I’ve been feeling called to pray for him over the past few months, on and off
Now, my prayers for him will be daily, on.
Hitchens has recently had to cancel speaking engagements discussing his recently released memoir, Hitch-22: A Memoir
A look back at a post on this maddening, fascinating and brilliant writer, whose prose I so admire:
HITCHENS’ WHACK-A-CHRISTIAN DEBATE TOUR
Because people know I greatly admire his writing (and often, his reasoning) my email is overflowing with missives about Christopher Hitchen’s 800 word hiss over the body of Jerry Falwell. Hitchens would be surprised, I think, to hear that most of the notes are good-humored, with only a few worrying that he might cause some to “lose faith,” and the balance being sad for him, in his atheism.
I’m not sad for Hitch, nor am I worried about folks “losing faith,” because of his latest book – entitled, God is Not Great – or his arguments. Chances are someone with shaky faith would have already capitulated and thrown in the white garment several months into the world-wide hype of The DaVinci Code, and they’re spiritual wimps if they can’t handle the scorn and debate of a gentleman who – although possessing a gift of supreme eloquence and a pleasant voice redolent of gin and honey – is simply a fellow with a big brain and arms perpetually crooked in a boxer’s stance. And he’s got issues, as have we all.
And his book-debating tour has been done before, several times, actually. In America William Jennings Bryan took on I-don’t-remember-who, and in England there was a most memorable series of debates between the great GK Chesterton and George Bernard Shaw, so this round of Hitchens “taking on all comers” like a good pub-buddy is nothing new. My Irish Aunties would love him.
Patrick O’ Hannigan at Paragraph Farmer is a fan of apologetics – I am not – and he is looking closely at the debates, none of which seem to be taking place with a Catholic, and he names his “Catholic A Team” of desired Hitch opponents, (“Richard John Neuhaus, Benedict Groeschel, Peter Kreeft, Stanley L. Jaki, George Rutler, George Wiegel, or John Corapi”) and his “B” team – (“Karl Keating, Christopher Buckley, Thomas Howard, Edward T. Oakes, Amy Welborn, J.A. Gray, and Benjamin Wiker.”) – as well.
I am not familiar with one or two of those names, but most are good suggestions, Neuhaus being, in my opinion, the contender. My personal feeling is that the Hitch opponents best equipped with the vocabulary, humor, depth and deft-touch necessary to pierce Hitchens’ intellect and actually reach into his humanity are – unfortunately – as dead as Falwell, they being Chesterton, CS Lewis and perhaps Ronald Knox.
But O’ Hannigan’s piece – a three-parter in which he looks at each Christian apologist facing Hitchens and tallies their scores (O’ Hannigan is an Irishman; you could expect nothing else) – is a fun, provocative and tantalizing read. If you are interested in, mad at, praying for or afraid of Christopher Hitchens, then you’ll want to read O’Hannigan’s Hitchens Gives Atheism a Bad Name, and parts two and three.
“I’m trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.”
– CS Lewis
Since writing that in 2007, Fr. Richard John Neuhaus has, of course, gone on to hear In Paradisium from the best vantage point. I have no doubt that he too, will pray for Hitchens.
UPDATE I:
UK Telegraph writer Cristina Odone and others wonder if they should pray. I am surprised to read it; I shouldn’t think any person of faith would hesitate.
Deacon Greg feels similarly to me.
Michael Weiss at The New Criterion, on The Hitch; A Modest Attempt at Understanding
Media Decoder: with a great quote:
Reviewing the book in The Times, Dwight Garner wrote of Mr. Hitchens, “He has a mind like a Swiss Army knife, ready to carve up or unbolt an opponent’s arguments with a flick of the wrist.”
More:
Pat Archbold
Reliable Source
L.A. Times Blog
Rod Dreher
UK Mail Online
Category: Hitchens
Of course there has been Dinesh D’Souza. A Catholic who has debated Hitchens.
I love Hitch, we have a mutual appreciation for a wee nip, and I would be thrilled to see him debate with Fr. Groeschel or Fr. Rutler, both of whom I adore. Hitch doth protest too much, he will eventually will find his way back.
“I caught him, with an unseen hook and an invisible line which is long enough to let him wander to the ends of the world, and still to bring him back with a twitch upon the thread.”
