Why Christianity is Impossible to Believe (Christopher Hitchens)

[williamgivens]

What does one believe ? A story made up in the 20th century by people with an axe to grind that is full of supposition and totally lacking any evidence in the handed down accounts of our real ancestors? Or The actual handed down accounts of the people of lived long ago ? I choose the second, thank you.

[indirokmusik]

@1stupormumdi, so if I am an atheist who believes in the truth of science and not the lies of religion, I should beleve in the tooth fairy? Funny, because ever since the age of seven I felt the opposite way. If you can put your faith into something like god, who in theory is a fantasy just like fairies and big foot, so how about you go read an evolution text book and get a better understanding.

[ryanhuerta1]

I'm brought to tears by his brilliant mind and how it is no longe with us. When you look at peoples faces when he spoke, it's as if they know what he is saying is correct and they are ashamed of their beliefs, and know what they believe is childish, yet they still need to believe it in order to comfort their infantile minds. Michel Onfray put it well when he said,"Creation of the divine coexists with the terror of the void in a life that must end"

RIP Hitch, Your legacy lives through your work.

[1stupormundi]

Evolution is a crock invented by by quack pseudo junk scientist who just wanted to hide their atheism under the guise of science...there is nothing scientific about this garbage... I don't have enough faith to be an atheist... You are going to need alot of faith to believe that an amoeba transformed itself into a monkey and then it transformed itself again into a human being...you might as well believe in the tooth fairy and big foot.

[espnfan54]

@1stupormundi Than what do you have as an alternative creationism lmao.

Evolution's a fact by the way. Obviously you don't understand from what I can tell. It takes more faith to believe a magic man created himself than created earth than it happening naturally. Idiot.

[914light]

@espnfan54  fact ....hahahhaah

[hevy99]

@1stupormundi LOL! Ding Dong, the Witch is dead! +++

[ktxed]

@1stupormundi You Sir, are a glorious faggot.

[MrShysterme]

@1stupormundi No,evolution by natural selection is theory developed and supported via observation by people much brighter and educated than yourself.

[sjatox]

@1stupormundi

You say it like the monkey should transfer into a human in ten minutes. It takes more time than you can imagine. Things are not static my friend - the universe and life is dynamic.

Science is not faith - it is evidence.

If your magic man in the sky really exists, i say f.... him for making humans so damn stupid and self centered that they think they are the center of all things. They can't even agree on which folklore religion is the right on - bravo.

[generis27]

@1stupormundi

Evolution is the greatest evidence of intelligent design, because although we know how it works, we don't know why*. People who dismiss it, are not properly educated on the matter, too biased to give it a chance, or listen to others instead of thinking for themselves.

[ChrisMagoo99]

@1stupormundi you are grossly misinformed

[shandi411]

@1stupormundi Evolution is a fact. You don't need faith to believe in facts. You don't need faith to be an atheist either. I don't need faith to know that pickles aren't blue. They just aren't. And I don't need faith to know there isn't a god. There just isn't.

[jlotus100]

@1stupormundi You not only have a deep misunderstanding of what evolution is, but you also have a strong misunderstanding of Charles Darwin. He was a very religious man, and was considering becoming a preacher before he wrote The Origin of Species.

[freedomofthought1000]

@1stupormundi We don't need 'faith' - that's for people with no evidence. There is evidence for evolution in so many drawers in so many museums, libraries and anthropology departments of so many thousands of the world's centres of learning that it would be difficult to catalogue it all. By the way - humans didn't evolve from monkeys. You might want to read up on the subject before commenting on it.

[1stupormundi]

Hitchens makes the classic atheist mistake that life (human life) began 100,000 - 250,000 years ago...there is no proof for this argument... his premise is wrong therefore his conclusion is awfuly wrong... we have evidence that humans began writing around 5,000 years or so... this lends incredibly to the Biblical view that man was created around 6,0000 years ago... no atheist can disprove this fact!!! Also, he certainly quotes Jesus/Bible quite often...I wonder why he doean't quote Islam?

[espnfan54]

@1stupormundi Your an idiot. When hitchens quotes the bible, he usually is pointing out the evil of the bible. I am aware of writings being 5000 years old, but we have records of the first modern homosapien men going back to 100,000+ years ago. We have evidence for this- bones, tools, old camps etc. The bible is NOT an accurate representation of ANY history at all. Yes, there is evidence for Hitchens argument, none for yours of men existing only 6000 years ago, read a book will you!

