Catholics Praying for Christopher Hitchens

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[Antoninus]

Christopher Hitchens is a well-known author and an evangelical atheist. He has often been harshly and unfairly critical of the Catholic Church, even to the point of attacking Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and calling for the arrest of Pope Benedict.

But now, Mr. Hitchens has been stricken with incurable esophageal cancer.

Our Lord has enjoined us to love all, especially those who despise us and would do us harm:

"But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that calumniate you." (Luke 6:27-28)

Therefore, let those Catholics who feel called by God pray for Mr. Hitchens:

1. That he may be cured of the insidious disease of cancer that is slowly killing his body.

2. That God may bless him with the ultimate gifts of Faith, Hope, and Love in this the hour of his greatest need.

I dedicate this page to Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, perhaps the greatest evangelist of the 20th century.

Archbishop Sheen, pray for Christopher Hitchens in his hour of need.

[Antoninus]

Christopher Hitchens has lived the opposite of a life of heroic virtue, but I think that means he needs our prayers all the more. Thus, I'm happy to be part of this effort.

[Antoninus]

Catholic ping.

[circlecity]

I think the prayers are in the wrong order. Salvation should be first.

[ex-snook]

He should head for Lourdes and pray.

[Antoninus]

Oh, and BTW--

September 20 is the unofficial "pray for Christopher Hitchens Day." See this article:

Christopher Hitchens asks fans not to pray for him

[rogue yam]

September 20th is “Everybody Pray for Hitchens Day”.

[Antoninus]

I think the prayers are in the wrong order. Salvation should be first.

Disagree. Save the best for last. Plus, if he is healed, it will give him more time on earth to repent.

[xsmommy]

Is it wrong to pray to spite someone asking that you not? LOL

[luvbach1]

Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you.

Does Hitchens hate Christians and consider them his enemies? Or is he just an atheist? I really want to know.

[wideawake]

His insistence that he not be prayed for is a power play: “Obey me and not God.”

[Antoninus]

Is it wrong to pray to spite someone asking that you not? LOL

It is never wrong to pray under any circumstances.

[xsmommy]

my question was facetious, as i know it's never wrong to pray and i get what Hitchens is up to, but it does somehow feel NOT RIGHT to me to want to pray for him BECAUSE he asked me not to, when i may or may not have been moved to pray for him otherwise.

[luvbach1]

If Hitchens does not have a death bed conversion will that prove his sincerity?

[circlecity]

"Plus, if he is healed, it will give him more time on earth to repent."

He won't need more time if God grants salvation first.

[Deb]

Typically, the Guardian piece is incoherent and pads his real words with their editorial nonsense. I saw him on Charlie Rose and he was nothing but sweet and touched at the outpouring of love and good wishes that had been sent to him and he said he would never insult the well-wishers and their kindness by denouncing their efforts. He was very embracing.

I also don't believe the supposed "Christian" who looked forward to Hitchens' writhing in pain and agony to be legitimate. More Marxist crap from the Guardian.

[wideawake]

I’m sure he’s quite sincere. He has no need to prove it.

[sodpoodle]

Does Hitchens hate Christians and consider them his enemies? Or is he just an atheist? I really want to know.

You will find the answer(s) here:

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20070606_christopher_hitchens_religion_poisons_everything/

excerpt:
Christopher Hitchens: I don’t blame God. I blame religion. I don’t believe there is such a thing as God. Religion makes people do wicked things they wouldn’t ordinarily do. It doesn’t make them behave better—it makes them behave worse. You couldn’t get people to hack away at the genitals of their newborn children if they didn’t think there was a religious obligation to do so. The licenses for genocide, slavery, racism, are all right there in the holy text.

[Antoninus]

If Hitchens does not have a death bed conversion will that prove his sincerity?

No, it will prove his pride. And you know the old saying: "Pride goeth before the fall." I have known people who wouldn't even consider asking God for forgiveness, even when staring death in the face. Even in extremis, they could not humble themselves.

I consider that excruciatingly sad.

[Antoninus]

Typically, the Guardian piece is incoherent and pads his real words with their editorial nonsense. I saw him on Charlie Rose and he was nothing but sweet and touched at the outpouring of love and good wishes that had been sent to him and he said he would never insult the well-wishers and their kindness by denouncing their efforts. He was very embracing.

Agreed. That's what I have heard as well. It's a funny thing--Hitch reminds me of a cantankerous old relative who is always trying to stick it to you for being religious, but suddenly appreciates you when he's down and needs help.

As Christians, we should offer to help him with our prayers with no restrictions--whether he repents or not is between him and God. All we can do is pray for him.

[Antoninus]

He won't need more time if God grants salvation first.

Well, that's between him and God. Besides, time has no meaning in terms of God's Will, so it's really pointless to quibble over the order of the prayers, don't you think?

[circlecity]

"it's really pointless to quibble over the order of the prayers, don't you think?"

I guess it's a individual think. I want to show God what I put first. Certainly the Bible makes a big deal of where you put your first fruits.

[Deb]

On Charlie Rose he said he had been asked “if it would offend” him if they prayed for him and he said, “Of course not!” Like I said he was very touched.

[Dr. Ursus]

I found him interesting when he wasn’t speaking about
religion. He should do a public service announcement about the dangers of drinking a bottle of scotch a day!

[presidio9]

Your idea is well-intentioned, but I prefer to pray for the millions that Hitchens has turned away from Salvation.

Did Christ pray for the money changers, or did He merely point them in the right direction and get on with his mission?

[Antoninus]

Your idea is well-intentioned, but I prefer to pray for the millions that Hitchens has turned away from Salvation.

Can you not pray for both?

Did Christ pray for the money changers, or did He merely point them in the right direction and get on with his mission?

I don't presuppose to know who Our Lord prayed for. My assumption would be that he did pray for the money changers. He did pray for the Pharisees who condemned Him to death. we know that for a fact.

[luvbach1]

Hitchens has a point that many crimes have been committed in the name of religion, especially in the Islamic religion in which the crimes are actually sanctioned in the Koran. But I don't think Christ or his disciples would have approved of the excesses of the Inquisition or the Salem Witch trials and executions.

[luvbach1]

I found him interesting when he wasn’t speaking about religion.

Not surprising since he is very articulate, knowledgeable, and an expert debater. And although a liberal, he is not a knee-jerk liberal.

[sodpoodle]

Well summarized.

Christopher Hitchens’ geneology is Judeo-Christian. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that he began to question the existence of God and the worship of Christ - once exposed to the rarified air of Oxford.

His criticism for past offenses/genocide is directed at powerful theocracies and his current hatred is directed more toward organized religions causing strife, not of decent people of faith.

He could have kept his thoughts to himself...but nooooooooo he just had to share them!!!

[Antoninus]

But I don't think Christ or his disciples would have approved of the excesses of the Inquisition or the Salem Witch trials and executions.

Men are fallible. Christ didn't approve of sin. He did, however, forgive them. Even a sinner as epic as Christopher Hitchens can find forgiveness in Christ if he would only ask for it.

[Antoninus]

His criticism for past offenses/genocide is directed at powerful theocracies and his current hatred is directed more toward organized religions causing strife, not of decent people of faith.

Of course, this argument is meaningless given that the worst offenders of all are always those who believe there is no God to hold them accountable for their crimes.

[Soothesayer]

He considers himself an “anti-theist”, meaning he is actively against deity religion. He is one of the types who “know so much that isn’t true”. For example, his belief that the Judeo-Christian version of God is just a super powerful version of Kim Jong il.