Christopher Hitchens on Being Challenged for Lack of Faith

Christopher Hitchens on Being Challenged About His Lack of Faith #ChristopherHitchens #ReligionDebate #IntelligenceSquared
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[@Montie-Adkins]

This is how not to do a Short.

[@AdamBechtol]

lol indeed. My lord!

[@jasontheconner6120]

Clickbait

[@AlicedeTocqueville]

​@@jasontheconner6120 Yes, but, be fair, Hitch wasn't doing a one-liner. If had been, he'd come up with a great one. Don't make the mistake of thinking this man couldn't, or that he ever was reading from crib notes!

[@AlicedeTocqueville]

Good, if you're talking about whoever posted this. This is cut from a longer discussion. If Hitchens were asked for a one-liner, you can rest assured he'd have come up with a gem. You putz.

[@philsurtees]

@@AlicedeTocqueville He's saying it's not a good short because you don't get his answer, you complete moron.

[@toforgetisagem8145]

For all of those of you who dont get this, Hitchens used to be a war correspondent, in the Middle East and ,Africa during religious conflicts. He knows just how dangerous religious insurgents are.

[@joemachunda]

Many wars started by False religions

[@gregariousguru]

Yet atheists perfected communism 🤔

[@sergkapitan2578]

Which religious whatever...???? There is a huge difference, who are those believers.... Mostly, Christians today would be much safer than any other "meetings".....

[@toforgetisagem8145]

@@sergkapitan2578I do not believe for one moment that you need an answer to this question.

[@claudiauhlir2282]

Thanks a lot! Without your explanation I would still be wondering what that was about. 🤗

[@ElliotWebbSEO]

Boo The video literally stops before he gives his response. Who edited this?

[@randykuhns4515]

Knowing it's Hitchens and that he is speaking about it to a crowd,. he PROBABLY made a smarmy remark against the ones who left the prayer meeting,..

[@oyveyoyvey]

@@randykuhns4515 Being Hitchens, it was considerably more than a smarmy remark. It was an eloquent list of examples of why believers should be avoided. But I suspect Elliot already knew that.

[@davidmorgan6896]

The point is to make you think what your response would be.

[@GordieGii]

The answer is obvious. . . . . YES!

[@mikeyb2932]

@@GordieGii 'yes' as an answer to what question?

[@BenMedia7]

You cut out the best part: "Just without leaving the letter B, I HAVE been in that situation: in Bombay, in Belfast, in Beirut, in Belgrade, in Bagdad..."

[@casteretpollux]

All countries divided and destabilised by the western powers.

[@BenMedia7]

@@casteretpollux That's true. While I like Hitchens, he (and many other atheists) often overlooked the role Western powers play in both destabilizing the world stage and in fueling the rise of religious extremism (and Hitchens' case, defending it)

[@gc-l.a.6024]

​@@BenMedia7 Is it majority of atheist who overlook the role western powers play in the destabilization and fueling the rise of religious extremists in the world? Or, is it the popular or well known ones, who are in the public square of debates, that overlook? Hitchens, James Harris, etc? Especially in matters involving Isreal. I would think that most atheist would look at how religion plays a role on both sides, the perpetrators in the westernized world, and the stoked religious extremists. The perpetrators would likely be Christian or Jewish, and the extremists likely Muslim.

[@gc-l.a.6024]

Thank you for supplying the answer to the question.

[@BenMedia7]

@@gc-l.a.6024 I don't know if it's actually a majority or not, but at the very least a lot of the major ones ignore it. Now, Dawkins at the very least understood the role religion played in regards to the Iraq War and Hitchens understood it in regards to Israel/Palestine. But for the most part, a lot of Atheists do overlook the role Western powers play in regards to destabilization and the rise of religious extremism in reaction to that. And that is a problem. It's very easy to make fun of religion and point out its absurdities, but in regards to religious fundamentalism and extremism you have to look at the context that allowed it to rise in the first place.

[@arkafon79]

Who cuts clips like these?!? Is there a report button for this atrocities?!

[@nunyabizznez2805]

If you find one, let me know

[@sunshineandwarmth]

Reserved for brainiacs. You must allow the occasional clip for the few of us who appreciate something other than babies, dogs, and ppl spewing hatred of everything and everyone.😁

[@TheJeremyKentBGross]

​@@sunshineandwarmthYou mean like setups with the punchlines cut off from the end?

