Atheist Christopher Hitchens to Skip Prayer Day in His Honor

[Robert]

Atheist Christopher Hitchens to Skip Prayer Day in His Honor


from foxnews:


BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Stricken with cancer and fragile from chemotherapy, author and outspoken atheist Christopher Hitchens sits in an armchair before an audience and waits for the only question that can come first at such a time.

"How's your health?" asks Larry Taunton, a friend who heads an Alabama-based group dedicated to defending Christianity.

"Well, I'm dying, since you asked, but so are you. I'm only doing it more rapidly," replies Hitchens, his grin faint and his voice weak and raspy. Only wisps of his dark hair remain; clothes hang on his frame.

The writer best known to believers for his 2007 book "God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" has esophageal cancer, the same disease that killed his father. He is fighting it, but the 62-year-old Hitchens is realistic: At the very best, he says, his life will be shortened.

For some of his critics, it might be satisfying to see a man who has made a career of skewering organized religion switch sides near the end of his life and pray silently for help fighting a ravaging disease.


(more)


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/09/20/athei...test=latestnews

[Robert]

...

[Meg]

Robert, unfortunately, this remark is one of the most offensive things a Christian can say to an atheist or polytheist:

that he would let go of his foolish pride and come to the Lord before ti is too late.

He hasn't much time left.

They tend to perceive that as spiritual elitist arrogance on the part of the Christian, as Mr Hitchens expressed in the article.

[Robert]

...

[mattfivefour]

I agree with Robert on this. It is the gospel that is the true offense to Christopher Hitchens. And it is the Bible that says that pride is foolish, as is the one who says in his heart "There is no God". Perhaps it would have been enough merely to say "let go of his pride" ... but "foolish" truly characterizes the unintelligent nature of that pride.

[soundingthealarm]

"who is it? It's the Lord whom you persecute" Father, I pray JUST as you boldly confronted Saul of Tarsus on the damascus road...that you would make Yourself Known to Christopher in such a way that propels Him to his knees ....Rescue this lost soul for Your Eternal Glory and Goodness In Jesus Name

[Meg]

To Robert and Adrian both. All I know is if you had tried that on me before I was saved, I'd have probably cussed you out, and I'd have certainly really not liked you at all. In another thread, Adrian spoke of meeting people where they are. I've heard a friend say "I'm going to hell", I've heard her say it. Once I asked her what made her say that, and she admitted she'd said something bad about a Christian woman she knows, someone whose evident behavior gave my friend doubts.

Pretty much everybody in this country has heard of hell. Pretty much everybody rejecting Christianity is rejecting our testimony on grounds that we seem to be condemning them, and to unbelievers, that is extremely offensive. Even Jesus Christ said He didn't come to condemn the world, but to save it (See John 3:17 and John 12:47). People would much rather think we care and have positive alternatives than be told some version of come join the chosen few.

[bghtnpd4]

Praying for him...so sad for him and hope he comes to the knowledge of the truth before his death. THAT is the only thing that matters now, IMHO.

[Robert]

To Robert and Adrian both. All I know is if you had tried that on me before I was saved, I'd have probably cussed you out, and I'd have certainly really not liked you at all. In another thread, Adrian spoke of meeting people where they are. I've heard a friend say "I'm going to hell", I've heard her say it. Once I asked her what made her say that, and she admitted she'd said something bad about a Christian woman she knows, someone whose evident behavior gave my friend doubts.

Pretty much everybody in this country has heard of hell. Pretty much everybody rejecting Christianity is rejecting our testimony on grounds that we seem to be condemning them, and to unbelievers, that is extremely offensive. Even Jesus Christ said He didn't come to condemn the world, but to save it (See John 3:17 and John 12:47). People would much rather think we care and have positive alternatives than be told some version of come join the chosen few.

Fine, I'll delete "foolish."


And since in so many of my topics and posts you seem to find fault with them and ignore other points I make, perhaps my presence is detrimental. I have a full plate already without this going on now.

[Kist]

To Robert and Adrian both. All I know is if you had tried that on me before I was saved, I'd have probably cussed you out, and I'd have certainly really not liked you at all. In another thread, Adrian spoke of meeting people where they are. I've heard a friend say "I'm going to hell", I've heard her say it. Once I asked her what made her say that, and she admitted she'd said something bad about a Christian woman she knows, someone whose evident behavior gave my friend doubts.

Pretty much everybody in this country has heard of hell. Pretty much everybody rejecting Christianity is rejecting our testimony on grounds that we seem to be condemning them, and to unbelievers, that is extremely offensive. Even Jesus Christ said He didn't come to condemn the world, but to save it (See John 3:17 and John 12:47). People would much rather think we care and have positive alternatives than be told some version of come join the chosen few.