Sorry for the quoting but it seemed apropos.
[Yes, Waugh was such a crank, you'd think he'd appeal to Hitchens, in a way, wouldn't you? Speaking of Hitchens and Rutler. There was once a story about Rutler telling Hichens, "You will die either a Catholic or a madman." Hitchens was taken aback or I can only imagine he would have replied, "how can you tell the difference."
That's what I would have replied, anyway!
But then again, Hitchens is much smarter than I am. -admin]
Despite the vitrol he shows for all things theistic, I can’t help but love Hitchens. Cancer of the esophagus is horrible. It’s what killed Humphrey Bogart.
Well, what was Falwell, what is Pat Robertson, if not frauds? I take the view that Hitchens’ premises are all right. Firstly, a lot of right-wing bloggers stuck the boot into Ted Kennedy while his corpse was still warm. If we think people do harm to others, & I don’t think anyone here doubts that ideas can do just that (as much as we may not agree on which particular ideas!), then we will condemn them.
You like it when he attacks Islamists, as do I. But not when he is consistent & states his opposition to religion in general. I also agree with him that we let religious statements go unquestioned because if the faithful say it, it must be acceptable & worthy of “respect” even if we don’t agree:
“If somebody votes for a party that you don’t agree with, you’re free to argue about it as much as you like; everybody will have an argument but nobody feels aggrieved by it. If somebody thinks taxes should go up or down you are free to have an argument about it, but on the other hand if somebody says ‘I mustn’t move a light switch on a Saturday’, you say, ‘Fine, I respect that’. The odd thing is, even as I am saying that I am thinking ‘Is there an Orthodox Jew here who is going to be offended by the fact that I just said that?’ but I wouldn’t have thought ‘Maybe there’s somebody from the left wing or somebody from the right wing or somebody who subscribes to this view or the other in economics’ when I was making the other points. I just think ‘Fine, we have different opinions’.
But, the moment I say something that has something to do with somebody’s (I’m going to stick my neck out here and say irrational) beliefs, then we all become terribly protective and terribly defensive and say ‘No, we don’t attack that; that’s an irrational belief but no, we respect it’. ”
(Pardon the long quote but the whole speech is even longer, so no one would welcome having to read through the whole link).
At the core of what Hitchens articulates here, & I know Richard Dawkins says this a lot too, is that it he is tired of this vague assumption that religion must be a good thing, & anyone who thinks otherwise had better not ask “disrespectful” questions. I can testify that this so often happens to me in the presence of the faithful. Be they Christian, Muslim or whatever, they really do think their statements are uniquely placed above criticism.
As for Chesterton. He once said that A Shropshire Lad by A. E. Housman- (who is one of the few poets I read, & is apparently popular among people who don’t like poetry in general) that “‘It’s marvellous, the singing beauty of it is extraordinary. But it was written by the devil. ”
I suppose if you thought as Chesterton thought, that would be the view you took of someone who talks constantly of loss & sorrow with never a glimmer of hope, certainly no religion.
[Ah, but Chesterton was one of the most optimistic sorts of Christians, ever; the cheerful kind. If he called Housman "the devil," we know he did it cheerfully and likely ready to consign himself to the same label, at times. Chesterton was, after all, the fellow who, being asked to contribute his thoughts to a symposium on "What's Wrong With the World" sent them a succinct reply:
Dear Sirs,
I am.
Sincerely yours,
G. K. Chesterton
-- admin]
An atheist but an honest atheist. I will pray for him.
A CS Lewis paraphrase: “God whisphers in our delights but shouts in our pain.”
I’m sure Hitchens will be appalled, but secretly delighted, that so many people will be storming heaven on his behalf!
I am one of those since I deeply admire his writing skills, if not the reasoning behind the words!
God keep him and bless him. Cancer of the esophagus is a dreadful diagnosis. Glad I quit smoking a year ago after indulging myself for nearly 50 years!
I took that Chesterton comment not as being a personal attack but a statement that he condemned Housman’s worldview, which a Catholic presumably would (something which I had never thought about before I randomly read an interview with him, but then I never had any occasion to).
If Hitchens wants the sort of debates that were staged between Shaw & Chesterton one candidate could be his own brother, who is a hardcore conservative. But I gather they are estranged, so I can’t think of anyone else.