[@chriss5266]

​@@sunshineandwarmthWhat a pompous comment. Regardless of its content, this short was horribly edited.

[@jacktheladd8841]

These shorts are oft created by an AI which apparently has yet to be taught about punchlines

[@arob2575]

"Just without leaving the letter B, I HAVE been in that situation: in Bombay, in Belfast, in Beirut, in Belgrade, in Bagdad..."

[@paulheydarian1281]

Were you wearing adult diapers?🤔 Did any of them give you succor?☻

[@turtferguson4831]

You know exactly how fast to run

[@hsw268]

...Birmingham...Bradford...

[@chrisrogan4531]

Why were you there??? ?????

[@arob2575]

@@chrisrogan4531 What an incredibly stupid question. I am baffled.

[@marianhoblyn2552]

How do you give a yes or no answer to that question? Q. "Would you feel safer or less safe?" A. Yes

[@civilization57]

I'd feel safer. Now do a group of 12 Black men.

[@angrytedtalks]

​@@civilization57 They are Black. Specifically, Black Muslims.

[@ridingwithpat]

​@@civilization57 They don't look like you so they are scary? Could you rephrase your response as in poverty or rich?

[@civilization57]

@@ridingwithpat Blacks aren't scary because they are Black. They are scary because they commit 8x as many crimes per capita as Whites. Maybe you don't know this because you were born yesterday.

[@jesarablack1661]

@@civilization57 Talk about outing yourself for your bigotry and hatred.

[@stevepastor3344]

You left out the best part. His answer was brilliant.

[@FlatlandMando]

I would have liked the answer but did they include it here? I assumed they edited it out

[@memkiii]

@@FlatlandMando Yes, because whoever upped it wanted you to believe he was referring solely to Islam. He wasn't.

[@woodrunner51]

Do you know where is the complete clip?

[@christophertaylor9100]

If it was anything other than "I would feel safer" then it was not brilliant

[@elizabethanderson6182]

@@woodrunner51KZbin for whole lecture

[@normangop3050]

Christopher you will always be a model of mental clarity and linguistic elegance. In perpetual memory.

[@aminemaia921]

A tragedy his insides were so unwell

[@AlicedeTocqueville]

Absolutely!

[@civilization57]

How so? He didn't answer the question. Evading an honest answer is NOT "linguistic elegance".

[@ToothbrushMan]

​@@civilization57 He did answer the question. The video was deliberately cut short.

[@dragossorin85]

Indeed, he was very sharp

[@anniesue4456]

You must listen to Hitch's full lectures. They are worth the time.

[@brucegelman5582]

Nobody expects a Spanish Inquisition

[@351cleavland]

I know a guy who knows a guy who totally expected the Spanish Inquisition.

[@luisaymerich9675]

He should have answered: Not if they recognize me.

[@jewulo]

@bina nocht YES: I will feel safe. NO: I will not feel safe.

[@michaelstapelberg7751]

LMAO!!!

[@shrikanthpai6604]

Good one

[@tibbar1000]

Hahahahaahahahahaah

[@dufus7396]

Im sure he thought of that later on

[@chokin78]

the answer was even better...

[@thec9424]

As a Black person in the U.S., I would be terrified if I knew they were Evangelicals.

[@desiprioleau]

Get a grip fr 😂

[@meat96]

Dayum 🏃🏃🏃

[@edwinmercado5723]

And if they were black? Black on black violence is a real thing.

[@tailsoluv]

I would feel less safe because them coming from a prayer meeting is no guarantee of moral behavior on their part.

[@thedeadpoolwhochuckles.6852]

look at this nerd i bet he prays standing up! Get em boys!

[@zlatanibrahimovic8329]

that doesnt make you less safe and the point is about fanatics

[@GabrielRodrigues-yg5pu]

And you have refuted yourself, if these people are bad its due to their own immorality and not to the prayer meeting whose purpose is to get elevated

[@sunshineandwarmth]

During the oil boom @1980 i lived in Houston wh was full of yuppies at the time bc of mega jobs w good pay. A lot of young men @30+ yrs went to church to meet girls bc they thought they would have a better chance w church going girls bc, being religious, they would be easier. Pity those girls meeting those guys, 12 of them, who had probably stopped for a few jack daniels after leaving the church.

