Christopher Hitchens and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach debate "Does God Exist?" at the 92nd Street Y. Update: The full version of this debate has been added: • Christopher Hitchens a...
I think the reason we all adore hitchens is the fact that he spoke directly to his audience, he knew critical thinkers would listen to him, and he didn’t pull any punches
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I'd liked to have listened to the Rabbis' response at the end of this chosen clip... but it was edited in such a way, that the response was deliberately cut off because the poster of this video didn't want that response to have been part of clip they posted on RU-vid. So I am now forced to question this You Tube members agenda on the biased editing of this video.
So god is an opponent for us to grapple with? An all-powerful adversary? No thanks. I have enough real enemies without inventing unstoppable fake ones.
the entire debate is on youtube Mr. The Rabbi had nothing to say during the whole debate and i don't think he responded to this one :-D, because no one did since then.
@SovietPoptarts As Hitchens sayed in this video, there is not a single noble action that cant be done in a secular way, I can find happiness, purpose and motivation as an atheist. And also you can think of ways of enhancing your happiness, motivation and purpose outside the limitations of a watchfull deity. Eg: A closeted gay person, equality of women, freedom of speech, scientific research, etc. Cheers
I've always thought that if you wanted to create a modern religion, one of the most important tenets would be the Darwin quote that Hitchens mentioned: "we bear in out bodily frames the indelible stamp of our lowly origin". Right there you have an explanation for why humanity behaves in such disappointing and destructive ways. Taking ownership of our lowly origin, and working to avoid expressing it, is a moral obligation.
Do you still think that you came from a monkey, hope not. Nothing ever evolved into another species, everything is unique, made by God for mankind, yes or no?
I think the poster does not give a damned of these postings. The full will never be posted, at least not with this poster. However if this video would be available to BUY, I would buy it... HELLO? 92ndStreetY ?
How can you know this? Is there any reason you can give me to believe what you say about God that doesn't involve a leap of faith? Wouldn't it be just as meaningful to say "the universe was created outside time" without involving the idea of God? And is it just your God that has no need to be created? What about other gods, like the Hindu gods? Are they also outside of time and and space, like the God you're talking about? Are all gods the same in this respect? Thanks.
It wasn't just the children. The Lady of the Rosary told the children to bring the people to that spot on a certain day and there was some very astounding claims from the many people who were there. But still thats only an example of some of the wild things that happen on Earth, which go beyond human understanding.
So, "millions" have "seen" G-d. Really. Please send some photos so we can see what He looks like or a tape of him reading. Personally, I'd like to hear him read Leviticus aloud, just to find out if the author Himself could read it aloud to a 21st century audience with a straight face.
'God is he who helps the helpless... God is he who I get angry at when he doesn't help the helpless...' Rofl... our satire attempts really have to work hard to catch up to the things theists, themselves, actually say...
As long as folks insist on wearing "blissful blinders" handed to them by their parents, generation after generation, dont ever expect science or rationality to prevail. thank you
the core idea that figurehead athiests like Hitchens and Dawkins try to stress in these debates is that altruism and morality are still a necessary part of humanity. The highest levels of "arrogance, ignorance, and bigotry" in the world today can be found in religious individuals who believe they know the truth about God, and they are favored by him. As Hitchens said, we come from a humble background. Secular scientific approach abhors blind following of figures like Hitler or even Moses.
Yeah I heard he (the rabbi) got absolutely thumped and you've just confirmed it. Man Hitch is an intellectual heavyweight. I could sit and listen to him crack heads like this for days. Has anyone posted the whole debate? Cheers.
"We are not specially created or unique privileges.' If I'm not mistaken, there's not a single creature that has intelligence of a human. Atleast the ones we have discovered.
Christopher Hitchens, God bless you! I know you don't believe in God, yet I will still pray for you... I had no idea you had cancer, and while I disagree with some of your arguements about God, you still try to help people in your own rational way. You seek to have people question the world and that's a very good thing. I love you as human being and I truly hope you get better! :D
I would be too if I was a sane genius stuck in a loony bin like Hitchens is. To be fair, he puts himself in these situations willingly (i.e. debate after debate) and I'm thankful for that. He's a glutton for (dealing out) punishment.
I've never seen Hitchens lose. Ever. And I watch A LOT of him. I've seen him say he was offended and then rail against the use of the world offensive but that's pretty semantic. Has anyone seen a video where he gets pwned? I'm not being facetious, I would really like to see that.
Nick, by no means is my mind being controlled by religion. As a student, Ive taken many science course, theology courses, and my maj. is psych. I had to cut off school to fight in Iraq against insurgents who religious extremism to their advantage. Through my personal experiences & studies. I have come to believe in God. Some believers think we'll find God through science one day- that I don't know. And the truth is science cant explain everything.
MrShimasaki. You are only right in that an atheist would not be noble if he talked to a God that he didn't believe in. He could say out loud to his family, "Forgive them for they know not what they do." Meaning that they don't understand the value of life or some other such thing. If the character Jesus was to say the same but put the word Buddha in there, then it would also not be noble.
Oh absolutely. But there are guys who such as D'souza who basically think its a shouting match and what I find stunning is that Christians actually thing he won, without one credible and consistent argument. This is a far more obvious pasting - even to the most blinkered fundies.
@adlerbr12: Well personally I don't consider it to be a myth, I don't see how I am being stupid. For me prayer is a big part of my life, and I really do want for Hitchens to get better just because he is a person, and I like and respect him as a person. I don't want to convert him or anything like that if that's what you think my comment is all about, I just once again want him to get better.
