Slightly Schizoid Reading List

[ciroccoj]

So, I'm trying to read Christopher Hitchens' God is Not Great at the same time as the Bible (Pentateuch = done!) and I must say, it's a little odd to feel more ticked off at an atheist than at the Old Testament. I'm not sure what it says about me.

Eg, I read:
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32: Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.
33: And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
34: And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:
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And yeah, OK, it's a little gruesome, but it's just one part of a book in which I have so far found a few pretty cool ideas. Besides, it's the Old Testament; there's bound to be a lot of smiting and slaying and interesting ideas on fashion, diet, interpersonal relationships, and home decor. But, you know, whatever.

God Is Not Great just sounds more ranty to me. I know it's partly due to the fact that it's hard to sound ranty when you're all King James Englishy, but still.

This bit from God Is Not Great actually made me think, though:

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A week before the events of September 11, 2001, I was on a panel with Dennis Prager, who is one of America's better-known religious broadcasters. He challenged me in pubblic to answer what he called a "straight yes/no question," and I happily agreed. Very well, he said, I was to imagine myself in a strange city aa the evening was coming on. Toward me I was to imagine that I saw a large group of men approaching. Now - would I feel safer, or less safe, if I was to learn that they were just coming home from a prayer meeting?
...
I was able to answer it as if it were not hypothetical. "Just to stay within the letter 'B', I have actually had that experience in Belfast, Beirut, Bombay, Belgrade, Bethlehem, and Baghdad. In each case I can say absolutely, and can give my reasons, why I would feel immediately threatened if I thought that the group of men approaching me in the dusk were coming from a religious observance."
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Innerezding.

Hitchens still ticks me off, though. Can't decide who's more arrogant, this guy or Richard Dawkins.

Ah well, I got a lot out of the God Delusion despite having to slog through a fair bit of it, so hopefully I'll learn something here too :) :)

Comments

[daf9.livejournal.com]

mr. daf, who loved the God Delusion, convinced me not to read Hitchens whom he also complained was more rant than anything else. I enjoyed God Delusion although I found it amusing that Dawkins seemed quite so blind to his own preconceptions. In fact I think my favorite quote from Dawkins was Dawkins quote from Betrand Russell about what he would say if when he died he was confronted by God and asked to explain why he didn't believe in him.