Peter Hitchens - The Rage Against God:

[markdohle]

Peter Hitchens, Christoper's brother is also an interesting person to read. Of all the so called "New Atheist", I think Christoper is the most likeable and honest, though of course I disagree with his atheism. His brother Peter has written a book called "The rage against God, how atheiesm has led me to faith", it is a good read. Below is an excerpt with the site also posted.

Christopher is a devout atheist. Peter is a devout Christian of the traditional Anglican persuasion. Politically, Christopher has developed neoconservative views on foreign policy issues like the War in Iraq, being a strong supporter of the conflict. Politically, Peter is a paleoconservative-perhaps the American equivalent of a Ron Paul or a Pat Buchanan-who holds strong anti-war views on Iraq and who is a fervent critic of American and English foreign policy in the region. Christopher has written a famous book criticizing belief in God and religion called "God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything." Peter, on the other hand, has written a book defending belief in God and faith called "The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith. "

http://ministryvalues.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1411&Itemid=125

Edited January 16, 2011 by markdohle

[ShadowSot]

\The passage is very artful and poetic, resonating into a deeper spiritual sense of meaning, one that embraces the inevitable and eternal reality of death. Peter has said that in order for his brother Christopher-and likeminded atheists-to accept people of faith they need to step outside of their comfort zone, outside of prose, and enter into the realm of poetry - a realm that requires deeper comprehension of mystery and beauty, transcending the dry rationalism that encompasses much of modern atheism. Here he was alluding to an ancient truth, one recognized by early Greek philosophers like Socrates as well as twentieth century theologians like Hans Urs von Balthasar, that true beauty, true poetry, true art, has a spiritual dimension: it is divinely inspired, not manmade. For true art has the spiritual power to uplift a man's soul beyond his material reality, beyond what he is comfortable with.

There have been many artists and poets who were also atheists. I myself have a deep appreciation for art, though not so much for poetry. As was pointed out in another thread, spirituality and religion are not one and the same.

He eventually abandoned the Trotskyist socialist-atheist views of his youth, after seeing the horror that Trotsky's and Lenin's Bolshevik Revolution led to for human life in Russian society, after witnessing the misery firsthand.

The eventual state of Russia had less to do with Trotsky and Lenin, and more to do with Stalin and his cult of personality, and ended up reviving the Russian Orthodox Church as a tool.

His continued critique of the Russian system can be mirrored by similar critiques of Christian societies.

Really... seems like the brothers approach thing with the same methods to different conclusions.

Interesting in and of itself.

Edited January 16, 2011 by ShadowSot