarothi]

Religion is a poison that robs a person of their ability to appreciate life for what it is, both the bad and the good.

[proprodigySD]

Don't keep the faith.

That's the best parting phrase ever.

[billygutter01]

If only I had Hitchens' gift of words....

[Razaiel]

@AshMbrs1 The effect of wind is demonstrable. The effect of gravity is demonstrable. Show me how god is demonstrable.

[KINGOFHELLANDYOU]

@AshMbrs1 are... are you.... are you retarded

[starscreamdkmo]

he will always live in our hearts i hope hitchens the best his honesty his compassion for truth we are free i hope he makes it and contiues the fight

[euralj06]

Please tell me folks. What is so unscientific about believing in God?

[VariedVids]

@euralj06 "Please tell me folks. What is so unscientific about believing in Mother Goose?"

ROFL! Please pray to your [imaginary] sky-daddy for a WORKING brain!!!

[euralj06]

@VariedVids All you did was tell me how God loves children. You haven't told me what you know about science.

[VariedVids]

@euralj06 And a child's mind you certainly have. You wouldn't recognize "science" if it appeared as a talking snake and bit you in your dumb ass!

[numbersCH31vs17]

@euralj06 It cannot be disproven. It cannot be experimented on. It cannot be observed. It can't be tested. These sir, are the basic FUNDAMENTALS of scientific inquiry.

[alive4ever1]

We bitch also about allah. Buddha is not a god so there is nothing to bitch about him.

[pjf57]

euraj06, you obviously know little or nothing about Hitchens, he is at least as critical about Islam as he is about Christianity and says clearly that, despite his problems with both, Islam is clearly the bigger threat today.

[euralj06]

@pjf57 People who attack the good name and character of Mother Teresa usually have to put themselves to sleep with drugs and or alchohol because of their sickness. Most of Hitchens life he has attacked Jesus Christ Himself.

[TurumbarTurin]

@euralj06 No matter how much drugs or alcohol those who are detractors of mother teresa use or their supposed sickness has anything to do with the validity of their claims or their arguments.

If that is the best you can do you can take your failed, fallacy riddled defence of that deluded, sadistic piece of shit called teresa and shove it up your pious ass.

[euralj06]

@TurumbarTurin Pious? I don't even call myself a Christian. It's just that I don't see Mother Teresea as a bad Character. (I'm sure she wasn't perfect) All she wanted to do was relieve suffering and give people hope in their dying moments. What's so sadistic about that?

[TurumbarTurin]

@euralj06 She said this, "the most beautiful gift for a person that he can participate in the sufferings of Christ".

She gave no pain killers and treatment and hygiene non existant.

This is the person you are defending. Read up on it.

[euralj06]

@TurumbarTurin I read her books all the time. These people were already suffering long before Mother Teresea went to help them the best way she knew how. A lot of people were greedy, and that placed limits on what she was able to do. She worked in a poor country where the rich are still greedy to this day. Greed (sin) causes suffering. That's why she had to find other ways of working through it.

[euralj06]

@TurumbarTurin Mother Teresa took poor, sick, suffering and dying people off the streets and cleaned feces off of them herself all the time. There is a problem here. "Alternative Medicine" is a worthless pseudo-science that comes from third world countries, and there isn't much available when governments want to be paid off. She won the Nobel Peace prize for her work, but had gave the money to India for rice. When greed rules, someone needs to find other ways of getting things done.

[euralj06]

@TurumbarTurin God kisses suffering people when they die. Then they are comforted forever. That's what Love is all about. Indifference is when a person complains about the suffering in the world, but does nothing about it. Mr. Hitchens spent his life making a lot of money on "bitching" kinds of books. Do you think he had poor people in mind? I hear that people donate money to the poor all the time to make themselves look good on T.V.

[Callirgos1]

@euralj06

Wow...

Kissing suffering people when they die? What about non-suffering people? What about suffering people who wont' die? Is this a real kiss or a metaphor? Why are you SO arrogant!? Your poetry is non-sense, and your god is too.

[euralj06]

@pjf57 If Islam is the bigger threat today, why is it that all atheists want to do is bitch about is Jesus? That's false. Hitchens bagan ragging on Islam after God asked him why he only persecutes His Son. Atheists only spit in Jesus's face because he is merciful and they can get away with it.

[kravens001]

you made me stop smoling.

[euralj06]

I wonder why all atheists only rag on Jesus? I never see them bitching about buddha, allah or krishna. Maybe ther's something to this Jesus guy after all.

[CRUClEFICTION]

@euralj06 No, there isn't.