[@spaghetti1641]

​@zlatanibrahimovic8329 it would make me FEEL less safe because I am a woman and most religions tell their men that if they rape a woman it is HER fault for existing in the first place and they can be free of consequence if they say sorry to their God with no thought of the person they just violated.

[@Letts_prey]

Would you let a priest or a vicar babysit your child? Let’s not wait for the answer.

[@Vartholomeos.]

No, but I wouldn't let a judge, doctor, lawyer, ANY celebrity alive, my relatives, the next door neighbor, a teacher, a politician, police officer.........etc either. What's your fcking point. All of the above have been convicted multiple time of child molestation you twat.

[@davidanderson6055]

The answer is "no" because allowing random men to babysit is weird to begin with. However, with the question he was asked, the answer, in protestant countries, is that yes, you would feel more safe. Hitchen's answer relies on Islam and Hinduism.

[@christophertaylor9100]

Would you let a teacher babysit your child?

[@catherinemacleod257]

If only we still had him! Imagine what he'd think of the state of the world

[@anerdwithglasses7429]

He would have caused a lot more debates about everything our leaders are doing wrong. And he would have further shown everyone how amazing he was.

[@jayreyndogz1791]

He would of probably preferred what it's like now the world's alot less religious and ungodly now then it's ever been

[@MrPomdownunder]

Jonny Walkers whiskey are sad to have lost such a great customer....

[@chikkipop]

@@jayreyndogz1791 What does *"ungodly"* mean?

[@danielwilkinson1024]

@@chikkipop 'What does "ungodly" mean?' I am positive you are attempting to be argumentative, because a simple 3 second search would land you the resulted definition, but regardless I will do your leg work this time for you: ungodly adjective 1 a: denying or disobeying God : impious, irreligious b: contrary to moral law : sinful, wicked 2 a: outrageous b: far exceeding the ordinary, usual, or expected c: severely objectionable to the senses Question for you, are you able to take the necessary time to interpret which of the definitions apply here, or would you like further assistance?

[@nothosaur]

That question can be answered "safer", "less safe", or "need more information". I'm an atheist. If I were in Muzaffargarh, I would feel less safe. I know what the faithful in that town do to unbelievers. They may question me. If I were in Seymour (John Melloncamp's smalltown) small town, I would feel safer. The faithful in Seymour do not abuse unbelievers. They probably would not even question me. At most, they would talk to me about their faith. So, the answer is "need more information"

[@jarlnils435]

if you had listened, you would know that you have to answer with yes or no. not with anything else. now try again.

[@nothosaur]

​@Jarl Nils I did listen carefully. It’s ridiculous to limit it to yes or no without more information. For Muzaffargarh, "no". For Seymour, "yes". If it were random city somewhere in the world, and I was completely uncertain whether it was a Sunni Mosque or a Lutheran Church, then I would say "no" but only because of the uncertainty and the odds.

[@jarlnils435]

@@nothosaur of both?

[@nothosaur]

@Jarl Nils do you mean "or both". I don't understand your reply.

[@jarlnils435]

@@nothosaur you can not answer to a question with an "or" with yes or no. You would always mean both things. Do you want water or beer? Yes.

[@global001]

I would be more terrified knowing they just came back from a prayer meeting. Nothing quite as scary as a group of men at dusk, jacked up on sanctimonious false sense of superiority.

[@mxplixic]

Scared of 12 black men coming from church, got ya.

[@christophertaylor9100]

No, you would not.

[@jimboforreasonify]

He answered ‘it depends where you are’ and goes on to say there are many cities in the world where religion-based violence towards ‘others’ is quite frequent.

[@patrickhanly7458]

Oh please try harder.

[@mikeyb2932]

@@patrickhanly7458 Ahh, truth is annoying to you?

[@patrickhanly7458]

@@mikeyb2932 not annoying, just dishonest. The original question was about a group of men leaving a Bible study in a western Christian context, not any place in the world were religious violence occurs. So again, if we are honest we all know that this would not be a threat and you could even feel confident that they would help you if you need. Please spare me the outside exceptions and be honest.

[@mikeyb2932]

@@patrickhanly7458 Ahh, not only does truth seem to annoy you, you are also the dishonest one. Even if the question had not been set "in a strange city where you've never been before" but instead "in a western city of mostly christian belief" and also not stated "that they have recently come from a prayer meeting" but instead "that they had come from a bible study" - then religious violence is definitely not something that does not occur. I take it you have never heard of Belfast, which is one of the locations I believe he mentions in his answer. Both Protestants and Catholics perpetrated quite a bit of violence against each other. Religion does not make people better than they were before, it does however make them associate with a group that believe they are the only ones who know the truth and that puts everyone outside that group in opposition.

