Christopher Hitchens : Militant Atheist?
“Myers says Hitchens wasn't noticeably drunk, so he doesn't have his usual excuse for inexcusable behavior, such as in this previous instance. In any event, such antics are the logical extension of his increasingly warlike thought. This ex-Trotskyist, whose support for militant secularism led him to idolize the founder and first commander of the Red Army, has gone so over the top with his crusade against all religion that he has come to advocate wiping out entire populations. "Demolish it!" he said, when asked about Iran – with apparently no more moral compunctions about the slaughter of the innocent than one might normally exhibit toward a swarm of midges.”
“Hitchens is quite clearly marketing himself as a contemporary Robert Ingersoll, the spokesman for atheism and secularism in the English-speaking world, although, clearly, looking at the bestseller list, he has a lot of competition for that title. If someone with that kind of a public platform should use his status to spread and popularize the suggestion that it's a good idea to kill off the world's Muslims, then we, as a society, are poisoned by his prominence. Decent people cannot allow it.”
You may read the article and decide for yourself here: http://antiwar.com/justin/
7 comments:
I am a borderline supporter of communism as well as a historical supporter of Stalin. Would you call me a militant atheist too???
Beast
Beast,
In your daily life, I have no idea, but pertaining to blogging life, I would say yes.
But it has little to do with your support for communism and Stalin, and more to do with the display of character toward religion (especially Christianity) while blogging, whether on my blog, another’s blog, or your own blog.
Now don’t get mad, for you asked for my honest opinion, so I have given it, and you are free to disagree.
Tim
Your construed definition of "militant" will rank me amongst the hordes of Osama bin Laden and his terrorist cohorts.
The day I decide to plant a bomb and destroy your church or some other church, then I would qualify as such.
Otherwise, I am just an Atheist with a capital A.
Beast
militant: "vigorously active and aggressive, esp. in support of a cause"
I doubt I am aggressive in promoting atheism. In fact, I will even go as far as saying that you can keep your stupid religion to yourself. All I am asking is to keep your religion out of the places that are supposed to be secular. Is that being militant?
And unlike you, I don't go door to door and proselytize to people about the benefits of blasphemy and atheism.
Beast
Maybe you and Hitchens fall under the title "Anti-theism", as described by a humanist.
I have little patience for splitting hairs. References to weak and strong atheists befuddle me as well.
I am an atheist. Pure and simple.
Beast
Post a Comment