I am a Christian, a Monarchist and a conservative living in Canada. I also happen to be a physician. Esophageal cancer is a truly horrible illness,and almost always lethal if not coaught very early.
There is much about hitchens views that irritate me, but I will be praying for him. To do otherwise would be be unChristian.
Matthew 22:34-39
34But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
“I am a Christian, a Monarchist and a conservative living in Canada.”
“Matthew 22:34-39″
Roy:
Amen to that.
And, like everyone else, I’m deeply saddened to hear this about the infuriating but irresistible ol’ Hitch. I’ll be remembering him in my intentions.
And this being Canada Day, I say:
God Bless Canada. God Save the Queen.
I am very sorry for his illness. He has a fine mind, even when he is maddening or when he cheats.
A while back, this article by Benjamin D. Wiker was linked to this blog: link
An atheist but an honest atheist
He is not so much an atheist as he is an antitheist, he does not simply not believe, he attacks the belief and believers, and often disingenuously so.
Why? In his vociferous railing against this God that he says does not exist, and his attacks on “believers,” as he has caricatured them, as has been remarked before by others, the gentleman doth protest too much, methinks.
If only for the benefit that would come from peace of mind, perhaps now would be a good time to let go of his hate.
I think we should specifically ask Mother Teresa to intercede for a good death for him—I wish I could see his face when he meets her, in all her radiant charity—face to face!
i have listened to the debate of hitchens with william lane craig at biola university were in my opinion he lost…theists has nothing to fear when it comes to mr. hitchens,his generalizing against religion is repetitive and already borders on the boring…if one is interested to hear the debate you can find it here:
link
and yes one should pray for mr. hitchens
another Catholic who can debate Mr. Hitchens is Patrick Madrid who has a new book out:
the GODLESS DELUSION a challenge to athiests
another Catholic Apologist who can debate Mr. hitchens is Patrick Madrid, he is the author of:
the GODLESS DELUSION a challenge to athiests
Dear Friends,
As a personal favor, I am asking that you all pray with me for the conversion of Christopher Hitchens, an avowed atheist who wrote a book called “God is not Great” and a horribly unfairly critical book of Mother Theresa. While an atheist, he is brilliant and courageous, until the subject of religion comes up, then he is a lunatic. I believe his brother, Peter Hitchens is a Catholic.
However, God has a sense of humor, and I’m asking Mother Theresa’s intersession to convert him. (Hey–this may be her miracle!!!)
As for his atheism: Hitchens’ mother committed suicide in a suicide pact with her lover, a former clergyman I wonder if that is not at the bottom of his anger at God.
As stated abive–Years ago Father Rutler said to Hitchens “You will die a Catholic or you will die a madman”
Please pray with me that he dies a Catholic.
Sarah–
That’s a great idea, asking Blessed Mother Teresa to pray/intercede for Hitchens.
You know she’ll do it!
I have absolutely no idea what his personal thoughts are on the issue, but assuming for the sake of argument that he does not want such prayers, it does raise the question of the propriety of praying for someone against his will. After all, we cannot make God an imposition, we cannot force Him on people. Of course, given that I don’t know what he desires on this point, I don’t suppose it would be improper, but would be a good thing.
Bender, you are thoughtful and considerate. But even so, Mr. Hitchens does not control the actions of others on his behalf.
I was reading about Eucharistic Adoration, after Elizabeth posted such an informative and helpful item on this yesterday and the preparation for the Eucharistic Adoration included this:
“And for Me you must have, have you not, some zeal, some wish to do good to the souls of others. Some, perhaps, who love and care for you, have ceased, almost, to know or care for Me. Shall I give you strength, wisdom and tact, to bring these poor ones close to my heart again? Have you failed in the past? Tell Me how you acted; I will show you why you did not gain all you expected; rely on Me, I will help you, and will guide you to lead others to Me.”
God asks us to ask much of Him and to be generous in our requests on the behalf of others. You are generous in being thoughtful of Mr. Hitchens’ wishes, but isn’t it possible that those who pray for him are being generous too, just in a different way?
Christopher Hitchens has done more to convert doubters to religious faith than most: He deserves our prayers.
[He would deserve them regardless -admin]
Let prayers rain down on him; if he puts up an umbrella, so be it.