[@mikeyb2932]

@@patrickhanly7458 and no Belfast is not an (Edit start) Outside (Edit end) exception to your 'rule'. Belfast is just one of the more extreme cases.

[@kmay181]

They insist on a yes or no response, but it's not a yes or no question!! They're numbskulls.

[@mikeyb2932]

It is how -manipators- manipulators tend to argue.

[@DoubleDogDare54]

It actually is a yes or no question and doesn't require anything other than a yes or no answer. There is nothing complicated about the question in the least - regardless how some may want to spin things.

[@ccadrian2000]

@@DoubleDogDare54 Absolutely!

[@pouncepounce7417]

@@DoubleDogDare54 the people flying the airplanes into WTC where not agnostic by any stretch of the imagination Most nazis where churchgoing baptised people. sooo...

[@patrickdoyle9369]

Everything in life my friend, is either yes or no, black or white, there are no grey areras. If you think about the question for long enough you will break it down to those answers. But you need to think, it's ok take you time on that.

[@KarimTemple]

He should've just followed directions and said "No."

[@Michael_Binkley]

you're thinking of Baptists, they're not religious 😉

[@Artiej0hn0]

@KarimTemple Perfect! 😂

[@_-4232]

He gives an outstanding response to this which is CUT from the short 🤧

[@TarkusT]

Every cross burning by the KKK starts and ends with a prayer... so I'm going to say no.

[@gordenrussell7266]

that is what I was about to say.

[@patrickhanly7458]

Yeah, no. If you saw men coming from the prayer meeting you have about a billion to one chance that they were average Christian guys and not KKK.

[@antichrist_revealed]

Luke 19:27.

[@timothykeith1367]

Atheist regimes have slaughtered hundreds of millions of persons

[@bliss12251225]

GD, I freaking miss him.

[@dancingfrogsxb1276]

Me too, pulls at my heart strings , such an impactful character 😢

[@nealmceneaney3771]

There it is I scrolled I must admit I was surprised it took a few minutes but here it is. ‘The most cliched message on KZbin’ Some (who’s never met him) saying they ‘miss’ him My god man.

[@bliss12251225]

@nealmceneaney3771 lol. Clichéd? You man like someone saying "great job", or "nice"? Some things are just said, and said often my guy. Mybsons and i would wake up to him, debating, every sundy morning. Hes an icon. Id LOVE to hear what hed have o say about our currentpoliticalenvironment. Hed SMASH! WE NEED AND MISS VOICES LIKE HIS. PERIOD......so ya, it's possible to miss someone, having never known them. I'm sorry you don't have that in your life. Therapy could you my guy. Better Help, maybe? You don't even have to leave your house! 😉

[@Demetri450]

The mere fact that the guy added the fact "they were coming from a prayer meeting" is a qualifier that is meant to narrow your thinking by leaning into your perceptions, biases, prejudices, beliefs, etc... but also makes the initial options of yes or no irrelevant

[@thinkbeyond3457]

As opposed to from where else? A Ted Talk, a pub, from their job, etc... Another desperate question and attempt to justify blind faith in fairy tales.

[@Garium87]

To insult people doesn't qualify as an argument. Also, you don't even understand the question. There is no "opposed to" because the question is whether religion, in general, makes people better. If you feel safer about people, simply because you know that those people are religious, that means religion makes them better people. And the fact is, it does.

[@banditthedog6268]

​@@Garium87 no, it doesn't.

[@populistsabroad]

Cmon, he's talking about what could happen in real life. People don't leave the places you mention with a sign on them, so how would you know?

[@Moloch1038]

@@Garium87 It doesn't. A person is good or bad by their character. There are plenty of priests and extremists who have proven this.

[@josephfarrugia2350]

@@Garium87 imagine a bunch of muslims coming from a prayer meeting. What you don't know is that it was with a well versed mullah echoing the bigoted, violent, racist teachings of Prophet Muhammad.

[@nostromoau]

There are some prayer meetings that don't end in an exhortation to peace.