[gta747]

@euralj06 yea, that something to him is the fact that people are taught to trust in him from childhood, b4 they can think for themselves well enough, making 95% of the nut cases we come across christians, & that they want their stories taught as science, i dont see hindus doing this, & its probably only because there arent enough of them around to feel like they can get away with it

[euralj06]

@gta747 Myself? I was not taught to trust him from birth. I was not raised in a christian home. My mother called herself a "good witch" and My uncle worshiped satan. I had become first a buddhist and then a comitted atheist. I've seen Jesus. I,'ve touched Him Phisically and he has touched me. I no longer pray to satan and I am no longer an atheist. I am a believer. I am now convinced that the so called "modern day scientific mind" is just silly.

[gta747]

@euralj06 ok so you were raised around superstition, but my point still stands that most people atheists come into contact with are christians who think since theyr the religious majority they can get away with pushing their beliefs on others

[euralj06]

@gta747 The "the moral majority" is a serious problem in the American Chirstian Church today. This is usually associated with the Republican Party. Jesus called these guys "Pharasees" in the Bible who were right wing legalists and worshipers of wealth. And they pushed their false beliefs onto people all the time. Legalism and greed has corrupted the entire world and the Church is no exception. Check your Bible. About 80% of the time Jesus taught about Hell, He was talking about "christians".

[jimnpatcavell]

@euralj06 Why rag on believers of Jesus? Because they deserve it. I have never had anyone except christians try to get me to follow their beliefs. At my home, at airports, at malls at street corners etc. Never a buddhist, jew, muslim etc.

[numbersCH31vs17]

@qzetu have you read any book about advocating atheism? I know you haven't because atheist don't just bitch about christianity.

[earthtick]

@numbersCH31vs17 If you know I haven't read anything advocating atheism, why the hell did you ask me if I have? I have read many books that discuss atheism, and many books that discuss religions, etc. Duh, where did I say atheist just bitch about Christianity? I said America has more Christians in it, that's why atheist are more likely to combat it.Most atheist in America have also grown up in Christianity, so they naturally hate it. I don't appreciate your smart ass remark!

[numbersCH31vs17]

@earthtick my comment wasn't to you, I don't think. This is first time I have seen your sign name on here. well I did "control" + "find" and didn't see any other comments you posted. My comment was to qzetu. His post right above mine says "chrisitanity is the one religion to 'bitch' about.

[numbersCH31vs17]

@earthtick also, it's called a rhetorical question.

[earthtick]

@numbersCH31vs17 @qzetu prob used my name on accident....I live in the same house with him. :)

[ciaochowbella]

@euralj06 You've not been paying attention if you think atheists "only rag on Jesus". Check out what they have to say about other religions before you go off half-cocked. Here on YT are DOZENS of vids with various atheists condemning pretty much every religion out there. Hitchens himself covers much more than Christianity in his book, "God Is Not Great". You should read it.

[f3ailure]

@euralj06

You've never heard an atheist bitch about Allah? If you put the words "Hitchens" and "Islam" into the field above you'd get pages full of hits from this particular atheist alone. Shoo troll, shoo.

[72dew]

@euralj06 cuz buddism isnt an organized religion.

[JayJayAbels]

@euralj06 They're all bullshit. ALL of them. There's NOTHING to that "Jesus" guy. lol He certainly was not a "god". He certainly did not walk on water or heal leprosy or rise from the grave after being dead for 3 days.

All bullshit. And all stuff that I once believed to be absolute truth.

There is no god. And that's... okay.

[aridchicken]

@euralj06

Or maybe you live in a Christianity dominated society, ergo you live in a society where the (local) atheists focus on this Jesus guy the most.

[aridchicken]

@euralj06

BTW, ever heard of Ayaan Hirsi Ali or Ibn Warraq? Does their mere existence prove that Islam is in any way true? You're a classic dumbass.

[gottagetherback89]

@euralj06 Yes there is. Inbox me for the reason why.

[richwfd2002]

@euralj06 Well, duh. Maybe it's because we live in a country that's mostly "christian" and we're tired of having it constantly shoved in our faces. We're tired of the arrogance, hypocrisy, bigotry, gullibility, willful ignorance, self-justification and stupidity of it all. Most of us, if not all of us, think that all religion is bullshit and is nothing more than appeal to emotion ("faith"). The buy bull is nothing more than hearsay, is self-contradictory and is not to be taken seriously.

[rex786]

@euralj06 The atheists in your country would rag on jesus because christianity is a pain in the neck for rational americans. All religions get criticised; if not by atheists then its religious people taking the piss out of other faiths.

[MrFungus420]

@euralj06 Well, "Buddha" is a title, not a being. It means (essentially) "enlightened one". There have been many Buddhas and there will probably be many more.

As for Allah or Krishna, you are engaged in a primarily English-speaking forum and Christianity tends to be in the majority in English-speaking places.

In short, your comment is based on ignorance. Ignorance of Buddhism, ignorance of demographics and ignorance of how to draw a logical conclusion.