[1stupormundi]

@espnfan54 I don't have enough faith to be an atheist. I mean an amoeba came out of an explosion (big bang) and it transformed into a monkey with the help of magical time and then more magical time and poof it transformed from a monkey to a human being. And thank God you atheist don't believe in fairytale. No intelligent person can accept this crock of a theory as evolution, just a like I can't accept the easter bunny and big foot. you atheist need to come up with something intelligent.

[hevy99]

@1stupormundi no! actually a bang from nothing somehow created everything. and PRESTO CHANGO! it went from a rock-> to the zoo-> to you! and thats todays LOGIC! (even though SCIENCE and Theology both agree and say otherwise, along with the TOP scientists and theologians) because we are so intelligent, advanced and smarter than GOD! (and top scientists and theologians) WE EVOLVED FROM A ROCK! PERFECT! im anxious to abandon TRUTH and jump on that bandwagon of CRAP! jajajajajajajaja +++

[freedomofthought1000]

@1stupormundi He does quote Islam - all the time, Read his books. He is an 'equal opportunity bullshit detector'. I'm sorry why do you say writing starting 6,000 years ago lends credence to the birth of human beings at that time? So children aren't born until they can write is that what you're saying? Also - no proof - there is proof in all the museums and universities of the world...truly bizarre...

[totybear]

@GamersDreamGame

Unfortunately you don't know the truth, you gullibly believe a lie. As Hitchens said “risk thinking for yourself” read about Hitchens and the writings of Hitchens and you will realise he is far more moral than the mythical Jesus Christ ever would have been had he really existed.

[GamersDreamGame]

Maybe someday this guy will be saved as well :)

I think the problem he has is the same as me. If you read the bible with your mind Alone, then you will misinterpret as you can not understand divine things without a divine being. Only the holyspirit can teach the meening of Gods word.

I would completely agree with this man unless I knew the truth.

[espnfan54]

@GamersDreamGame Your an idiot. I was a fundamentalist baptist Christian myself for 20+ years, and thought I knew the truth. Some people like you seem to have a hard time facing reality and get stuck with useless scripture. As an atheist now as someone who has read the bible many times I can say the bible is no truth, if that's where the foundation of your beliefs comes from, than I can tell you, its time for you to face the truth instead of your faith nonsense.

[GamersDreamGame]

@espnfan54 and your a bitter bitch. If you wish to argue then please behaiv instead of calling names first thing you do. You'v done just as this guy, misread the scriptures because your not guided by the holy spirit. The bible is not 100% correct when it speaks about the events that Jesus did, but the errors found are small enough to be irrelevant. You believe there's no God and that is ofcourse a faith in itself. A faith more useless and destructive than any other.

[espnfan54]

@GamersDreamGame Your an asshole dude. I actually know the scripture well, I have read and studied it and did for many years. The bible having "small errors" is not true at all, their big errors. You should learn to think for yourself instead of the dogmas your told.

[GamersDreamGame]

@espnfan54 dr.bitter speaks up again. I know the scriptures aswell. Care to put forward some of your "proof"?

Or are you too scared to be theologically owned?

[espnfan54]

@GamersDreamGame Sure, what do you want to debate from the scripture in particular to "test" my knowledge. Also, lets chat in messages so we don't flood the comments with spam.

[freedomofthought1000]

@GamersDreamGame Uhm. No. Actually the bible is massively contradictory throughout. From the very first pages - first eve is created at the same time as adam and then created from his rib (page 1 and then page 3 of the King James version). And it goes downhill from there - 'dop not kill' followed by, only a few paragraphs later 'the penalty for adultery is stoning to death' (as is the penalty for children being abusive by the way). Too small to be irrelevant? uhm, no...

[freedomofthought1000]

@GamersDreamGame And you know the truth do you? Because god told you? And how do you know that gold told you, because you know the truth. That's called 'circular reasoning'. Which holy spriti are you talking about by the way - Glenmorangie?

[JOHNrocksification]

While I didn't agree on all his political views, I do agree with this this. R.I.P. Christopher Hitchens.

[boscoblack]

Genius

That is the only word needed to describe this short, brilliant reply from Mr. Hitchens.