[@sergkapitan2578]

But there are many more that do:)))) This guy is just ordinary hypocrite or "diseased" in his worldview.... Very shallow, not knowing deep, true Christian Theology. He pretends to know something, in reality knowing very little :) 😉

[@larrymccue8097]

This guy was brilliant 👏

[@jakeherter]

For people who just want to know the answer without looking it up. He says without leaving the letter b, and then names several cities like Beirut and Baghdad, that infact he had been approached by a group of men at night, and that they were all carrying their tools for work and said he immediately felt safer. Paraphrasing from memory.

[@jamesharris184]

He was a remarkable man

[@richsackett3423]

Remarkably entirely up his own arse; something few have achieved.

[@jamesharris184]

@@richsackett3423 I don't even know what that means... a lot of his stuff I don't agree with but I certainly admire his mental acuity. People's sexual preferences are none of my business, well to a point anyway.

[@michellejean11]

Considering the literally murderous hate directed at my community by religious fanatics I would be terrified.

[@asheronwindspear552]

There's still too many details missing to simply give a yes or no answer.

[@Honken]

They nicely forgot his response: "Just without leaving the letter B, I HAVE been in that situation: in Bombay, in Belfast, in Beirut, in Belgrade, in Bagdad..."

[@BrianHathcock]

Right? No idea what religion it is. Could be Islam, Christianity, Judaism, anything, even just some made up stuff or something from a video game. Totally derails any sort of validity and discussion.

[@marianhoblyn2552]

There isn't a yes or no answer. The question was, would you feel safer or less safe? How do you give a yes or no answer to that?

[@davidmorgan6896]

@@marianhoblyn2552 the question is begging an answer. Religious people see themselves as moral and safe. The rest of us do not share their certainty.

[@hakureikura9052]

​@@marianhoblyn2552 thats the dishonesty of religion. Forcing you to answer with a yes or no with a question so vague, it might as well be not worth answering.

[@jeannettehope670]

The question is contradictory. If you were in a strange city where you had never been before and knew no-one, it would be impossible to know whether a group of people approaching in the dark had just come from a prayer meeting. Your assessment of risk would be based on what country you were in, what region of that country, whether you were an inhabitant of that country/region or a foreign traveller, and your knowledge of the history and crime rates of that country, region or city (assuming you knew the name of the 'strange city' and had travelled there willingly rather than being dropped into a totally unknown city by a UFO.)

[@nitinb9202]

The question is intimidating indeed.

[@johnmilligan1034]

The response that follows is something like “Well if I were in Baghdad or Belfast I would be very afraid. And we only got as far as the B’s”. The point being that a hell of a lot of the world’s violence has been carried out by “Men of faith”.

[@jima8946]

No matter how much logic & reason is brought to the table, people with strong faith will not accept it. How do you convince someone who believes questioning god & religion results in burning in hell. They accept magical stories like miracles and never question the existence of god since they’re told human brain isn’t big enough to understand him.

[@johneneojowilliams5081]

Is your brain big enough yet to understand it? Even atheist are arguing blindly... Am sure religious people will give up if you can proof to them empirically that there is no god

[@jima8946]

@@johneneojowilliams5081 you are the ones with the massive claim of the supernatural. As Carl Sagan put is “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” you are the ones making the claim such as the existence of heaven & hell with zero evidence. The burden of proof is on you not I. what you are proposing here is similar to me saying, fifty of my friends and I believe in the invisible spaghetti monster. Now YOU prove to me that the spaghetti monster doesn’t exist and we’ll give up on the idea. How would you “empirically” do that? Do you understand what the word means? With nonsense what data is there to be collected and measured over and over to produce consistent result? Can I ask Jesus to walk on water again and get him to do it 10 more times so I can collect data and test the water in the Dead Sea at the time for buoyancy and salt density to indicate miracle exists that goes against the rule of physics? You cannot ask anyone to empirically disprove your fairytales since faith is emotionally heartfelt for you? And what could’ve been tested in physical form like the miracles, well god got tired of repeating them for us to measure them scientifically in this day and age so we just have to take your word for it. I don’t think so. Next time you want to use words like empirical evidence, put them in the right context.

[@danielstarr8957]

I was love to see a brain scan of religious person while they defending their religion vs having a normal conversation. I'm willing to bet the logic region of the brain mysteriously goes dark.