The problem is though Meg, and I understand your concerns, is that we are seriously running out of time. For all we know the age of grace can be over tomorrow. I have been feeling this urgency myself lately, and I too have felt more need to take off the velvet gloves. It is so incredible frustrating to see those people that are lost, that you have witnissed to, and that others have witnissed to in the most loving, and gracious manner deny Christ, it is frustrating because we know that time is almost up. In fact I'd dare say we are in over time. The people off the world will always say we condemn them because we uphold different standards. We can't agree to homosexuality, we can't agree to abortions and other such affairs. The fact is that the Gospel is about that, it is about that if we don't have Christ that will mean hell. We can't say that in a different way, I would love to, I would if I thought that would bring them to salvation I'd go out right now and speak in such way but that is not how it works. Atheists have an idea of what God should be in their feeble minds. In their mind God should allow everything, and just be happy about it. In their mind God would be the blame for all the bad in the world. I can't sugar coat the truth around that. 90% of the lost in my experience know all there is to know about the Gospel, they know about everything, and some even have experienced supernatural things. Some are agnostics, and yet they all CHOOSE not to follow Christ. Why? Because they fear to surrender their lives. Our society is based around the idea that we should all be in control of everything, and we just simply are not. But yes we should make clear we love them, but that does not change the message of the Gospel. The Gospel is a message of love, but it requires something of atheists that they can't and will not do. Surrendering everything to Christ, and knowing that they are wrong about their liberal ideals. Ooh how I'm scared for all those that are Lost, so many poor souls.

[mattfivefour]

If I were speaking to you in person, I would follow the leading of the Spirit. As I am sure Robert would. And that most definitely is the way I am sure we would all approach Mr. Hitchen. But we are speaking in the third person in this thread and making what I take to be some important points among ourselves. It is indeed relevant to the discussion of anyone's atheism to be able to characterize it —for the benefit of others who may read the thread, if not one another—as foolishness .... which actually steams from pride. And pride is, in fact, the original sin. You have taken it as though we were speaking to Mr. Hitchen himself.

BTW, and just for the record, God HAS occasionally had Christians say things that have pricked an unsaved person's pride and made them very angry. But then He has used that anger and the festering resentment it caused to actually cause people to examine themselves. So I will never apologize for a potentially offensive approach ... IF the Holy Spirit leads. The plain fact is, though, that most of the time the Spirit leads to a gentle though firm approach. And I think the advice I gave earlier today about approaching people at the point of their deepest concern (which thing God alone usually knows) is the proper way.

[Meg]

I have thought a lot about this thread, and the issues at hand. To Robert, I am not going to go along with everything you say either; Adrian already knows that although I respect him as highly as I am ever going to respect any mortal person, I don't agree with everything he says either. In fact I don't go along with everything anybody says, since Jesus Christ alone is always right. I don't even consider myself always right, which is why I am so philosophical and introspective. So Robert, you shouldn't permit my rebuke to offend you unduly.

Kist has some very keen insights. Dear brother, you have been out there trying to get the message across, and seen for yourself how frustrating and heart breaking witnessing can be. Kist really really has the right of it when he says:

Atheists have an idea of what God should be in their feeble minds. In their mind God should allow everything, and just be happy about it.

Yes, absolutely. In a pagan forum, spring or summer of 2003, someone posted "god's quality control questionnaire", which clearly expressed that people expected God to be permissive, rubber stamping their impulses and lusts... This is precisely what drives polytheism and occult practices. Polytheism is a blind search for the "rubber stamping god"; occult practice is the search for a god which can be manipulated to the satisfaction of lusts of the person doing such things.

In their mind God would be the blame for all the bad in the world.

Indeed, we see this all the time. People are quite convinced they know what God should be doing, but quite conveniently, those very people deny evil exists. They think God should be micromanaging every detail of our well-being, while turning a blind eye upon the way people exploit others. In other words the individual should have endless an privilege of comfort and joy without any responsibility to anyone else.

90% of the lost in my experience know all there is to know about the Gospel

I was that way in my own way, and so were the people I was hanging with in Colorado, when the war between the homosexuals and the religious right was heating up. My best friend was a gay man, and in those days, I was sympathetic (that lasted until I discovered how homosexuals really live...). But the thing is, unbelievers are quite aware that Christians propose to take a stand for what is good and right; at least they do get that much of the message. Thats why they scrutinize Christians and judge every failure so harshly. When an unbeliever meets and befriends a clean Christian, they tend to categorize the Christian as one of the "good people", but the problem is that we all know unbelievers who are also good people, so general behavior in times of calm and everything going well isn't enough to make an impression. I have discovered that its when things are not going well, particularly when I am very upset with someone that they notice a difference in how I deal with provocation.

