Comments for Freethinking Media

Comment on Christopher Hitchens vs Al Sharpton: “Atheism and God” by pequod

pequod — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:44:39 +0000

I have viewed in person or online four of Hitchens’ debates over God and religion and this is not one of the better ones. His debate in Atlanta with Timothy Jackson, Professor of Christian Ethics at Emory University, is easily the best on both sides. Unlike Sharpton who is wholly unfamiliar with the philosophical literature in ethics and philosophy of religion and had little to say, Jackson does as well as one can in defending what is probably not defensible. But Sharpton offered almost nothing in the way of argument for his main claims: God exists, ethics requires God in order to avoid moral nihilism, we obtain our knowledge of morality from God. In the latter case the sacred texts are the usual vehicle offered for the communication of this knowledge and Sharpton offered no defense or argument for these texts at all. He relies on his “own experience and relationship with God” but dismisses the rest as dogma. So, how did he manage to justify God as necessary for a morality which ostensibly binds all of us? How does his piety provide us with moral knowledge or make any moral demands on me? And I can think of better human beings, intellectually and morally, to offer advice to the rest of us than Sharpton who has been convicted of four felonies. He is a charlatan, fraud, and a demagogue.

Hitchens made his usual points but was not in his best form. He is at his best with a more worthy opponent who possesses and intellect and education with Timothy Jackson. Again, I would again recommend that debate as the best of the lot.

Comment on Richard Dawkins on Al Jazeera by nullifidian

nullifidian — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:07:38 +0000

Amazing. Did you pray for those X-ray prints and CAT and MRI scans, or did they come totally out of the blue, perhaps dropped onto your doorstep in a thunderstorm or with a truly awesome sound of trumpets and blazing lights from the sky?

Obviously they couldn’t have come from a hospital or via a doctor, because you didn’t need such things because your god fixed you, didn’t it? You didn’t go anywhere near a doctor, did you? That’s just filthy science medicine, it’s nothing when compared to your belief in your god!

But, now that you have evidence of your god in X-ray, CAT and MRI scan form: Quick! Take it to your church, or even better a seat of learning (something like a university would be good) to share this with the world! Hurry, hurry! You’re going to be wonderfully famous as the woman that first saw her god!

Congratulations!

Comment on Richard Dawkins on Al Jazeera by cynthia taylor

cynthia taylor — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:58:38 +0000

animal blood and human blood do not mix.i am christian and have been healed of degenerative spine disease.scoliosis and fibro-myalgia by my creator the most holy God of israel,you cannot tell me there is no God,i have x-rays cat scans &mri’s to prove it

Comment on Evolution (PBS) by nullifidian

nullifidian — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:48:30 +0000

Wow, the first comment. Thanks Stacy! :-)

Comment on Evolution (PBS) by Stacy S.

Stacy S. — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:42:00 +0000

Thanks for posting this. I’m going to watch the whole thing, but later on – I’m out of time right now! :-)