Christopher Hitchens at Freedom From Religion Foundation 4/7

Christopher Hitchens gives a speech at the Freedom From Religion Foundation after receiving an award. This is from October 12, 2007.

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[soloman81]

Distrust of our government is a completely different issue.  The fact that jihad needs to be confronted, in principle, NEEDS to be supported by the modern world. If Bush is crooked, that's something to eliminate and fix. But regardless, Jihad MUST be discredited. It MUST be fought.

[surfdude000]

It is enormously pleasing to see CH remind the audience that back-slapping at a conference is not going to make a jot of difference to radical Islam. That's one topic that needs to be addressed head-on, fatwas be damned.

[gallus1]

I knew it wouldn't be long in coming Hitch, but i miss you already.

History will forever keep you alive.

[writersblock26]

@KittenButter Of course not all of the religions practiced today contain an eschatological element, but nearly all of the monotheistic ones, including the largely inactive ones ike Zoroastrianism, have one in some form or another. In fact, I'm having a hard time thinking of an exception.

[writersblock26]

Thank you for posting this, Flirmy.

[johnclavis]

@soloman81 Well put. Too many times, Hitchens has tried to score points by conflating concern for the oppressed peoples of Iraq with endorsement of the criminal and inadequate efforts of the Bush Administration. Just because a drunk driver is "going my way" doesn't mean I'm getting into the passenger's seat!

[KittenButter]

Not all religions are apocalyptic, let alone all theistic philosophies.

[drabarne]

Parthenogenesis is indeed possible... but the result would be female.

[RhondaH]

I highly recommend Chapman's book 40 days & 40 nights on the Dover trial. Great reading.  You'll enjoy it very much.

[QuasiRandomViewer]

(cont)

"This, the only life we have, this life that contains music and art and literature and solidarity and sex and love, all of this should be swept away. We can't wait for the end times to come. That's what they all have to believe."

[QuasiRandomViewer]

Hitchens at his most powerful.

5:43 -- "Remember again, part of our charge against religion, part of our belief that it is fundamentally wicked and anti-human is precisely its eschatology. Religion is predicated on the idea that our time here is short and should be%G%@ shorter. That our job is to bring on the end of days. That this is just a veil of tears and guilt and shame and excrement."

(cont)

[jesserai]

I'm sure Hitchens understands how entrenched religion is in this world, I think thats evident in his "aggressivness" for goodness sake kadene, dont you agree, to change something we need to stand up and move? Hitchens has to work so hard because humans aren't standing up from under the weight of this mind disease known as religion he has to work so hard because we aren't pushing forward from behind this blinding veil known as religion