Finally, there are those who are ruled by their lusts. They really do consider their lusts a just entitlement, and their appetites become their gods:

Philippians 3:19

19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

I got to wondering about the broad application of this verses, since it seemed to me that if the word "stomach" was literally translated, all we have there is a description of an eating disorder. It turned out that "stomach" should have been translated "appetite", and when you look at the word as it was meant to be expressed, you have a good description of a man I know and think very highly of. He worked at the factory I was working in when I got saved, and knew both me and the man who led me to Christ. P and I were good friends, and often had enjoyable conversations about all sorts of things. There was certainly a very keen mutual attraction, but he was married to a woman I also like and respect (she worked there too, in another area). I witnessed to P as did my teacher, we both witnessed to his wife as well. Every now and then I run into P at Wal Mart, and every time I have seen him over the years, he expresses disappointment that I "am still" a Christian, because in his mind if I wasn't, I might consider a bit of adultery! If you find his disappointment with Christian morals offensive, that is nothing compared to my feeling insulted by his casual assumption that my greatest contribution to the potential quality of life is adultery! But that is the way of the unbeliever. Heartbreaking, isn't it? Its not easy for me to so love and respect some of these people, knowing that they are headed to hell. In fact, we had one very highly regarded man at the factory die, presumably, in his sins... There's more to that story, but not in an open thread. Again, if you want to know, PM me.

I for one will never look at hell calmly. This "exclusivity" of salvation troubles me greatly when I look at people I love and also at people I don't, knowing so well what its like to be spiritually blind, and also fully convinced that Jesus Christ is very much alive. What haunts me is that I don't think most people are willfully blind. But then maybe they are... But beating them over the head with threats of hell, no matter how true seems counterproductive to me. I know that kindness doesn't necessarily work either though... I watched my closest friend completely destroy himself over a period of five years. I know a lot of the detail of what he went through on that descent into madness and death. You cannot save some people from themselves... Maybe some day in Eternity, all this will make some kind of sense, but meanwhile, we do our level best, hoping that in some way it will be enough... For this reason, let us mirror Christ, reaching out to any who will listen, without making value judgments on their lifestyle. This was done for me, and one man's testimony and discipling made the Eternal difference in my own life. Yes, Jesus Christ saved me in fact, but because He was able to work through His servant, the process was successful, and here I am today, In Christ...

[soundingthealarm]

since I have a website that SCREAMS...Please Don't Go to Hell I figure I better speak up

Jude said

22Be merciful to those who doubt; 23snatch others from the fire and save them;

John 3

19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

John 7

Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.


Ezekiel 3

18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
20 “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”

The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5

11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;


You might come on here or view other "Christians" as those who are narrow-minded and hateful BECAUSE we warn of a place called HELL. But it's out of Love and Compassion that we warn, that we plead. Knowing the Terror of the Lord, we beg you to hear. It would be so wrong NOT to. If you had the cure to a deadly disease and kept it to yourself, what kind of criminal would you be?

Does a weatherman-who interrupts your moment in time to warn you that there is a tornado heading your direction-want you to die? Did the forecasters on the Weather Channel describing Hurricane Katrina want people in its path to die?
NO JUST THE OPPOSITE

Just as Kist said, We can't assume There is much more time, In fact Jesus warned us in a parable about a man who planned to save his crops into bigger barns

"you fool, this very day your soul will be demanded of you"

Today is the Day of Salvation, NOW is the appointed Time

We must warn, plead and beg all men and women to REPENT or they will Perish

[jesuschangesall]

Family..please let's relax.....every second 7 people die....we do not know them ....people just like us,men,women,young, old,in every country...they are jumping in eternity......we have a mission....preach the gospel of Grace and pray that many will receive and believe in Jesus and be saved...not only from hell,really,but for the fact they are going to miss out on the greatest gift any human being could ever dream to receive...BE WITH JESUS for ETERNITY..can we even imagine that? The Lord,HE KNOWS,we do not....let's be grateful that we undeservedly have been chosen,that His Grace and Spirit have reached us and rescued from this futile and vain existence and that even if we have trials and difficulties this side of eternity,we know and believe that with HIM and ALL HIS FAMILY it is going to be GREAT for ever and ever...my heart breaks for those who do not believe...but I am not God,cannot save them,HE KNOWS and I am sure HIS HEART BLEEDS even now seeing so many rejecting HIM and YES,JESUS is THE MAN of SORROW......HE GAVE ALL ,ALL to avoid pain and eternal torment to HIS creation..let's just pray that before HE COMES many will believe....SAVE JESUS SAVE,continue to manifest YOUR GLORY saving jerks like me.....shalom

