Invitation to Steven Weinberg and Christopher Hitchens Part 1

Author challenges the idea that religion poisons everything, and suggests a broader and deeper analysis of social problems and solutions.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Chrisitan spirituality
• atheism
• Christopher Hitchens
• Steven Weinberg
• Marsha Hansen
• John Polkinghorne
• belief
• religion

[MarshaERH]

Every discipline benefits from reflection and assessment. I do not dilute my Christian religion by recognizing that at its heart, along with social/relational concerns, is a concern with physical/metaphysical aspects of life and being. The very deep questions of physics are probes into some of the same concerns. As for religion and courage- from Jesus,Gandhi, Mandela, Tutu, King, Wilberforce, Bonhoeffer, Newton, Lemaitre, Mendel,- people of courage, turth and change- how can you say that?

[1skepticalbrother]

That said, I'm in complete agreement with you; that all decent people, from all aspects of the human family need to break down the artificial walls that we have built or adopted and maintained. How do we begin? How do we deal with inevitable or unavoidable points of contention? Can someone who takes their holy book as being the ONLY TRUE WORD Of GOD( well, their god), truly respect another that turns down their offer of "salvation"? Can we honestly agree to disagree without going to "war"?

[MarshaERH]

Thank you for the good wishes. As long as people ask the kind of questions that you do, there is hope for addressing humanity's large problems. Reflective people are the visionaries who inspire others to work for the betterment of us all. Good questions give us direction.

[MarshaERH]

For the record: Peter Hitchens, brother to Christopher Hitchens, is a distinguished journalist and author. According to The Wire, Peter has a new book on faith due for release in Sep. Re Thos. Jefferson's view of Xianity, he wrote: "Had the doctrines of Jesus been preached always as pure as they came from his lips, the whole civilized world would now have been Christian."

One needs to read primary sources from Jefferson to gain insight on a # of subjects he deemed important.

[JesusSavesAtCitibank]

Read Hitchen's book!

Hitler was Catholic, and Stalin attended the Russian Orthodox seminary to become a priest before establishing his own state religion with him as its godhead.

BELIEFS DRIVE ACTIONS, and when people hold dangerous, divisive, and anti-human beliefs (ie, the 3 major Abrahamic religions), bad things will and do happen -- good people do bad things.

Nothing oppresses people/women like religion! This Muslim woman merely went outside unaccompanied by a male.

/watch?v=chbnPiY4OKE

[CauseIHadToAsk]

If genocide is indecent behavior why did Yahweh commit and command it? And I think your chart is showing exactly why weinberg said religion is an insult of human dignity.

[Surgeprotecktor44]

How anyone could truly reflect on their Christianity and remain one is beyond me...lol...Disgustingly vile, fairy tales says I.

[PhilosophiaWisdom]

If you mean spiritual versus religion that is one thing--but religion is not an honest nor courageous way to look at the world. Dogma does not help with positive discourse or progress. If you want to dilute your religion to survive in the 21st century by all means--but do not act as if religion has anything to offer scientific progress-it has often abused power and stops children from questioning the deep things of the universe and life

[MarshaERH]

Your argument isn't with me. It's with history. A majority of Rus. Ortho clergy were shot or imprisoned in 1920's-30's, church property was seized, & religion viewed as counter-revolutionary. Stalin used the crippled church for political ends. Atheism is official policy in N. Korea. It's not crap that the repressive personality cults of Stalin and Kim Jong Il have nothing to do with belief in God, and much to do with the idea of disposable human beings. Decent theists/atheists decry this idea.

[MarshaERH]

I hope those reading PG1990SAH's ill mannered comments without viewing my video do not think I equate Dr. Steven Weinberg with the notorious politicos on this list. Weinberg is a brilliant physicist known for major contributions to science. His work benefits all . Our views on faith and theology differ , but Weinberg never resorts to vitriol, distortion, derision, or intolerance. Theological discourse is enriched by his commentary, because thoughtful objections lead to insightful questions.

[1skepticalbrother]

Belated Happy Mothers Day Marsha,

With all due repect ma'am, on which side of your decent/indecent ledger do you think most of the founders and social engineers of this great country of ours fell on? Genoside: Indigenous Americans and African Slaves( don't forget the middle passage), Apartheid: same peoples + other immigrants, Oppression: Do I have to ask?, Gang Behavior: Insistitutionalized racism, the redistribution of stolen goods/lands,etc. We stand on some very "bloody shoulders" Marsha!

[Stephanator84]

I love that you can't distinguish between good and bad people, but you can between decent and indecent.