Monday, September 18
Time to throw Hitchens overboard
(UPDATE below)
Many of us have hung on Christopher Hitchens' every word for the last five years, and we've likely misplaced our trust -- if his intentional misreading of the Pope's speech is anything to go by.
Hitchens seems (like most Leftists, no matter how bright) to have gleaned his knowledge of Church history and theology from old Vincent Price movies and hoary Reformation propaganda.
Moreover, he's basing his arguments on the exact opposite of what the Pope actually said. Since Hitchens isn't an idiot, the only reasonable conclusion is bad faith.
I'm blushing with embarrrassment just writing this, because I know how pathetic it sounds, but: what else has he lied about? What really happened on all those trips to Iraq and elsewhere? What else did he misinterpret, willfully or otherwise?
I'm ashamed to say I didn't trust my own instincts about the man from the beginning, and didn't listen to those who warned me he was trouble. I was too delighted to have such a stalwart, skillful fighter on our side.
But it's sad to see such intellect and talent reduced to bellowing "Hulk smash!" when the subject is religion.
Oh well. That's the effect the Truth has on some people. We should take it as a compliment.
I still hope and pray that Christopher "crush the Islamofacists, just don't bug my phone" Hitchens will pull a Muggeridge and turn Catholic five or ten years from now. That's the usual fate of people like him. I'll be delighted to witness it. We could use him.
But for now, Hitchens is a liability. He and his Euston Manifesto friends actually believe we can win World War III with a vague admixture of Voltaire and Howard Stern. Good luck with that.
And if you excuse your continued affection for the man with a plea to his incomparable prose style, that's the moral equivalent of admitting you hired your secretary just because she has big boobs. Your shallowness should shame you.
We don't need you, either.
UPDATE: nice smackdown re Hitchen's 4th Form notions of the Crusades, etc.
Also: "Which is more annoying: someone who doesn’t know enough history to comment intelligently on something, or an atheist telling Christians what the Bible 'really' says? It’s something of a toss-up...
Many of us have hung on Christopher Hitchens' every word for the last five years, and we've likely misplaced our trust -- if his intentional misreading of the Pope's speech is anything to go by.
Hitchens seems (like most Leftists, no matter how bright) to have gleaned his knowledge of Church history and theology from old Vincent Price movies and hoary Reformation propaganda.
Moreover, he's basing his arguments on the exact opposite of what the Pope actually said. Since Hitchens isn't an idiot, the only reasonable conclusion is bad faith.
I'm blushing with embarrrassment just writing this, because I know how pathetic it sounds, but: what else has he lied about? What really happened on all those trips to Iraq and elsewhere? What else did he misinterpret, willfully or otherwise?
I'm ashamed to say I didn't trust my own instincts about the man from the beginning, and didn't listen to those who warned me he was trouble. I was too delighted to have such a stalwart, skillful fighter on our side.
But it's sad to see such intellect and talent reduced to bellowing "Hulk smash!" when the subject is religion.
Oh well. That's the effect the Truth has on some people. We should take it as a compliment.
I still hope and pray that Christopher "crush the Islamofacists, just don't bug my phone" Hitchens will pull a Muggeridge and turn Catholic five or ten years from now. That's the usual fate of people like him. I'll be delighted to witness it. We could use him.
But for now, Hitchens is a liability. He and his Euston Manifesto friends actually believe we can win World War III with a vague admixture of Voltaire and Howard Stern. Good luck with that.
And if you excuse your continued affection for the man with a plea to his incomparable prose style, that's the moral equivalent of admitting you hired your secretary just because she has big boobs. Your shallowness should shame you.
We don't need you, either.
UPDATE: nice smackdown re Hitchen's 4th Form notions of the Crusades, etc.
Also: "Which is more annoying: someone who doesn’t know enough history to comment intelligently on something, or an atheist telling Christians what the Bible 'really' says? It’s something of a toss-up...