[mattfivefour]

[Meg]

Family..please let's relax.....every second 7 people die....we do not know them ....people just like us,men,women,young, old,in every country...they are jumping in eternity......we have a mission....preach the gospel of Grace and pray that many will receive and believe in Jesus and be saved...not only from hell,really,but for the fact they are going to miss out on the greatest gift any human being could ever dream to receive...BE WITH JESUS for ETERNITY..can we even imagine that? The Lord,HE KNOWS,we do not....let's be grateful that we undeservedly have been chosen,that His Grace and Spirit have reached us and rescued from this futile and vain existence and that even if we have trials and difficulties this side of eternity,we know and believe that with HIM and ALL HIS FAMILY it is going to be GREAT for ever and ever...my heart breaks for those who do not believe...but I am not God,cannot save them,HE KNOWS and I am sure HIS HEART BLEEDS even now seeing so many rejecting HIM and YES,JESUS is THE MAN of SORROW......HE GAVE ALL ,ALL to avoid pain and eternal torment to HIS creation..let's just pray that before HE COMES many will believe....SAVE JESUS SAVE,continue to manifest YOUR GLORY saving jerks like me.....shalom

Amen Roberto. We do our best to keep things lively around here without going off the deep end I hope... but I do treasure your words.

[jesuschangesall]

Amen Roberto. We do our best to keep things lively around here without going off the deep end I hope... but I do treasure your words.

hug

[myinnuendo999]

Pray

[Hannah]

To Robert and Adrian both. All I know is if you had tried that on me before I was saved, I'd have probably cussed you out, and I'd have certainly really not liked you at all. In another thread, Adrian spoke of meeting people where they are. I've heard a friend say "I'm going to hell", I've heard her say it. Once I asked her what made her say that, and she admitted she'd said something bad about a Christian woman she knows, someone whose evident behavior gave my friend doubts.

Pretty much everybody in this country has heard of hell. Pretty much everybody rejecting Christianity is rejecting our testimony on grounds that we seem to be condemning them, and to unbelievers, that is extremely offensive. Even Jesus Christ said He didn't come to condemn the world, but to save it (See John 3:17 and John 12:47). People would much rather think we care and have positive alternatives than be told some version of come join the chosen few.

That is the Truth they are condemned and we are being merciful making sure they know the Truth.

2CO 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?

The only reason it is offensive is because they are rebelling against God. If they were not in rebellion but ready to recieve the truth they would see it as it is a warning about what they are facing as they reject God and what they are facing is Eternal.

You don't win over people with watered down compromising words but God's Truth. Some need to hear it in this way to be shaken out of their arrogance but others will dig deep and reject the Saviours Blood shed for their eternal souls.

Jesus and Paul offended many with the Truth. There are times when we will offend by sharing that same Truth.


I have presonally offended a number of people in this way myself and one of them I can say had the opposite reaction after our run in, they decided to prove me wrong and read the Bible for themselves and got Saved. It was apparently being told they were going to Eternal Torment that made them sit up and want to find out more and the fact I made it so vividly clear to them what was awaiting them after death that really got them interested in finding out more.

This person needed to be offended as they believed they were fundamentally a good person and surely that was good enough if there was a God and if there wasn't they were OK either way. They really needed to hear they were not OK and they were facing eternal damnation.

I don't set out to be offensive. I certainly point out to those I have a long term relationship with I care about them and that is why I am telling them this because I want them to be Saved and come to Heaven with me. You can't do that with a person you see only a few times or only have with them a loose acquaintance.

MT 13:53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54 Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. 55 "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" 57 And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."

MT 15:12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?"

MT 15:13 He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."

I am not critising you MEG but trying to point out occassionally you can't but offend someone with the Truth of God's Word. Not everyone is won over by kindness.

[Hannah]

I was just going through a bit of what Jesus said to the Pharisees. Boy He didn't hold back at times did He.

MT 23:27 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

MT 23:29 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, `If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!

MT 23:33 "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.

I am sure Jesus was hoping some of these guys would wake up to themselves.

Just because they were Pharisees doesn't mean they were unlike an Athiest. Jesus pointed out to these guys they were just as much on the path to Hell as an unbeliever. They would have more reason to feel offended as they obviously thought their attention to religious practices surely paid their way to heaven.