The New Enlightenment, Part 9: Something To Die For
Posted By metzler On November 4, 2009 @ 4:14 pm In The Story,Theism | Comments Disabled
I did make it to the Landmark in L.A. for the premier of Collision. A good deal into the movie, Hitchens was asked the leading question:
”What are you willing to die for?”
Hitchens needed no pause for the riposte:
“Enlightenment.”
As you watch Hitchens put upside down on a cross, you might want to play this music (update: the Kirker who authored this video, Daniel Foucachon, permits downloads for embedding from his site, but soon after signing up as a registered user of Pooh’s Think, he removed your ability to watch it here. But just click below and you can listen to the nice music on Daniel’s page):
New Saint Andrews Choir [1] from Daniel Foucachon [2] on Vimeo [3].
(Picture is of Hitchens discovering what it is like to be him while water boarded; although the aftermath was an important element as well.)
___________
The conclusion of Collision is a tired Hitchens in the back seat of a not so large car casually recounting a personal conversation with the atheist pontifex Richard Dawkins. The context was this question: would Hitchens, if he could “convert”, or, ahem, “convince” every last theist of atheism, would he decide to do it? Hitchens would not.
Would Hitchens “drive religion out of the world”?
Hitchens soberly recounts his words to Dawkins: “I would not drive it out.”
Hitchens continues, “The incredulity with which he [Dawkins] looked at me [pause] stays with me to this day.”
Music hits and the screen goes black. Not a bad ending.
___________
Since I have made myself clear about Amy Miller’s recent hate-the-white-man silliness [4], I will let you know that while waiting for Collision to begin, I bought Miller’s suggested alternative: Doubt by Jennifer Michael Hecht. You should see the picture on the back of the book guys; Hecht is hot! What an Object to write about such a fascinating, linear, logical Subject.
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URL to article: http://www.poohsthink.com/the-new-enlightenment-part-8-something-to-die-for/
URLs in this post:
[1] New Saint Andrews Choir: http://vimeo.com/6692504
[2] Daniel Foucachon: http://vimeo.com/foucachon
[3] Vimeo: http://vimeo.com
[4] silliness: http://www.poohsthink.com/the-new-enlightenment-part-4-newsweeks-libel/
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