In Defense of Richard Dawkins

FREE INQUIRY February / March 2012
By Christopher Hitchens

If you haven’t read it, you will almost certainly have seen it: the critique of Professor Richard Dawkins that arraigns him for being too “strident” in his confrontations with his critics. According to this line of attack, Dawkins has no business stepping outside the academy to become a “public intellectual” and even...

Read more (secularhumanism.org)

Preview: Richard Dawkins interviews Christopher Hitchens

"Never be afraid of stridency"
Richard Dawkins: One of my main beefs with religion is the way they label children as a "Catholic child" or a "Muslim child". I've become a bit of a bore about it.
Christopher Hitchens: You must never be afraid of that charge, any more than stridency.

Read more (New Statesman)

SBS Dateline: Fighting Faith

Watch it on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o97qHxX12Y

"The annual Texas Freethought Convention draws atheists, agnostics and humanists from around the world, and this year Christopher Hitchens is the star attraction.
David Brill meets the renowned writer and thinker, as he battles cancer and uses the last of his strength to denounce religion as immoral."
http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/about/id/601379/n/Fighting-Faith

Romney’s Mormon Problem

Mitt Romney and the weird and sinister beliefs of Mormonism.
By Christopher Hitchens

I have no clear idea whether Pastor Robert Jeffress is correct in referring to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more colloquially known as the Mormons, as “a cult.” There do seem to be one or two points of similarity. The Mormons have a supreme leader, known as the prophet or the president, whose word is allegedly supreme.


Read More: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2011/10/is_mormonism_a_cult_who_cares_it_s_their_weird_and_sinister_beli.html

Hitchens and Dawkins at the Texas Freethought Convention in Houston 2011

Texas Freethought Conv:
The Dawkins/Hitchens speeches and Q&A will be available soon in professional quality video. The actual conference DVD set will be on sale soon, but the Dawkins/Hitchens event will be a FREEBIE on behalf of the RDF, TFC, AAA and the professional film crew who make their living helping our movement.

Hitchens makes first public appearance in months

By Geoff Berg

"Hitchens’ speech did not disappoint. He talked about his illness and noted that over the last year, he’d been coming to Houston regularly for treatment, presumably at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He was emphatic that though his “time” is rapidly approaching, he wouldn’t stop doing his best to shed light on the fraudulent claims made by religion, a line that brought the crowd to its feet."

Read More:
http://blog.chron.com/partisangridlock/2011/10/christopher-hitchens-makes-first-public-appearance-in-months/

Christopher Hitchens debates Barry Brummett, Part 1

Debate between Christopher Hitchens and Dr. Barry Brummett (Chair, Department of Communication Studies, University of Texas at Austin) on the resolution "Religion has been a positive force in culture," June 4, 2011.

Rick Perry's God

Does the Texas governor believe his idiotic religious rhetoric, or is he just pandering for votes?
By Christopher Hitchens

"I happened to spend several weeks in Texas earlier this year, while the Lone Star State lay under the pitiless glare of an unremitting drought. After a protracted arid interval, the state's immodest governor, Rick Perry, announced that he was using the authority vested in him to call for prayers for rain."

Read More (Slate)

Religion Is THE Problem in the Balkans

By Christopher Hitchens


"Reporting on the capture of the mass-murdering General Ratko Mladic by the Serbian government on Memorial Day, the New York Times summarized the newly created political situation like this: “Critical questions remain about precisely who protected Mr. Mladic. The pro-Western government of President Boris Tadic says it will investigate, a politically delicate examination that could lead to former government officials and perhaps even to religious authorities, since Mr. Mladic said after his arrest that he had been visited over the years by many priests.”

Read More (Free Inquiry)

Christopher Hitchens Hay Festival 2008

Part 1


Part 2-4


Hitchens talks religion at Hay in 2008, with Q and A.

Hitchens vs Brummett

TheRecord.com

Hitchens feted with standing ovation at U of W video link debate

http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/543148--hitchens-feted-with-standing-ovation-at-u-of-w-video-link-debate

Jeff Orchard at Skeptic North posts this report from the debate.
Hitchens vs. Brummett: the un-debate

"So, why am I calling it the “un-debate”? One of my hobbies is to listen to debates between religious folks and science folks. I really like it when the debaters passionately disagree, and are utterly convinced that the other is a kook. That didn’t happen tonight."

