Best of Christopher Hitchens Amazing Arguments And Clever Comebacks Part 20-1

you describe yourself as a developer anti-theist and you're an atheist explain okay well a theist is someone who doesn't believe that there is a God or at least says that there's no evidence to believe that there is but such a person might very well say he wished it was true a fact I know some atheists who do say well I wish I could believe it I just can't there's not enough evidence for it all the evidence is the other way I see that I say I'm an anti theist because I think it would be rather awful if it was true if there was of permanent deferred total around the clock divine supervision and invigilator of everything you did you would never have a waking or sleeping moment where you weren't being watched and controlled and supervised by some celestial entity from the moment of conception till well not even to your death because it's certainly after death that the real fun begins isn't there would be like living in North Korea [Music] to make an accommodation to have some belief in a possibility of this not being the end well as long as I don't have to take the word of other humans on what are the necessary propitiation Xand gestures and subjection x' I have to submit myself to in order to qualify words though there are many many discrepant religions all of whom say only if I support them or endorse them will I qualify well now I don't know that there is no such thing as consciousness without the brain for example there was no such survival I very much doubt it but let's say we don't know enough to say it's impossible I I would say what is impossible is that other humans can know what the conditions are whereby you qualify for survival that I do know is false during the controversy over the the jaenisch the cartoons which everyone here will remember which i think was the most suggestive such episode I went on CNN to debate with some ghoul from some Islamic clerical organization and I said to the presenter but just before we start on this you have just pretended to show the cartoons on the screen but you've what is the word they use for drizzling them out see that you can't see them pixel them out when you haven't done this I think out of respect for one monotheism you've done it because you're afraid haven't you you and you and your bureaus are afraid they actually said yeah that's right and I said well in that case I want to say to the person I want to debate with that's the relationship he has with the media that he's on here with a gun in his hand or at least on the table that he can pick up if he chooses I just want to get that out of the way right now and have it clearly understood I've been working in this profession for a very long time I know many of the artists who wouldn't run those cartoons and including my editor at Slate who said we're not running them you can link to them from your page which I did but we're not and it was a I think a national disgrace this we make our I don't make my living from the first amendment though I do it's my life the first amendment I hope I don't sound exaggerated say it's my life the principles of that amendment and I have no right to betray it and it's not to be handed off to the first bunch of clerical bullies who come around to the office and that's what happened without a struggle that's what I didn't like about it and then when a magazine I also do right for free inquiry in Amherst which I'm sure I hope you all get did run the cartoons Barnes and Noble said they wouldn't carry the magazine in fact they pulled it from the right I told my publishers I'm not doing a single event at Barnes & Noble over again and they never will [Applause] so so that's the fear factor the blackmail factor the sheer intimidation factor but I think there's a much worse and more insidious one there are many people to say well it's not that we're afraid though they are it's that we mustn't be mean we've got a respect we must we must defer at your religious sensibilities this is far far more dangerous because eventually it's going to mean it already does mean has meant recently the Washington Post to take another cartoon example that boring cartoonist you probably don't bother with on the funny pages called Burke breathed he did some Ramadan cartoon or another I don't know what I did look at it it wasn't it wasn't terrifically funny nor was it really very offensive but it was shown by the air to the Washington Post to the Muslim staffers say if we ran this would your feelings be hurt if you're gonna ask them and give them the chance to have an emotional veto who would miss such a chance if they belong to some cult they said yes it would offend us and didn't didn't run again crying before they hurt let's look for ways to surrender let's find a way to run up the white flag this has got to stop it has to stop right now before it becomes impossible to oppose before it's established itself as a principle within our culture and I'm not sure we have very much more time before that's where we'll be [Applause] and and I have been it's been cool to my attention that I committed injustice and moment ago I ought to have said it was Borders bookstore that's uh so would you mind switching your boycott thank you I can't tell them apart to be able to see honestly that I do remember saying whichever one it was I wasn't doing there ever again to be an atheist you have to believe that it is possible