[@johnw574]

Irrational, unfounded, faith based beliefs by atheists who rage against religion: Gender theory Multiverse theory Simulation theory Marxist theory Queer theory Nazism Différance Apocalypticism Getting rid of secular religion has created a vacuum. Rather than believing in nothing irrational, people's lives are completely dominated by irrational beliefs, we are worse off and unhappier than ever.

[@danielstarr8957]

@@johnw574 funny that you bring up gender theory because I put them in the same mentally ill camp as religious people. Both groups think if they believe hard enough in something then they can ignore science.

[@ST0IC]

If I'm not wrong, then his answer was a "yes." There is an entire chapter in his book "God is not Great" regarding this very incident. He explains it beautifully why he would feel in danger with that group of religious people coming towards him. It's an amazing book, a must read.

[@damiondmoore]

Yes, the radical religious zealot Dennis Prager asked him this.

[@mystdragon8530]

Bad title because God is great.

[@AC-zx4hd]

I believe his response was something like “You know exactly how fast to run.”

[@acxezknightnite1377]

His answer was epic…Along the lines of just how how fast he would run away if they’d come from a prayer meeting.

[@indcreate]

Dennis Prager would ask this all the time. Once someone answered, "Am I black or white?"

[@acxezknightnite1377]

@@indcreate indeed!

[@Garium87]

@@indcreateBecause white Christians are attacking black people simply for being black? That's a thing in your world?

[@indcreate]

@@Garium87 White Christians attacking black people is a thing in your world, too-both historically and currently. Judao-Christians assume that Dennis Prager's question will prove how being religious is a good thing. But the question only allows for a Yes answer if the time, place, and social place of the Bible studiers involved are amenable to whomever is being asked the question. So the "Am I black?" answer is a brilliant way of handling a loaded Y/N question like this. Before you check in with Ben Shapiro or Tucker Carlson and try to argue with me, take a chill pill and just answer the question without the assumptions Prager and yourself are making. Examples: You are a white American and the 12 religious men are Muslim; You are Muslim and the 12 religious men are white Christians coming back from a funeral for their white friend who just died in a suicide bombing; You are a redheaded atheist and 4 of the religious men are Palestinian Muslims, 4 are Jews, 4 are Christians in the U.S. Military... Hopefully, you get the idea now.

[@neilmccormick2064]

Why not include his answer ffs ?

[@jdkhaos4983]

His answer was no, then he proceeds to say that without leaving the letter B, he's had this experience in Beirut, Bombay, Belfast, Belgrade, Baghdad, and then he described those experiences.

[@starkeym1]

Depends,if you are older than 10, you're safe

[@danielstarr8957]

Lol ouch

[@lunainezdelamancha3368]

If I find myself in that situation...I would run like hell. 😂

[@wasshisface]

"Would you feel more or less safe?" "Yes"

[@jackanaples]

Of course I wouldn’t feel safe. A dozen men, at night, all coming from a prayer meeting? That sounds like insane behavior.

[@alecspyrou2134]

😁🤣🤣🤣

[@marieljunggren8568]

I miss Hitchens! So much.

[@timothykeith1367]

"These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them". 2 Peter 2:17

[@odaniv9717]

The editing of this short was done by someone who literally did not understand that Hitchens hadn't made his point yet.

[@simonscofield8825]

So sad he passed, but i guess he knows now whether there is an afterlife or not... Bless you Christopher, you are sorely missed my friend

[@chikkipop]

*"i guess he knows now whether there is an afterlife or not"* I doubt he knows anything, since he's dead.

[@boobye6305]

god took the part that spread the devils lies

[@jordanferguson2254]

Yeah, I wouldn't feel safe if a group of cult members were approaching me.

[@benohara284]

shower of cults 🤣

[@buerginator]

😂👍

[@Michael_Binkley]

you're thinking of Baptists 😉

[@dad45a]

Meeting them on the street, rather than having them knock on the door of my house? Asking.....Would you like to talk about your personal relationship with ___?

[@jordanferguson2254]

@@bestofburden Lol, I assure you I would not, as I have not.

[@liam7342]

I'm a Bi man who loves dressing in bright pink dungarees, so, so much less safe. That's just a hate crime waiting to happen.

[@memezilla4370]

BI, born idiot?? You bigot

[@arkadybron1994]

cutting off Hitch's response makes the clip, at best, pointless, but more importantly, misleading.

[@richsackett3423]

Nicely encapsulating his whole intellectual career.