Read More: http://www.skepticnorth.com/2011/06/hitchens-vs-brummett-the-un-debate/

Rockstar with a voice

UPDATE ! "Please note: due to Christopher Hitchens' health challenges, he will be participating in the debate via video link rather than in person."

https://dogwood.uwaterloo.ca/alumnievents/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=377

WATERLOO — Barry Brummett says he isn’t a rock star but Christopher Hitchens practically is. The two men are to take the stage at the Humanities Theatre at the University of Waterloo for a debate at a sold-out full house on June 4.

Debaters will address the topic: Religion, as a literary value, is a force of good. The debate will be moderated by the host of CBC Radio One’s Q, Jian Ghomeshi.

Full article (TheRecord.com)

A debate between Hitchens and Barry Brummett

University of Waterloo:

"Please join us for a debate between God is Not Great author Christopher Hitchens and Barry Brummett (University of Texas at Austin) on the resolution 'Religion, as a literary value, is a force for good.'

Saturday, June 4, 2011, 7 to 8:30 p.m. (reception with light refreshments to follow) Hagey Hall, Humanities Theatre, University of Waterloo.

More Info..

Dialogue with civility: Religion and God

Colorado State University

The debate over religion and its impact on society
Christopher Hitchens and Dinesh D’Souza will engage each other in a rousing debate about religion and their respective thoughts on the consequences of religious faith on society. The world renowned authors will discuss their viewpoints on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 in the Lory Student Center Main Ballrooms at 7 p.m.

More Info: http://events.colostate.edu/event_view.asp?EID=34503&ID=7&cTYPE=1&month=4&year=2011&cate

The Great Faith Debate - Hitchens vs D'Souza

Feb 16, 2011. Christopher Hitchens debated Dinesh D'Souza at Walnut Creek's Lesher Center for the Arts. 

KGO Newstalk AM810:

"We are airing the Great Faith Debate between Christopher Hitchens and Dinesh D’Souza that was held last Wednesday to a full house at the Lesher Center for the Arts. The only editing of this exchange was for its public broadcast, and this included the removal of all inappropriate terminology. Apart from that, the entire discussion is presented for the first time on radio during the final two hours of “God Talk” this Sunday. For each segment I (moderator Brent Walters) will supply the atmosphere and behind the scenes setting and will close with my overall impression of the debate."

Listen/download the debate on archive.org:

http://www.archive.org/details/TheGreatFaithDebate-ChristopherHitchensVsDineshDsouza

Afterlife Debate

UPDATE: Links to the debate

Watch http://www.jewishtvnetwork.com/?bcpid=533363107&bctid=802338105001

Watch/Download http://www.archive.org/details/AfterlifeDebateWChristopherHitchensSamHarrisRabbiDavidWolpeAnd 

Download http://brightcove.vo.llnwd.net/d14/unsecured/media/78129449/78129449_802442685001_afterlife1.flv

Feb 15, 2011, Los Angeles, CA. Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris debated Rabbi David Wolpe and Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson in a panel discussion. The topic: "Is there an afterlife?" Moderated by Rob Eshman.

Lost in Translation

Free Inquiry, Feb/March 2011
By Christopher Hitchens

"One of the pleasures of trying to keep up with the twists and turns of the religious worldview is noticing the convolutions that this view keeps inflicting upon itself. Last November brought news of two small but significant developments of this kind, both tending to vindicate the essential atheist or materialist contention that religion is man-made."

Read More http://secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=fi&page=hitchens_lost

Hitchens vs. Blair: Be it resolved that religion is a force of good in the world [Paperback]

By Christopher Hitchens, Tony Blair

From The Publisher:
Hitchens vs. Blair is the highly anticipated volume featuring two of the world''s most powerful and charismatic speakers on the controversial topic of religion.

Format: Trade Paperback, 112 Pages
Published: February 26, 2011
Publisher: House Of Anansi Press Inc
The following ISBNs are associated with this title: ISBN - 10:1770890084 ISBN - 13:9781770890084

Click to pre-order
    

The Blair Hitch Project

By Christopher Hitchens

"His (Tony Blair) principal day job is to serve as mediator for the “Quartet” of powers that supervise the Israeli-Palestinian “peace process.” This means regular efforts to reconcile Muslims, Jews, and Christians in the Holy Land. Cheer up, I want to tell him. At least it's a job for life."

Full Article (Vanity Fair)

(1/8) Is There An Afterlife? Christopher Hitchens vs Shmuley Boteach

Christopher Hitchens debated Rabbi Shmuley at Cooper Union, New York on Thursday, September 16, 2010.





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