To me, one of the best contemporary candidates to counter Hitchens would be Dr. Scott Hahn. But of course the best ever would have been G.K.Chesterton. Chesterton had a remarkable ability to stand an opponents argument on it’s head and disassemble it from the ground up by challenging the simplest and most obvious precepts. Chesterton- “Of course one does not have to reject science to believe in miracles. It is science that confirms that miracles really are miracles.” And of course, by contrast, Chesterton’s graceful wit and gentle humility would have amplified the obviousness of Hitchens’ angry and acerbic self-loathing cynicism. Ah G.K……the world needs you now more than ever………
Fie on all you boring Hitchens-sycophants!
I have been praying for Hitchens since last night and I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. My brothers and sister in Christ, let us storm heaven itself with our prayers for our wayward lost brother.
“My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” – James 5:19-20
Anh, you bunch of name-droppers!
Makes ya feel reeeeal gooood to PRAY for that noble heretic Hitch, don’t it. I mean, him being so smart and handsome and all. He merits your prayers so much more than the other uncounted gazillions of hell-bound heretics all over the earth, does he?
Pray instead for yourselves, you self-loving self-important silly people! You may need it more than him!
whasa mata, I thought with all the Hitchens-slavering that you appreciated ‘acerbic wit’ on this blog….maybe I should change my name to “Hitchens” and I’ll get published.
Get lives already!
[As a new poster, your comments were being held for moderation. Do you always project the worst motives on everyone? -admin]
Yan Petrovsky- you’re in my prayers as well.
May the Lord shine upon you with His unfathomable mercy.
I know he would not like to be prayed over, but I hope Christopher Hitchens recovers from his ailments. I admire his writing and wit and wish him only the best.
And if God overhears and decides to act on my wishes on Chris’ behalf, win win.
Early on in this chain, Anchoress, you follow up the quote about the “unseen hook” and the “twitch upon the thread” with a commendation, crankiness aside, of Evelyn Waugh. And yes, that passage does appear in his Brideshead Revisited, but it is acknowledged there as hailing from one of (who else?) G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown stories which Lady Marchmain had been reading aloud to her family. Sorry to be such a pedant. I like Waugh too but not as much as I love GKC.
[Yes, you are correct, it IS Lady Marchmain referencing Chesterton. But Waugh was still a crank! Brilliantly talented though!
-admin]
Ok, I’ll drop the “Mr. Grumpy”-thing a little; although I found it quite enjoyable.
Seriously then, take a look at yourselves! Ask yourselves, ‘why this outpouring of love upon a man no less in need of God’s mercy than many great sinners out there, about whom you would feel no great sentiment of self-congratulation if you prayed for them?’
How many of you pray for Obama with the same gusto? If not, then why not? (He, in addition to being a poor schlep, heretic, and probable-atheist, is a person for whom the Scripture specifically enjoins you to pray!)
In this case it doesn’t take a prophet to be able to see that you are enjoying yourselves far too much to be in the right!
Cheers and God have mercy on us all…including those for whom it doesn’t give you a tingly-feeling to pray for!
And may groundless sentimentality perish forever!
Cheers again…
[I don't get the sense that anyone is "enjoying" Mr. Hitchens' misfortune. You are either projecting an awful lot or willfully misreading. As to Obama--who you oddly characterize as "probably an atheist" although he has publicly professed several times that he is a Christian--this thread is not about him, but I know many, many people of faith (I am one of them) who pray sincerely for the president -and for that matter, Mrs. Pelosi and the whole country- every single day. Do you know any Christian people? You seem to have a terrible impression of them, as a whole, so I am just wondering. -admin]
Having taken courses from Peter Kreeft at seminary, I would love to see him eviscerate Hitchens and the other current prominent vocal atheists. Not only is Dr. Kreeft brilliant, but he has a gentle manner and a sharp wit that will win over most listeners.
You don’t really understand the whole “Jesus Christ” thing do you Yan.
Christopher Hitchens is facing his own mortality. His time could be short, and his pain and suffering are guaranteed. He needs our prayers now more than ever; Time is of the essence.
