Chris Diss: Hit or Miss?

On Jul 7, 4:54?am, "AJA" <ahnem....TakeThisOut@optonline.net> wrote:
> <rtfmhnky389v....TakeThisOut@temporaryinbox.com> wrote in message
>
> news:1183746443.583698.193880@r34g2000hsd.googlegroups.com...
>
> > >From a review of "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything",
> > by Christopher Hitchens:
>
> > At least on the plus side Hitchins judges C. S. Lewis 'absurd', and
> > persists in admiring the Book of Common Prayer - which, he regrets,
> > 'the fatuous Church of England has cheaply discarded'.
>
> >http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/books/38216/protesting-too-mu...
>
> Ah yes we are humans all- and we all have faith, atheists, deists,
> whateverists.
> I must say that parts quoted of this polemic in the review read like
> sophomoric rantings.
> Give me a good atheist writer, anytime, over this!
>
> Blessings,
> Ann

Are you talking about the review?

Daryl
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss? 

From: <darylgene DeleteThis @aol.com>
Subject: Re: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss?
Date: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 8:28 AM

> Give me a good atheist writer, anytime, over this!
>
> Blessings,
> Ann

Are you talking about the review?

No, "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything", And, how can a
religion poison, anyway? Wouldn't the so-called poisoners of anything or
anyone be human?

Ann
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss? 

On Jul 10, 6:11?am, "AJA" <ahnem....DeleteThis@optonline.net> wrote:
> From: <darylg....DeleteThis@aol.com>
> Subject: Re: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss?
> Date: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 8:28 AM
>
> > Give me a good atheist writer, anytime, over this!
>
> > Blessings,
> > Ann
>
> Are you talking about the review?
>
> No, "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything", And, how can a
> religion poison, anyway? Wouldn't the so-called poisoners of anything or
> anyone be human?
>
> Ann

I came across a book at Borders, "proving" God doesn't exist, it was
mostly a scientific version of the cosmonauts looking out the window
of their capsule, declaring there was no God since they didn't see
him. I feel sorry for these people actually, they have no idea what
they are missing.

Daryl
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss? 

"AJA" <ahnemann RemoveThis @optonline.net> wrote in
news:LTeli.131$5F4.94@newsfe12.lga:


> <darylgene RemoveThis @aol.com> wrote in message
> news:1184113230.903542.216180@e16g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
>> I came across a book at Borders, "proving" God doesn't exist, it was
>> mostly a scientific version of the cosmonauts looking out the window
>> of their capsule, declaring there was no God since they didn't see
>> him. I feel sorry for these people actually, they have no idea what
>> they are missing.
>>
>> Daryl
>
> Cosmonauts differ then apparently from various observations of our
> astronauts! See Chuck Colson's article here:
> http://www.got-god.net/astronauts.htm
....

Space travelers in the late Space Race tended to see what their side would
approve, I imagine.

It would be difficult to picture a Cosmonaut under the Communists coming
back with visions or feelings of a personal God, or at least one so
impolitic as to say so in public. Contrariwise, it is very hard to suppose
that a trained NASA Astronaut would ever tell reporters: "Now that I have
seen the Earth as just a globe, and walked in the debris of the airless
Moon, I am as certain as it is possible to be that the Universe is
purposeless. There just *can't* be a sentient Power berhind events."

Robert Abajo
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss? 

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:22:39 GMT, Roberto Abajo wrote:

> "AJA" <ahnemann.RemoveThis@optonline.net> wrote in
> news:LTeli.131$5F4.94@newsfe12.lga:
>
>
>> <darylgene.RemoveThis@aol.com> wrote in message
>> news:1184113230.903542.216180@e16g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
>>> I came across a book at Borders, "proving" God doesn't exist, it was
>>> mostly a scientific version of the cosmonauts looking out the window
>>> of their capsule, declaring there was no God since they didn't see
>>> him. I feel sorry for these people actually, they have no idea what
>>> they are missing.
>>>
>>> Daryl
>>
>> Cosmonauts differ then apparently from various observations of our
>> astronauts! See Chuck Colson's article here:
>> http://www.got-god.net/astronauts.htm
> ...
>
> Space travelers in the late Space Race tended to see what their side would
> approve, I imagine.
>
> It would be difficult to picture a Cosmonaut under the Communists coming
> back with visions or feelings of a personal God, or at least one so
> impolitic as to say so in public. Contrariwise, it is very hard to suppose
> that a trained NASA Astronaut would ever tell reporters: "Now that I have
> seen the Earth as just a globe, and walked in the debris of the airless
> Moon, I am as certain as it is possible to be that the Universe is
> purposeless. There just *can't* be a sentient Power berhind events."