That makes absolutely no sense to any rational person. Does "bold" mean willing to believe anything you are taught without evidence? If I tell you that a little green man is in this room and you say, "There is no evidence of that", it is not a satisfactory response for me to say, "Yes, there is. You prove to me that there is NOT a little green man in the room." That is just sophistry and nonsense, pure and simple.
Who the hell picked that jew to represent religion in this debate, its like they want to lose or something. "For me god is he who watches while I make a fricking fool out of myself in front of thousands." Thats what he should have said
Hitchens claims are completely unfactual!: 1.The chief rabbinate of Israel has ruled very explicitly that Shabbat must be violated for the purpose of saving any human life,be it Jewish or not.2.The Summer 1966 edition of the magazine Tradition recounts an interview with Mr.Shahak who,when asked to identify the mysterious orthodox Jew who would have let that man die,acknowledges that the Jew of whom he spoke did not exist. I've located the article in Tradition.Volume 8,Number 2,pp.58-65.
Let me ask a question to all those people who admire this man - If there isn't a God, and we are alone, and there is nothing after this life, why follow a man who has devoted his very finite existence to attacking other people's beliefs? Religion gives people purpose, happiness, and motivation. Why take that away from them?
Nothing is being taken from anybody. Whether or not you stop believing in some idea is up to you. If one's ideas don't stand up to scrutiny, then that means the idea has a problem not the scrutinizers. Why scrutinize belief at all? Because truth is more important to some people than comfort. Because many people try to spread their bad ideas to other people or influence policy based on their bad ideas.
Absolutely fucking brutal. Scmuley's a good guy though, he interviewed Mr Hitchens recently and was very complimentary. that's what comes of having your ass served to you on a platter I guess
Where is your evidence , you have not sited one example of evidence. And what is it that you worship, Herc,Zeus the God that came out with a book written by men 5-8 thousand years ago?
Heres an answer to that question. I ACCEPT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AS MY SAVIOR. But here's the twist, what may be bold to you may not be bold to me. No nonbeliever can accept Jesus as his savior, right? And to accept such a narrow road is bold, to me.
oh right you playing that one.........honest opinion you say, which you do so do i, make yourself sound loving by tolerating my view....ide rather you be honest and tell me what you think.....i am not right, i dont know why where here, or how we got here, i can admit that honestly , yet you claim to have an answer due to a belief !!......Do you think that as long whoever is an Theist s/he automatically is right?
@SovietPoptarts "why follow a man who has devoted his very finite existence to attacking other people's beliefs?" Because in a world where murder hits on a writer still stand and the religious leaders condemn *the writer*, he had the balls to stand up and call their bullshit for what it is. If you kept your "faith" to yourself, we would have to "take it away from you", i.e. shatter your delusions.
I wonder, would it still have taken a god to create a world devoid of any intelligence? Would it take a god to create helium, hydrogen, and the smaller bits? If that's all there were, would we need an intelligent god for that too?
@MalachiWohl If God truly cared that we believe in him he would come to us a little less ambiguously than in my dreams or through a holy man. I can see, touch, smell, taste those trees but God, making himself supernatural, cannot be felt by natural means even though he could. It means he simply does not care about us if he is real
The reason Hitchens kills Shmuley with his last question is because, as has been pointed out by numerous people, Shmuley is a publicity rabbi and wants to water down Judaism to be as palatable as possible to as many as possible (see, for example, his article on homosexuality acc to Judaism 10/15/10.) Authentic Judaism has many answers for the question, offering sacrifices, resting on sabbath, etc. However, and more fundamentally, Judaism established many ideas to
be godly that we deem virtuous today only because of Judaism's influence on western religious thought, but were ludicrous at their time (and even in Greece and Rome), e.g. humility, modesty. These are anathema to mainstream Greek virtues of power and victory. The Jewish prophets decried these "evils" at the time when their own kings won battles and were victorious.
you are amazing,,,,,everything you have said to me applies directly to yourself.....mind control?....religion does the same...i am ready for different opinions....so because i dont agree with your opinion means im a coward? again, same rules applies to you.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime; give a man religion and he will die praying for a fish.
I think what you, and a lot of religious people seem to miss, is that science is not the opposite of religion, it's just there. It's just inquisitive people trying to learn, using empirical data and facts. If that contradicts religion, then so be it. I don't see why there is any reason to believe stuff you can't prove. You obviously do though. To my mind diogeron is right about the green man. To someone outside the constraints of religious mind control they sound identical.
again you missed the whole point of our debates, we aren't trying to convert you to atheism, it is not a religion no rules, no laws, no scripture....what do we need to fill in our so called void? i suppose by filling your void with an easy answer to the universe you must feel happy?i doubt you must lay in bed at night and think, maybe i should take responsibility for my own actions, and discover the real truth behind everything.Instead of giving up and accepting the easiest theory ever to grasp.
Hitchens arrogant?..what because he does not believe the same belief as you? that's like complaining that others don't share your opinion.he is entitled to it so don't call him arrogant, if that's the case boteach is arrogant for not believing a non-believer.
@RockyBalboa211 You maybe have lot of things worth respect, but not faith and praying. Prayers is just a way to comfort yourself as doing something while you do nothing, and that is the stupid part. It's not the same as you are stupid, you just are programmed to believe it and your brain programmed to ignore the fact that your prayers has nothing to do with whatever will happen. (can be tested) I purchased one of his books, it don't help much, but more then all prayers in the world together.
Yes Chris: God is man made. In fact, man made hundreds of Gods. So be sure you pick the right one, pay the right money and go through the right rituals so you'll have a great being dead.