[Sarothi]

@euralj06

The majority of vocal atheists live in predominantly christian societies, where the ignored but all too real bigotry presents itself in full force. We (atheists) "rag on jesus" because it's christians who are working so hard to impose their view on others, impeding scientific progress, trying to inject their beliefs into schools, and actively promoting a bigoted mentality in which it is ok to view someone as less than human because they do not believe as the many.

[GrapplingIgnorance]

@euralj06 Probably because you, and the atheists you speak to are surrounded mostly by Christians, are most negatively impacted by Christian fundamentalists, and are most familiar with that particular religion. Buddhists and Hindus aren't as vitriolic in their belief systems as fundamentalist Christians. Also, non-believers in the places where Islam is prevalent don't have the same freedom of speech as those in Jesus land do. That being said, there's plenty Anti-Islam atheist work on youtube.

[rooski1191]

@euralj06 beacuase 76.4% of Americans are christian. because, every December they have to see Christmas Trees, verse from the bible and other Christian propoganda displayed in public veiw around every corner. Then when Atheist say one thing against it, all the christians have to jump on their shit. Because Christian morality plays to big of a role in American politics, in which is a Government that is supposed to keep church SEPRATE from state, and yet gays cannot get married.

[rooski1191]

@euralj06 and women must bare children they do not want. Because christian morality is preventing scientific discovery by preventing stem cell research. Research that could potentially save and improve coutless lives. ok? get it now? ok, so stfu

[0122460166]

@euralj06 "I never see them bitching about buddha, allah or krishna"

Really? You don't a lot about atheists then.

[patrick112590]

It's as if he wrote this at a time when he thought he would soon die. Nothing scares me more at the moment than the thought of him flickering out of existence.

[jimnpatcavell]

The photo has a caption "Bin Laden enters Paradise and is welcomed by 72 virgins.

It was not what he expected."

The photo shows 72 nuns armed with automatic weapons. If anybody finds this, please send me the link by PM and post it here for all to enjoy.

[JoeyDiphard]

@jimnpatcavell tinyurl(dot)com/72nuns

[jimnpatcavell]

This is a plea for help. I know that most people here fully agree with Christopher Hitchens. The concept of heaven and hell has no meaning for us. However, a friend received a photograph and unfortunately deleted it. I'm sure that you know, devout Muslims believe that if they die during a holy war, they will enter paradise and receive 72 virgins.

[mapscannotcontainme]

@wilatemodel

I'm so glad Hitchens lived to see bin Laden snuffed out...and in such a fashion to boot! For you and all interested, he's already written an article about bin Laden's death in his regular column, Fighting Words, on Slate. It's available on Slate.com. I highly recommend it.

[ViperRob42]

Brilliant. I'd love to see more videos up from this years American Atheist Convention, Hitchens is what we need more now than ever and I'm glad he is fighting hard in his fight, STAY STRONG!

[jimnpatcavell]

I have always been an atheist. My closest friends knew of this. At weddings etc. people would avoid sitting near me in a church, "just in case". I assured them that I was safe to be near.

Christopher Hitchens helped me to speak out against the religious claptrap that is often heard. I no longer let my silence be interpreted as tacit approval when I read or hear god or the bible being quoted.

For that, Hitchens, Dawkins, Russell and others will always my sincere thanks.

[nuitaridark]

@jimnpatcavell and harris and sagan :D

[Reasonablib]

A great transformer of minds will be missed. "To have had a small part in this resistance has been the greatest honor of my lifetime: the pattern and original of all dictatorship is the surrender of reason to absolutism and the abandonment of critical, objective inquiry. The cheap name for this lethal delusion is religion, and we must learn new ways of combating it in the public sphere, just as we have learned to free ourselves of it in private."

[Reasonablib]

Our weapons are the ironic mind against the literal: the open mind against the credulous; the courageous pursuit of truth against the fearful and abject forces who would set limits to investigation . Perhaps above all, we affirm life over the cults of death and human sacrifice and are afraid, not of inevitable death,

[Reasonablib]

but rather of a human life that is cramped and distorted by the pathetic need to offer mindless adulation, or the dismal belief that the laws of nature respond to wailings and incantations.

[offroadjohnny]

It is oh my great regret that I only learned on this great man on his way out.

[sketto]

100 years from now, learned people will refer to Hitch the same way he now refers to Jefferson, Paine, and Spinoza - another in a long line of freethinkers hoping to raise mankind above the base level of superstition.

[nuitaridark]

@sketto my thoughts exactly

[Santo3x7]

Those who live to serve themselves live only until they die. Those who live to serve others, will remain forever.

Mr. HItchens has lived to help his fellow man throw off the shackles of ignorance. He is already granted immortality.

[PhilipRBow]

Build UP that wall! 