I pray for him because I feel for him. His brokenness reminds me of my own broken past and my current shortcomings. It’s not a matter of self-congratulations or self-righteous glee. It’s a matter of mercy, of hope, of redemption, and ultimately of salvation. In other words- it’s all about humility. Christian humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
Yan says:
“How many of you pray for Obama with the same gusto? If not, then why not?”
Christopher Hitchens is the subject of this thread, so kindly refrain from hijacking it.
And anyway, can you read hearts and minds? How are you so sure that the people here *don’t* pray for Obama and other similarly unpleasant types? Because they don’t trumpet it like Pharisees? If they did, you’d probably be complaining about that too.
BTW – to a previous poster up-thread – Peter Hitchens is not Catholic, he is C of E.
years ago, during an interview on the old Judith Regan program, she asked about his mother’s suicide. He appeared ready to cry. I remember the details but don’t think it’s appropriate to post now. but essentially it affected him greatly, but less so his much younger brother.
I have no idea if this made him an atheist, but my oldest adopted son was full of rage at the (natural) death of his mom (his younger brother less so) that he directed against me…and god.
The name of the person who debated William Jennings Bryan (3-time presidential nominee) in the Scopes Monkey Trial in Tennessee was Clarence Darrow. At the time, Bryan was aged and well past his prime as a public speaker. Darrow was younger and much sharper on the specifics of the law in question.
I don’t mean to hijack the thread, and will join others in praying for Christopher Hitchens.
TeaPot562
Tell us, Yan, do you pray for Obama?
Hehehe whewie! All you lovers of mercy for Hitchens are so kind to me!
Anne B says:
“And anyway, can you read hearts and minds? How are you so sure that the people here *don’t* pray for Obama and other similarly unpleasant types? Because they don’t trumpet it like Pharisees?”
I respond: you make my point! Isn’t it pharasical to blog about praying for Hitchens? Why Hitchens of all people? Do you blog about the other people you pray for too?
Last Sphere, who says that I just don’t seem to understand the whole “Jesus Christ” thing (why the quotes?), says
“I pray for him because I feel for him.”
Last Sphere, that’s very nice! Do you pray for other people you see on television too? Do you not see anything strange and perhaps so very silly about advertising that you pray for television perrsonalities?
And then, admin.–I guess I have to go slowly here, since she somehow understands my comments as accusing people of enjoying Mr. Hitchen’s suffering. No, admin.; my point was NOT that you are enjoying Mr. Hitchen’s suffering. Please read carefully. My point was that you enjoy too much flaunting the fact that you are praying for him. See reply to Anne B. above for the import of that.
Being such a merciful fellow myself (since you consider yourselves to be so wonderful for praying for Hitchens, and for doubtless other things as well, I’ll be so free as to compliment myself openly, rather than stealthily, as you imagine yourself to be doing!), I thought I might draw your attention to that without actually spelling it out! Silly me to think you might see it on your own!
Yes admin, I know lots of Christian people. Most of them don’t feel obliged to publicly flaunt their good deeds! Oh, you think you are just a bunch of Mother Theresas don’t you…
Silly, silly, silly….well, I’m sure you mean well. Good luck; I sincerely wish you all the best, and God have mercy on us all…
Rhinestone:
Since you asked, I admit that I have with some reluctance prayed the rosary for Obama.
Really Yan, I don’t see anyone here who is really patting themselves on the back, or puffing themselves up with pride, for suggesting that prayers be said for Hitchens. People, including the Anchoress, are merely stating that it would be good to do so.
True, they are necessarily doing so publicly, but I ask you — pray tell, how else might a bunch of people who are otherwise strangers engage in ANY conversation except publicly, as via the Internet??? If there is some way how people can suggest such prayer intentions in private, so as not to scandalize you, would you please be so kind as to tell us how to do that?
(Yan said- “Last Sphere, that’s very nice! Do you pray for other people you see on television too? Do you not see anything strange and perhaps so very silly about advertising that you pray for television perrsonalities?”)
Yan, I have prayed for celebrities who have died or who have suffered personal loss. In fact, over the years I have prayed for countless souls both in this world and beyond. What is wrong with that? Why do you insist on creating a conflict where there is none?
Yan why are you so angry? Perhaps you would feel better if you talked about it.
Why is it silly to pray for people on T.V., Yan? They really are human beings, you know, not just puppets, created by the networks. It’s okay to pray for real people. (Do you pray for Obama?)
