Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Christopher Hitchens Interviewed by Unitarian Minister Marilyn Sewell


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From Transcript:
Maryiln Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and [sic] distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

Christopher Hitchens: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.  
Read more at Portland Monthly
(via Caffeinated Thoughts and Pastor Greg Laurie)

9 comments:

  1. One of the most interesting interviews by a Christian I've ever heard. That said, I agree with Hitchens that Unitarians are basically Christians in name only. If only all Christians were as logical as these ones!

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  2. "logical as these ones'?? What on earth are you talking about?  I'm sorry but I find people like this Sewell woman even more frustrating and irritating than the Jerry Falwellesque evangelical fucktards that litter our countryside like so many piles of dog shit at the local park. At least they know what they believe, even if it is total bullshit. This woman doesn't even know what it means to believe a thing at all anymore. Her constant obsequious blandishments are annoying too.

    In the service of believing in whatever stupid, meaningless pablum she chooses to "allegorically interpret" from the bible, she has so thoroughly managed to divorce herself from any obligation to logical reasoning or critical thinking whatsoever, that she actually appears to have no concrete reasons for any of her beliefs at all. When Hitchens pushes her on something, ANYthing, she retreats to her woolly-headed realm of "wellll, I don't know if we can really know anything and what's knowing mean anyway and people just believe what they need to believe and metaphorical truth is just as important as literal truth". It's horseshit and it makes her, like most religious moderates, ripe for the picking by charlatans and cult leaders the world over.

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  3. The only reason that makes sense for someone to base their life on the Bible is if they do believe in its divine origins.

    If you don't, and you are just using the Bible for life lessons, there are better books.

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  4. "I would say ... you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian."
    I entirely agree with Hitchens on this point.  What's interesting is that atheists and fundamentalist Christians would both critique liberal Christians with that statement.

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  5. I'm an atheist and a Unitarian Universalist. There aren't many in my congregation, but those that self identify as "Christians" are akk what I term "recovering Christians." They are people who became too logical and rational to accept the dogma of their various prior religious associations as literal truth, but are still fond of the more positive experiences in their past.

    They are on a journey.

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  6. leave her alone.... she's one of us!

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  7. I'm inclined to give a pass to anyone--self-proclaimed Christian or not--who acknowledges the human origin of the Bible and argues so energetically against its literal interpretation. Unitarians like Marilyn Sewell are not impervious to reason, and are therefor not the enemy.

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  8. <span><span>Incredibly powerful and stunningly logical argument by Blake.</span></span>
    <span><span>The colourful language he utilized to express his view only underlines his bulls eye observation.</span></span>
    <span><span>If you take the ‘Geezas’ attributes from Jesus what else is left there to adore and worship?</span></span>
    <span><span> </span></span>
    <span><span>Bless you both<span>  </span>(oops)</span></span>

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  9. If I'm able to read between the lines of what she's saying - she's a bit lost in her rhetoric and has a strong knack for Mr.Hitchens. I wonder if they have sex aftwer the interview ?

    bless them both ( oops)

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