[@MrPartzz]

I channelled Christopher's spirit last week. He said all he knows now is he's with the grateful dead.

[@paullambert8701]

The person asking was Dennis Prager, wasn't it?

[@ethanmoore9306]

😂 underrated comment

[@kevinskiles2033]

Saying yes or no means nothing.

[@patrickhanly7458]

But any honest person knows the answer.

[@hillsidebusinessapplications]

The person who asked this of Hitchens clearly had no idea who he was presenting this challenge to, especially with regards to what his previous occupations were.

[@aatmaDipoBhava]

Someone please share the link to full video

[@dodieodie498]

I think I would have to have the questioner clarify who the people in the prayer meeting were praying to.

[@S.D.323]

Well it would most likely be the abrahamic god or one of the hindu gods

[@williardbillmore5713]

I never trust anyone who is a religious fanatic...They could be capable of any kind of atrocity. Never turn your back to them. they can be dangerous.

[@da33smith37]

So going to a prayer meeting makes one a religious fanatic???

[@williardbillmore5713]

@@da33smith37 Yes ...most emphatically YES. Prayer meetings are where these nut jobs get radicalized and are turned into terrorists. Normal, sane people do not need to go to "prayer meetings".

[@Saturnia2014]

​@@da33smith37 Is that what they said?

[@da33smith37]

@@Saturnia2014 Responding to the comment of @williard billmore

[@williardbillmore5713]

@@da33smith37 Do you go to prayer meetings, David?

[@curiousnerdkitteh]

I'm guessing his response was "no" even though that question was not a yes or no question.

[@KenLongTortoise]

Without leaving the letter B,,, he is missed

[@SuperLifestream]

Religion doesn't make people trustworthy. So it wouldn't only go down to how trusting you were of people's character. Good people can have the potential for bad just as much as anyone else. It's the action that defines them

[@jobob9643]

How many hutterites do you go fishing with? Two so they both watch your beer.

[@brianarbenz7206]

Just coming from a prayer meeting -- that could mean these men are with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, or the Ku Klux Klan. Bread for the World, or Westboro Baptist. Just "prayer meeting" tells us nothing.

[@davidmorgan6896]

That's the point. The questioner assumes that we all think that, for the most part, the religious are safe. We don't.

[@GothamandGomorrah]

*Christopher Hitchens:* "Comrades" *JonTron:* "Well, that one didn't age quite so well. Did it?"

[@michman2]

Theists can't think past the own wonderful imaginings. Go to Baghdad and ask this question of a Christian and show that religion does have an evil side.

[@Michael_Binkley]

you're thinking of Baptists 😉

[@poorpuppy]

I don't see why it's funny and I'd be interested in his response. because I'd feel safer.

[@TheYopogo]

This clip cuts off his answer. He basically says that he has, as a journalist that has travelled a lot, been in that exact situation many times. In the middle east, in northern ireland, in lots of places where there is a lot of religious violence; and you can see how if you're in a place in the middle of a religiously motivated civil war that it might make you feel a whole lot *less* safe if you knew the gang of 12 men were super religious.

[@christeal8011]

Watch the iq2 debate on catholic church a force for good you will get answer he gives

[@arob2575]

"Without leaving the letter B..."

[@TheYopogo]

@@arob2575 That's the one

[@JFrazer4303]

Only if you were the same religion, when they've been indoctrinated to think it's a good and holy act to beat up someone of another religion.

[@donnafranks-oldpathhome]

It doesn't matter how he answers. We know the answer of any sane person.

[@sorennilsson9742]

It depends on the Religion and location.

[@b-m605]

comrads, friends, brothers, sisters. Hitch knew he was preaching to the choir.

[@christopherhitchens163]

Hello there

[@AbdulHannanAbdulMatheen]

You are immortalized through your words. I very much hope you will be remembered by your charisma and honest/honorable principles in the coming centuries

[@benohara284]

100%

[@markwilliams4500]

None of this has anything to do with whether or not God is.

[@kennyreid6708]

not the point, point is a lot of religious people are righteously blood thirsty in the name of their gods

[@JFrazer4303]

The point is whether belief in god(s) is good for society. The answer is no.

[@rogerbee697]

Mark Williams, nor does your comment have anything to do with this video context.

[@danielcraft1971]

I would definitely feel less safe in this scenario as groups of religious types are far more dangerous to others than non religious.

