In the first place, I think there must have been an editorial mishap in the assigned title of Hitchens' next chapter. It was "The Tawdriness of the Miraculous and the Decline of Hell." The chapter is about the former, and not about the latter at all. I can only conjecture that it … [Read more...]

I live in the north part of Idaho, in the portion that looks like a rock chimney. I bring this up merely to lend credence to my next claim, which is that the lakes up here are pretty cold year round. When you are swimming, or water skiing, even in August, you are always in for a … [Read more...]

I think I will treat the next two chapters together. Chapter Seven of Hitchens' book is on the nightmare we call the Old Testament, and Chapter Eight informs us why the evil of the New Testament surpasses that of the Old. That which is good in the Old Testament is, according to … [Read more...]

Chapter Six of Hitchens' book is all about "Arguments from Design." I have gone back and forth in my mind about how to approach this one. Should I do a slow inexorable build to the point in my last paragraph where I place the capstone of a fun quotation from this chapter, doing … [Read more...]

It used to be possible for believers to have a brain, but no more. This is because our ancestors lived in the blackest of ignorance, and theologians like Aqinas or Maimonides were just playing cards with the hand they were dealt. Ya know? I said in an earlier post that I was … [Read more...]