[realirishdude]

Hitchen's says that a vicarious sacrifice for sins cannot be does not make sense in a world without God anyway. Who makes up the moral rules without God?

[littleman787]

@realirishdude I don't need a bearded man in the sky or a book to tell me it's wrong to kill a fellow human being

[annanownow]

simply pathetic, the cases of Moses and Noah and the other cases of the Old Testament completely negate the former Vanity Fair contributor's half-baked argument.

[ilovebdowl11]

Guess he knows the truth now.

[cshubs]

RIP Hitch. You'll be greatly missed.

[hevy99]

hitch's blasphemy and pompous ignorance is whats hard to believe! but since satan is god of this world, really comes as no surprise. +++

[amstellori]

hitchens makes no sense. amazing how he says man has been around between 100,000-250,000 years. According to Bible record man has been around 6000 years. Secular history only goes back 5000 years, where's the rest of it if man has been around for 100,000+years?

Christ born in Palestine and not China, makes sense since Abraham was promised that redemption would come through his lineage. Gen 22:18. Just look at the spread of Christianity over the last 2000 did God get it right? Resounding Yes.

[espnfan54]

@amstellori Why should anyone even believe Jesus existed? Man has been around for many years, records of the first hominids go back about 3 million years. Why should anyone believe what the bible says? Also, the world isn't 6,000 years old. "secular history" goes way past 5000 years. Read a science book. Also, I suggest, why don't you learn to think for yourself instead of what some book says.

[amstellori]

@espnfan54 Hi thanks for your comment

1)Can you name 1 ancient historian who doubted that Jesus Christ existed?

2) I repeat secular recorded history only goes back 5000 years.

3) I never said the world is 6000 years old. Please check my comment again.

thanks

[espnfan54]

@amstellori History did go back about 5000 years with civilization, but listen to what hitchens is saying, he says the records of human existence is older than 100,000 years, it goes back many years. Many historians don't accept Jesus, such as Richard Carrier. We also have NO documents even talking about Jesus around 7BC to 33 Ad when people say he existed.

[amstellori]

@espnfan54

1) "record of human existence over 100,000 years" is that date- stamped? None of this is verifiable history, wild guesses.

2) The point I'm making is No historian of ancient times doubted the existence of Christ, and they surely would have done due to the grand claims of his disciples, richard carrier is a historian 2000 years after the event.

3) Jesus ministry was for the last 3.5 years of his life and it is from that point that he and his disciples gained prominence.

[espnfan54]

@amstellori Yes, we have records of homo sapiens that go back over 3 million years, fact, not guess. As a former Christian of many years myself, I have seen this argument before. Also, keep in mind the crucifixion happened around 30 CE and the gospel writers were born after 36 CE. When Jesus supposedly existed, around 243 writers were alive and not a single one wrote about him.  Besides, why should anyone believe a word of your holy book?

[amstellori]

@espnfan54 1) Gospel writers were born after 36C.E.? Are you referring to Matthew and John for example? Even if it were true, it beats historians 2000 years after the event.

2) It's not my Holy book and belief is a personal thing. I don't tell anyone to believe only to reason.

3) National Geographic in 2004 likened the fossil record to “a film of evolution from which 999 of every 1,000 frames have been lost on the cutting-room floor.” And you expect me to believe in evolution?

[espnfan54]

@amstellori I am referring to Matthew, Mark,Luke John. Men who write about him yet they were not even born before he even died and you expect me to believe that LMAO.

Evolution is a fact, let me guess your a young earth creationist.

[amstellori]

@espnfan54 I'm confused, if you have read the gospels, you will know matthew, mark and john had personal contact with Jesus.

I'm disappointed by your dogmatic view of evolution. Evolutionary fraud is common for e.g. Orce man, Java man, Piltdown man, Nebraska man the list goes on.

I'm definitely not a young earth creationist, I'm of the view that the universe is some 13.7 billion years old and the earth about 4.6 billion years.

[espnfan54]

@amstellori No, your wrong. Yes I have read the gospels and the bible 3 times having been a fundamentalist baptist Christian for many years. If you understand the bible, NONE of the gospel writers met Jesus, the gospels were written many years after bible claims actually happened. We can't even confirm the gospel writers even existed. Oh, so your an old earth creationist. I support evolution because it's very accurate such as neural crest cells, natural selection with speciation etc.