And I’ve just gotta ask—where do your mind reading powers come from? The ones that tell you we all think of ourselves as Mother Theresa? Did you get a self-helf book, or maybe a video, “Telepathy in 10 Easy Lessons!”
Good, Yan! Keep on praying for Obama! You can also pray for others, too!
It will be good for them, and for you. Maybe you’ll be able to manage some of your anger better.
As last Sphere says, maybe you should talk about what’s making you really angry, instead of lashing out left and right?
Hehehehe irony everywhere….how odd that some of the same people that accuse me of judging the motives of hearts and minds from what I read on a blog are able to read into my heart from my own posts and see….anger! Oh my goodness; no wonder you people blog. You are so very entertaining.
Praying for, and emoting for, and making a point of talking about, and making a priority of, people you don’t even know from tv, is an attempt to give your life a kind of public significance that it does not have. I am trying to take this lollipop out your mouth and you children can’t seem to stop tantruming about it. How dare Yan say I can’t have this lollipop! He is angry and mean!
Yes little children; lollipops are not good for your teeth and they spoil your appetite for dinner.
BENDER: of all the people in the world, living and dead, sick and poor, that we might pray for, WHY HITCHENS??? Isn’t it obvious that naming Hitchens alone out of all these people for whom we ought to pray God convert, and for whom we ought to be praying anyway without any need to publicize the act, is an exercise in self-praise? The unwashed masses don’t pray for Hitchens; no, only the smart ones like us pray for him! We are special!
What, Yan, you mean the people that watch Oprah don’t pray for Hitchens?
[And yet you have no problem laughing at and lecturing people you don't know, except on the basis of a few lines of type. You're becoming tiresome. But I think you actually know that. My suggestion, folks, is don't encourage him -admin]
I didn’t read the comments. But why debate these folks!!!! If you win a debate all you’ve proven is that you are skillful at debate, not that you have arrived at a truth or destroyed a fallacy. Then too the Psalm reminds us that only the fool says “…there is no God…” and these do all manner of evil, they are corrupt. Why debate a fool!!! Better spend two or three hours meditating or praising God. Only God can convert a fool.
I’ve been reading through Peter Hitchen’s book–a sort of memoir/apologetics mix–over the past few days (“The Rage Against God” if you’re interested). It gives some rather interesting insight into their family, although without getting too personal. And it really shines some light onto some of their reasons (Peter was an avowed atheist for many years, before returning to the C of E) for rejecting faith. Pick it up when you get the chance.
As for the statement earlier about the two brothers being estranged and not debating…they certainly don’t get along, but they have reconciled a bit over the past few years, and have debated publicly a few times (how many, I don’t know).
of all the people in the world, living and dead, sick and poor, that we might pray for, WHY HITCHENS?
Because Jesus asks us to.
Admin, I have done nothing more than you also have done in terms of making a judgment based on what is written here in your blog. There is nothing wrong with developing an opinion based on evidence. Clearly, you have done the same.
If you don’t agree with my opinion, that’s your prerogative, if you actually have genuine reason to disagree. It’s clear that you don’t want to engage with what I have written about in substance. What that says about your reasons for agreement, or lack thereof, is of course open to question.
[I'm not seeing substance, sorry. I'm seeing sarcasm and aggression. You don't know anything about me but came in with guns blazing ranting about how I couldn't possible pray for Barack Obama, etc, etc, etc. You came thru the door rudely. If you want me to take you seriously, I suggest you go out, and come back in like a gentleman, not a giggling adolescent jester. You're welcome here, but I have never responded well to taunting. I raise my children, for instance, not to do it. -admin]
“I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for He makes His sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
So, are you going to say “no” to Him, Yan?
Just a couple of small corrections to comments above: Dinesh DSouza was baptized Catholic but became more of an indifferent, cultural Catholic until he met his wife, who is Evangelical. They attend an Evangelical church in California. He mentions this in his new book about Life after Death. I too had assumed he is Catholic. he appeared a while back on Raymond Arroyo’s Worldover Live and the tone of the discussion seemed to be that he is Catholic. Evidently not any more.Peter
Hitchens is a revert to Anglicanism, not a convert to Catholicism. I wish both men were Catholics.