Or if they did, Colson certainly wouldn't have written about it!

Didn't one of the US astronauts go sort of New Agey?


Bree
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss? 

On Jul 15, 6:05?pm, Bree <n... DeleteThis @onoe.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:22:39 GMT, Roberto Abajo wrote:
> > "AJA" <ahnem... DeleteThis @optonline.net> wrote in
> >news:LTeli.131$5F4.94@newsfe12.lga:
>
> >> <darylg... DeleteThis @aol.com> wrote in message
> >>news:1184113230.903542.216180@e16g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
> >>> I came across a book at Borders, "proving" God doesn't exist, it was
> >>> mostly a scientific version of the cosmonauts looking out the window
> >>> of their capsule, declaring there was no God since they didn't see
> >>> him. I feel sorry for these people actually, they have no idea what
> >>> they are missing.
>
> >>> Daryl
>
> >> Cosmonauts differ then apparently from various observations of our
> >> astronauts! See Chuck Colson's article here:
> >>http://www.got-god.net/astronauts.htm
> > ...
>
> > Space travelers in the late Space Race tended to see what their side would
> > approve, I imagine.
>
> > It would be difficult to picture a Cosmonaut under the Communists coming
> > back with visions or feelings of a personal God, or at least one so
> > impolitic as to say so in public. Contrariwise, it is very hard to suppose
> > that a trained NASA Astronaut would ever tell reporters: "Now that I have
> > seen the Earth as just a globe, and walked in the debris of the airless
> > Moon, I am as certain as it is possible to be that the Universe is
> > purposeless. There just *can't* be a sentient Power berhind events."
>
> Or if they did, Colson certainly wouldn't have written about it!
>
> Didn't one of the US astronauts go sort of New Agey?
>
> Bree- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Despite what their, or our, astronauts say, and confirming what Lewis
says; it would be foolish to expect science to prove (and it is
totally incapable of disproving) God exists. Jeff Foxworthy said it
well at the Country Music Association awards "our experience with God
in our little lives trumps your scientific scepticism." (or words very
similar to those). I have no idea why I have been blessed with the
grace to experience His presence, I only know it is more real than
what I percieve through the imperfect filter of my senses, and I wish
everyone could share that, including Mr. Hitchens.


Daryl
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss? 

Bree <no.DeleteThis@onoe.com> wrote in
news:q3xo8xs4cjix.78d6gg99hsbv$.dlg@40tude.net:

....
>> Space travelers in the late Space Race tended to see what their side
>> would approve, I imagine.
>>
>> It would be difficult to picture a Cosmonaut under the Communists
>> coming back with visions or feelings of a personal God, or at least
>> one so impolitic as to say so in public. Contrariwise, it is very
>> hard to suppose that a trained NASA Astronaut would ever tell
>> reporters: "Now that I have seen the Earth as just a globe, and
>> walked in the debris of the airless Moon, I am as certain as it is
>> possible to be that the Universe is purposeless. There just *can't*
>> be a sentient Power berhind events."
>
> Or if they did, Colson certainly wouldn't have written about it!
>
> Didn't one of the US astronauts go sort of New Agey?
>
>
> Bree

Dr. Brian O'Leary, perhaps? <http://www.brianoleary.com/>. Certainly he is
now very new-age, bills himself as a "Former Astronaut". But as I read it
in the Wikipedia, he was a scientist-astrounaut scheduled for the "Apollo
Applications" program (very soon cancelled) who ultimately resigned from
NASA without travelling in space (he wrote a book about his disillusioning
experiences, *The Making of an Ex-Astronaut*.)

(I meant to say also in the previous post that perhaps we should be a
little leery (ahem) about taking spiritual advice from such people as James
Irwin merely because of where they've been, anymore than we should give
more weight to the economic advice of a stage-four cancer survivor or a
football hall-of-famer solely because they've done something rare. All of
which should not prevent us from giving a hearing to *any* righteous advice
that resonates with us and is reasonably prudent.)

Roberto Abajo
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss? 

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 01:05:28 UTC, Bree <no DeleteThis @onoe.com> wrote:

>...
>
> Didn't one of the US astronauts go sort of New Agey?

Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14.
http://www.edmitchellapollo14.com/
Cited without implied endorsement.

It's not surprising that the experience of space would tend to produce
something like mystical experience (the validity of which I am carefully
not endorsing or denying). In fact, just an IMAX movie with views from the
space shuttle left me, to use properly an idiotically overused word, awed
beyond anything I'd have guessed. The reality? -- I don't think I can
guess at that.

But Pogo had perhaps the last word on all this, years before there was a
space shuttle. One of the other swamp characters noted that a Russian
cosmonaut had wisecracked that he hadn't seen any angels when he was out
in the heavens. Pogo thought that what was supposed to matter was whether
_they_ saw _us_.