[Neosaigo]

Mr. Hitchen, message received. Thank you and good luck on your fight against your illness.

[DavieDave59]

Hitchens will never die. At least not in me. He's taught me so much and shaped not only my beliefs but the way I think.

[razzledazzle15]

"a argument I am currently having with the specter of death. Nobody ever wins this argument"Noone has ever bested death before, but on the other hand, death has never tangled with Christopher Hitchens before. Death doesn't know what he's up against.

[dubaipete]

@razzledazzle15 Hitch vs Death debate!! Priceless. Hitch would probably convince Death he was merely an ancient personification of man's recognition and fear of his own mortality. At which point death would disappear in a whisp of logic. (ref. to Douglas Adams)

[razzledazzle15]

@dubaipete Either that or just smash death over he head with a whiskey bottle and take his wallet.

[glasshammer52]

I would take Hitch's illness for him, only he would not allow it. I'm hoping for the small chance that this beautiful mind, and the man who comes with it, survive for many years to come.

[Hawkpeter1]

I wish I could say something to him that was as inspiring and helpful as he has been to me.

[inquiry10]

As Christopher comes to the end of his life I can't help but feel like we are loosing a great man too soon.

if anything it makes me wish there was a re-incarnation so I could here more of Hitchens philosophy and wisdom in seas of ignorant religion.

Perhaps however I should turn my attention to the one who will inevitably pick up this torch and continue to press the atheist community to the main stage.

[johncrab67]

Christopher Hitchens' is a person of the highest caliber.

There is just no one like him.

And, I hope against hope that he gets well soon and has many more good years. So that we can all here him exclaim , "Available at fine bookstores everywhere."

Frankly, humanity needs needs him and more unapologetic ballbusters just like him.

[bodeezy]

My favorite of the "four horsemen".

[MrLeftfootrightfoot]

Hitchens you silver tongue

[shihouka]

What software was used to read the text?

[MartinJWillett]

Read the letter in the description. Let your inner Hitch read it to you, not some slightly camp Dalek.

[Andraste77]

@MartinJWillett - now I'm going to be walking around all day looking for reasons to use the phrase 'slightly camp dalek' - oh dear.

[GowanBray]

"innumerable friends and family, all of them immune to the false consolations of religion" Not quite, he seems to forget Francis Collins, whom he counts as a close friend. Come on Hitch, stay at the party !

[prolefeedprocessor]

The speaking software was quite good at proper intonation and emphasis keeping the flow of a sentence. I haven't heard that before in other videos that use similar software.

[danielinraleigh]

It is sad to see Hitchens closer and closer to the inevitable end of his amazing life. It is however consoling to know that he leaves behind a legacy that will by carried by a new generation of freethinkers and all those who want to put an end to tyranny.

[ateopuertorico]

He will Hitch-slap religion to the end, he will not be forgotten.

[TheNorwegianSkeptic]

Oh dear. This sounds bad...

May your journey be short an painless dear friend.

You will continue living among us in your writings, speeches and on millions of hard-drives all over the world.

And if science can in a "miraculous" way recover your health for some years i will still repeat those same words if i live long enough.

May god be less.

[mapscannotcontainme]

Posting this video was a good decision but doing so in the voice of that stupid speak and spell program detracted from it...and prompts the thought of having to listen to Hitchens speaking through it which is depressing. You should have just typed it out and let it play in silence.

[zEropoint68]

@mapscannotcontainme I actually gave up on the audio about a quarter of the way through and just read the text of the letter in the description.

[bobster451]

Christophper, I want for you to recover and spend more time with us who lack the level of your brilliance. This way we can all improve our collective insight. Peace to you my friend that I wish to meet some day.

[danielinraleigh]

@bobster451 I met him years ago, ironically on the day that Jerry Falwell died. I shook his hand and told him I was merely there to tell him I admired his work. He responded that he was glad and that knowing others liked his work kept him going. I honestly feel as heartbroken as I can be for someone I don't know personally. I wish him the best in this hard time.

[Solarcoreg]

thank you very much for the video.

[KasparHauser5]

Hitchins can express things that I can only feel.

[jnjoblon]

Beautifully put Mr. Hitchens.

[nett103]

This letter is heartbreaking. Feel well Hitch.

[Hall1263]

Christopher Hitchens has the most beautiful mind i've ever come across! Whether he lives or dies, may his suffering be as short as possible...

[Neanderthalcouzin]

@Hall1263 hardcore medical science and friendship will be the method to achieve that. I love listening to this man, wish I could have had one of those famous 10 hour lunches with him that went to midnight and involved multiple bottles of who knows what.

[Dwicker64]

That letter was brilliant and beautiful. Thanks

[myl7myl7]

get better soon Christopher Hitchens <3

[tracygonecrazy1]

@myl7myl7 He won't.

[thruthem]

This is not good.