[@dwaynehendricks7842]

And he answered the question without leaving the letter 'B'!

[@catherineliam1144]

I wish he was still around.What a mind.

[@Mac-sb5lj]

"Comrades" says it all. Now he KNOWS how blinked he really was.

[@MN-wv9en]

Great video, nobody wanted to know his answer.

[@oyveyoyvey]

Lol

[@camilaoliv-og3lr]

He was so amazing.. I so wonder what his opinions about our current situation would be..

[@triple1]

Channel blocked for clickbait.

[@Mewse1203]

Even in the US, a LOT of criminals go to prayer meetings. The most religious person I've ever met was my brother. He was hyper religious and attended several prayer meetings a week when he murdered 3 people before being shot by police.

[@edwinmercado5723]

@mewse1203 your brother was not religious! He was mentally ill!

[@Mewse1203]

@edwinmercado5723 yew, he had some mental health issues, butnhe he absolutely was religious. He was very active in his church. He went to Bible study at least once a week and went to church every Wednesday and Sunday along with those several prayer meetings I spoke of. Those are just the basics of what he did. He was VERY active in the church and believed in God. He was on parole and went to church so much and was so active in it that the people that were supposed to be watching him thought that they didn't need to be as strict on him as they were supposed to because he was such a good and active church member because someone so religious couldn't possibly get into trouble. You don't get to deny reality just because it's painful. The US prisons are FULL of believers, mostly Christians.

[@jstone247]

One of the greatest orators. Even if you disagreed with him, he could persuade you with verbal charm and sense of conviction.

[@hughreilly2023]

I remember this. Up until he said this I was a Hitchens fan thinking that he was entirely objective. But his answer to this question was so asinine it completely revealed his true motivation.

[@TheEulerID]

The moment that somebody insists on a yes/no answer to an unseen question, then you can pretty well guarantee that there's an agenda at play. The right answer to most real world question is "it depends".

[@DisasterZone-rh1wh]

The joke is if they know who he is, he's in much more danger. Asking him that question is just ironic.

[@erniegoodman3321]

Always a truthful, fact based speaker, which is why they could never get the better of him 🙂

[@socrates1954]

His response was: Firstly, it's not a yes or no type question. Secondly, that without leaving the letter "B" he did have that experience in Belfast, Beirut, Bengal, Bosnia and a couple of others that escape memory, and that he would run in the opposite direction. That's from memory so not verbatim.

[@slavaukraine963]

They always have clever questions for atheist... Yet none for their own

[@markchristian7377]

It's odd how many people don't get his point. He didn't leave anything out. It's a rhetorical question.

[@ludix747]

That ist not a Yes : No Question! 😂😂😂

[@theresepearce205]

I loved listening to this gentleman 😪

[@LD-qj2te]

I miss hitch and love hitch

[@SAMTHINKS2]

That it’s all men and not families is an important detail.

[@JaneDoe-ci3gj]

I'm a liberal Christian from Sweden. I think it's very important to safeguard people right to religious freedom or freedom from it! To be able to pratice what ever religion you like or not pratice any religion at all! I also know how much evil is done and has been done in the name of religion so I can understand why people are atheists! Religion in nu view must never be an absolute authority and must always be able to be criticized!

[@jackclingenpeel5020]

Hitchens is missed so very much! He turned the ignorant inside out and remained friend to all!

[@JackSilver11]

It’s very Sad that he’s found the Truth now.

[@manuellayburr382]

The audience laughed because it isn't a Yes or No question.

[@Diabloshell]

I generally trust religion less than I trust police or lawyers, that's saying something

[@thefudgejudge6962]

Omg his answer is the best part

[@joebeaulieu8415]

He was told to answer "yes or no," but then is asked, "Do you feel safer or less safe? " ???? Does yes mean safe? Does no mean safe?

[@scubabrick3459]

D Prager said, imagine the 12 men just emerged from a bible study. Not sure he said anywhere in the world either.

[@biekgiek]

In case anyone is wondering, he goes on to answer how he has been in this scenario multiple times. The video I recall seeing this in is one where he is debating at a Christian college. But I don't remember the name.

[@mnrd34]

it's not a yes or no question - "you are to ask yourself whether you'd feel safer or less safe..."

[@ariki9797]

Considering some of worst slaughters in history took place shortly after a religious prayer. More often then not the religious pray to relieve themselves of guilt for the atrocities they have or will commit