--
Dan Drake
dd DeleteThis @dandrake.com
http://www.dandrake.com/
porlockjr.blogspot.com
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss? 

On 16 Jul 2007 18:42:29 GMT, Dan Drake wrote:

> On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 01:05:28 UTC, Bree <no.RemoveThis@onoe.com> wrote:
>
>>...
>>
>> Didn't one of the US astronauts go sort of New Agey?
>
> Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14.
> http://www.edmitchellapollo14.com/
> Cited without implied endorsement.
>
> It's not surprising that the experience of space would tend to produce
> something like mystical experience (the validity of which I am carefully
> not endorsing or denying). In fact, just an IMAX movie with views from the
> space shuttle left me, to use properly an idiotically overused word, awed
> beyond anything I'd have guessed. The reality? -- I don't think I can
> guess at that.


Remember in Screwtape, QFM "a walk he really enjoys, and taken alone."
Clensing the doors of perception by new sights.


Bree
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss? 

"Dan Drake" <dd DeleteThis @dandrake.com> wrote in message
news:vhIsdqY67dTD-pn2-FdH9l3xNQq3k@M...
> On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 01:05:28 UTC, Bree <no DeleteThis @onoe.com> wrote:

>> Didn't one of the US astronauts go sort of New Agey?
>
> Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14.
> http://www.edmitchellapollo14.com/
> Cited without implied endorsement.
>

VERY interesting site, Dan. Thanks. Never know what you might find here on
abscl!
I especially liked Mitchell's essay:

GO FORTH AND SUSTAIN THE WORLD,

THE 21ST (century) COMMANDMENT

A Parody on Sustainability

©Edgar D. Mitchell, 1996

Funny, if it weren't so true.
Best,
Ann
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss? 

(rtfmhnky389vjsw@temporaryinbox.com) wrote:

>>From a review of "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons
>>Everything",
> by Christopher Hitchens:
>
> At least on the plus side Hitchins judges C. S. Lewis 'absurd',
> and persists in admiring the Book of Common Prayer - which, he
> regrets, 'the fatuous Church of England has cheaply discarded'.
>
> http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/books/38216/protesting-too-
> much.thtml
>
> (Fatuous COE is right, but Hitchens wouldn't write half as well as
> Lewis if his literary skill doubled every day for a month.)
>

The Church of England has discarded the Book of Common Prayer? What do
they use instead? What do their services look like now?

--
Bill Baldwin
http://bettercovenant.wordpress.com/
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss? 

On 13 Aug 2007 19:12:01 GMT, Bill Baldwin wrote:

> (rtfmhnky389vjsw@temporaryinbox.com) wrote:
>
>>>From a review of "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons
>>>Everything",
>> by Christopher Hitchens:
>>
>> At least on the plus side Hitchins judges C. S. Lewis 'absurd',
>> and persists in admiring the Book of Common Prayer - which, he
>> regrets, 'the fatuous Church of England has cheaply discarded'.
>>
>> http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/books/38216/protesting-too-
>> much.thtml
>>
>> (Fatuous COE is right, but Hitchens wouldn't write half as well as
>> Lewis if his literary skill doubled every day for a month.)
>>
>
> The Church of England has discarded the Book of Common Prayer? What do
> they use instead? What do their services look like now?


And how cheap are they selling them?


Bree
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss? 

On Mon, 13 Aug 2007 19:12:01 UTC, Bill Baldwin
<bbwebpage+usenet@gmail.com> wrote:

> > (Fatuous COE is right, but Hitchens wouldn't write half as well as
> > Lewis if his literary skill doubled every day for a month.)
> >
>
> The Church of England has discarded the Book of Common Prayer? What do
> they use instead? What do their services look like now?

Surely he refers to the great big modern revision of BCP that they did 30
years ago or thereabouts. This, which many people didn't like, including
people who actually were associated with the COE nad not just atheists who
love other people's traditions so long as only the silly fools who belong
are expected to believe in the stuff, or -- Something Forbid -- _pay_ for
it(*), naturally comes out as complete abandonment. You didn't expect
literal accuracy from Hitchens, did you?


(*) A not wholly inaccurate description of something not wholly unlike my
own position much of the time, I must admit, though I prefer not to
bad-mouth (or starve for funds) the people who support traditions that I
approve of. To get wholly in sympathy with Hitchens, you really need to
drink more than I am able to.


--
Dan Drake
dd.TakeThisOut@dandrake.com
http://www.dandrake.com/
porlockjr.blogspot.com
 >> Stay informed about: Chris Diss: Hit or Miss?