which i think is a far greater leap of faith that's something they can be created out of nothing when you when you look at the majesty and sophistication and the intricacy of the universe that we do know and comprehend you have to believe that somehow that this energy could have existed on its own and I do not believe that is that to me is a leap of Maine you give me the awful impression of H ever said of someone who hasn't read any of the arguments against your position ever I've read all the arguments and how you can be saying this we look you want to take you want your God to take responsibility for the huge number of collapsing stars and imploding galaxies and destroyed universes and failed solar systems that have left us in this tiny corner on one on the one planet in this petty solar system that can support life some of the time on some of its surface and you want to take me what you want to creator who's filled the this earth with species since life began 99% of which are now extinct already and this is some design isn't it well but you didn't say that you said you were a believer you didn't say Emily I believe it even ater right yeah that's that's where it stops so you think this creator cares about you know in this concept that I will concede this point is that human beings I don't think fully comprehend or understand the majesty of God because it's not meant for us to know but putting that aside hear it from your position when you really think about it you are believing that there is a possibility without a creator that somehow energy has created itself or that energy predates or any concept of time and energy that that for example something they can come out of nothing because fundamentally there has to be that starting point or you're saying what's in your minds that is what our minds demand we look for patterns you fear death no I'm not afraid of being dead that's to say there's nothing to be afraid of I won't know I'm dead even my strong conviction I work and if I find that I'm alive in any way at all well that'll be a pleasant surprise not quite like surprises but I've strongly take leave to tell [ __ ] I'm I can't be to insouciance I mean we we one can't live without fear it's question what is your attitude towards fear I am afraid of a sordid death I'm afraid that that I would die in an ugly orce College way I mean cancer can be very pitiless than that that's the fear of dying it's yes death quite there was so if I forget now which you are what do you use a good distinction what do you think of death no of dying yes I feel a sense of waste about it because I'm not ready I feel a sense of betrayal to my family and I like to think even to some of my friends who have missed me I'm done things aren't attained objectives but as I said before I hope I'd always have that if I was a hundred when I was checking out but no my I think my main fear is of is of being incapacitated or imbecilic at the end that that of course is not something to be afraid of it's going to be terrified on you seem to be angry with religion angry with God am I wrong in my perception not with God obviously that would be absurd but yes I mean my book expresses I would rather say contempt and hostility to this constant religious intimidation and clerical bullying to which were being subjected my book is part of a an attempt to arrange and organize a pushback against this whether it's the the parties of God destroying Iraqi civil society or bigots in America trying to have pseudoscience taught in our schools or a pope who says that aids may be bad but limbo by the way it may have been a mistake but let's talk about Hell in any way aids isn't as bad as condoms we've had enough of people who think like you that they know what God wants and then they've got God on this I hope you're not comparing tell us what they can tell us what to do or what to think in this way I don't but I will tell you this you you are right and I agree with actually as many of the observations you made about how religion has been perverted and how it is being used for destruction and how it is innately irrational well I do business perhaps on your part but let me let me just say this but we're leaving so that could well be right religion religion also has provided food and water and medicine and supplies and and housing and there has been in the name of religion much good that has been done both in this country and around the world reduce risk look if you reduce the social work so does USAID but you do all that actually on secular organization actually rather more convincingly most of the great philanthropists to the United States of Bnei theists doesn't prove that atheism is correct [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Agatan Foundation

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Keywords: Christopher Hitchens, Best of, Amazing, Arguments, Clever, Comebacks, great, moments, agatan foundation, clips, Hitch, Best, argument, comeback, Antitheism, Atheist, Religion, Debate, Philosophy, funny, Science, nice, answer, anti-theist, anti, theist, intelligent, bright, smart, church, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, morality, god, humanism, free will, theism, agatan, fnd, foundation, how to, YouTube, Catholicism, catholic, freedom, speech, First Amendment, unity, censorship, Atheism, part 20, fox

Id: J8ZlvYoosXY

Length: 11min 42sec (702 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 10 2019