[Vision2020] It's the thought that counts

[deb]

Thanks, Ken. Hitchens is one of my Heros. Nice to remind folks there is 
another way of looking at things, particularly during the "holidays". And I 
much enjoyed Tom's "tongue firmly in cheek" post as well!
Debi R-S

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kenneth Marcy" <kmmos1 at frontier.com>
To: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
Cc: "Moscow Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>; "Jeanne McHale" 
<jeannemchale at hotmail.com>; "Fritz Knorr" <fritzknorr at gmail.com>; "Lois" 
<loisb at q.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2012 5:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] It's the thought that counts


> On 12/15/2012 12:24 PM, Tom Hansen wrote:
>
> <[snip]>
>
> Alternatively, one might choose any of the fine volumes by Christopher 
> Hitchens, especially those published more recently. Of those, one is 
> titled Mortality, which contains the following couple of quotes:
>
> From page 15:
>
> "He (referring to Rabbi David Wolpe) has been a debating partner of mine, 
> as have several Protestant evangelical conservatives like Pastor Douglas 
> Wilson of the New Saint Andrews College and Larry Taunton of the Fixed 
> Point Foundation in Birmingham, Alabama. Both wrote to say that their 
> assemblies were praying for me. And it was to them that it first occurred 
> to me to write back, asking: Praying for what?"
>
> and, from page 25, the last page of chapter II, (which contains page 15):
>
> "In these circumstances, the emptiness of prayer is almost the least of 
> it. Beyond that minor futility, the religion which treats its flock as a 
> credulous plaything offers one of the cruelest spectacles that can be 
> imagined: a human being in fear and doubt who is openly exploited to 
> believe in the impossible. In the argument over prayer, then, please do 
> not be shocked if it is we atheists who wear the pitying look as any 
> moment of moral crisis threatens to draw near."
>
> More of Christopher Hitchens' writings are available in bookstores both 
> local and beyond.
>
>
> Ken
>
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