"The militant God-hater, Christopher Hitchens, has been
diagnosed with throat cancer, Fox News is reporting. Hitchens is well
known for his hatred of God and the Christian faith. Despite his
irrational anti-theism, we admonish all followers of Christ who read
this post to pray that the sovereign Spirit of God convict him that his
worldview is entirely false, he has sinned against a just and holy
God, and that he repent and receive Jesus Christ as God and Savior. It
is not our place as Christians to say the specific reasons why Mr.
Hitchens has contracted this disease. We only know that God often uses
illness as a means to bring people to repentance and faith. We can only
hope Mr. Hitchens responds." - Henry B. Smith Jr. MA, Associates for bible research.
http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2010/07/01/Atheist-Christopher...This is one of several websites and thousands of comments effectively levying a "Serves him right" jab at Christopher Hitchens being diagnosed with cancer. Instantly I am consumed by a myriad of emotions and just as many questions as to why and how someone could say something like this.
At the base of this according to some god gives people cancer as punishment or as this specific quote implies, to force them to convert before death. Instantly I have to ask anyone who is capable of thinking in this way, what about children with cancer, what about animals, and what about the already faithful? I could go on and on with contradictions and inconsistencies I find with this vile way of thinking, but it's pointless to ask it here amongst like minded peers. I have thought long and hard about this and how upset it makes me feel that people would celebrate the demise of the man before he's even met his end and I've come to a rather upsetting realization. I think Atheists are also capable of this same or similar death bed celebration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz5T1EEo8ws&feature=relatedTake Jerry Falwell for instance, Bill Maher said when speaking about his death "death isn't always sad", and he went on to denounce the recently deceased pastor. Hear me out on this because I'm sure we all agree what kind of a man Jerry Falwell was to us, I am sure many Evangelists loved him. We admire Hitchens for his intellect and pursuit of enlightenment and it is the same reason he is hated by many followers of all religions. Could how I feel about people accrediting hitchens cancer to gods wrath have been the same visceral reaction felt by evangelists watching Bill Maher praise Jerry Falwells demise? I'd really like to hear what you guys have to say about this