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During his lifetime, world-renowned atheist Christopher Hitchens published several books denying the existence of God and the legitimacy of (any) faith. His unique, and somewhat comical, theories – which attracted a large following – dismissed the possibility of an afterlife, altogether.
And on December 15, 2011, he finally got the chance to test his theories, when he died of cancer.
“Hitch” spent his life in search of truth; as an international journalist, he researched and wrote about many topics, but his real fame revolved around his ardent atheism. Not only did he strike at the core of religion, he sometimes did so in an inflammatory manner. Whether it was a column, an article, a speech, or a book, everyone knew which side of the fence Hitch was on when it came to God. In 2007, he even published a book that bore the title of his personal mantra, God is Not Great.
He did anything he could to convince others of his opinion. In a fairly famous debate at American Jewish University in early 2011, Hitch squared off against Sam Harris, David Wolpe, and Bradley Artson on the subject of death and the afterlife. He jokingly said, “It will happen to all of us, that at some point you’ll be tapped on the shoulder and told, not just that the party is over, but slightly worse: the party’s going on but you have to leave. And it’s going on without you.”
The crowd laughed at his clever remark about death, and he continued with another sarcastic line that rejected the possibility of an afterlife. But it appears as though Hitch may have some inconsistencies in his own views.
Exactly Who is it that taps people on their shoulder?
Who gets to say when the party is over?
For that matter, Who threw the party in the first place?
Hitch was “tapped on the shoulder” on December 15, 2011 when he succumbed to cancer at the age of 62. (He drank heavily, and smoked frequently.) No one knows for sure, but from all public accounts, it appears as though Hitch denied God’s existence until his untimely death. Consequently, he denied the forgiveness Christ offered him.
Sadly, the party is over for Hitch.
Click here for the online report (and video).
Topics Illustrated Include:
Afterlife
Atheism
Beliefs
Cancer
Death
Faith
God’s Existence
Judgment
Life
Reason
Religion
Sarcasm
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