[DocWyoming]

@espnfan54 Not only is there any evidence of the 'Four' gospel writers, there's good reason to believe that the synoptic gospels are just 3 copies/versions of the same book.

[becauselifematters]

@espnfan54 what factual basis do you have for stating that "NONE" of the gospel writers met Jesus? the Scriptures themselves state this as fact, aNd each of these books are seperate, distinctive, accounts of the Life of Christ on earth, His dying on the Cross, aNd His resurrection .. no other document of antiquity carries the Archaeological weight that the Bible carries .. the Bible is consistent with History, Philosophy, aNd Logic, it is Prophetic in nature, aNd written as One Book, sO then ..?

[espnfan54]

@becauselifematters First, the gospel writers writings were written years after Jesus died. 2nd, I don't think Jesus even existed and the scriptures are not information either. HAHAHAHA the bible being accurate in history, NO, NO not at all. The book has MANY contradictions etc. We have NO records of the resurrection either. What do you mean changed my view, are you asking why am I an atheist?

[freedomofthought1000]

@becauselifematters Nope. Actually the 4 gospels were written years after his life. John was written on an island cave in Greece over 100 years later for example. But more importantly why would we need evidence that someone 'didn't' meet someone? How do you know you and I have never met? Do you have proof! Your argument doesn't make any sense...

[becauselifematters]

@espnfan54 aNd what caused you to have a change of view? btw i recognize that i mispelled separate* in my previous reply

[becauselifematters]

@espnfan54 one of the things that is sO astounding is how some people who deny God's existence ask such a question as "why should anyone believe what the Bible says since it was written by man" or "why don't you learn to think for yourself instead of what some book says?" when these people themselves are relying on what they themselves think or say aNd on what other people are saying aNd have said aNd on what other books say, this is such a contradiction, such a blind approach to conversation \=

[espnfan54]

@becauselifematters Are you aware there is a huge difference between denying an existence or no longer holding a belief, I no longer hold any belief, not deny the god doesn't exist. How is someone trying to think for themselves about reality a contradiction? Most atheists when it comes to relying on a book avoid scripture, instead use a science book which is all fact. Explain more about this "contradiction", I believe I don't see one.

[Machtann]

@amstellori Did you listen to what he said? He didn't comment on the first civilizations for which there is undoubtedly only 7k years of secular history. He was commenting about the human species, the first version of "modern man" homo sapiens. And that certainly dates back to at least 100k years ago.

[amstellori]

@Machtann "that certainly dates back to at least 100K years ago" Is that date-stamped? Do you or anyone else have any genuine evidence for this? Depending on which text book you read your answer could vary by 100,000's years.

National Geographic in 2004 likened the fossil record to “a film of evolution from which 999 of every 1,000 frames have been lost on the cutting-room floor.”

I prefer to stick to genuine evidence rather than theories.

[wallpaper72]

@amstellori Homo erectus, Neanderthal, cro magnon man to name just 3 or many early humans, are evidenced in the fossil records, ice age, stone age, bronze age, cave drawings. There is a wealth of history available to show man has been around for many 1000s of years, how can you doubt this irrefutable evidence? the bible is laughable book of lies, nonsense and fairy stories. Men living in whales, talking snakes, rising from the dead and a boat big enough to carry 30 million animal species x2! lol

[freedomofthought1000]

@amstellori Uhm - I'm sorry, you're losing me. Because of the evidence. 100,000 years because of the evidence - I'm not interested in the bible it offers no evidence and is only one of many thousands of texts produced in the ancient world. It has no better or worse validity than any other fictional account of life in the middle east. And by the way the bible doesn't say that man has bee around for 6,000 years - that was a calculation reached at by a priest in in the 19th century.

[HenryDavidT]

The Young Republicans are smiling, saying:

"Ha, Mr. Hitchens, we KNOW something you don't. God is talking to us via the Holy Scripture. You are just talking nonsense, poor Mr. Hitchens"!

It's precious to see how SOME people think OTHERS don't know they're playing characters on stage, with THE script written by the Big Man, just off to the side, & if the Faithful Cast played badly or wrong, so what?, because after the curtains come down, they get to confer with the Big Director back stage!

[plarfusa]

thank you for pushing us forward with so much work, sir. it's an honor to be a part of continuing it.

[MrJohndl]

Hitchens is just brilliant!

[thinkboutit]

Got em!

[firedawgMD]

He looks so much different now.