Norm Geras reflects on our mutual friend’s complicated views of people with religious faith. Beautiful money quote:
Asked in the Blasphemy Debate whether he had ever felt any ‘spirituality’ himself, Hitch replied – indirectly – that he had met religious people morally superior to and braver than himself: people who in terrible countries and dangerous situations had done witness for the rights of others, been self-sacrificing. ‘When they say that religion is their motivation,’ he added, ‘I’m obliged to respect it’. Precisely. This is why I wrote above that I cannot take at face value his statement about not being able to stand anyone who believes in God. More importantly, this is for me a definitive, a crushing, rebuttal of those who treat religion with contempt. One can, one should, argue about its truth content and its rational basis or, as I think, lack of one; because that is our duty with respect to all beliefs. But I have read now about hundreds of people impelled by their religious faith to acts of great and courageous humanity, and we who have never done that owe them respect and more than respect, we owe them the celebration of what they did; for such people are the glory of humankind.
The religious, I will end by saying, do not for their part have any monopoly here, either. That is the way the world is, a bit complicated.
Yes it is, isn’t it?
THE RAGGED EDGE: “There have been homosexually-oriented people in every society we know of, in every time. They are as much a part of the natural human landscape as anyone else. We’re not talking about denying the basketball-challenged from playing basketball. We’re talking about denying human beings close, loving, physical relationships on account of something over which they have no control. We’re talking about denying them families. Happily, the “zeitgeist” is ahead of alleged Christians on this one. We’re accepting and loving these families, going to PTA meetings with them, having their kids over to play. We’re supporting them in fidelity as we support all our friends. When Brad next door freaked out and ran off for 24 hours, the neighborhood reacted protectively of Jeff, and held Brad to account. (“You nut, what do you think you’re doing?!?”) When Gabriel, Jo-Ann and Karen’s kid, needs a ride, we car pool. We go to parties at their house. They come to dinners at ours. Pope Benedict doesn’t like it. It frightens him. Luckily he lives in the Vatican, and doesn’t need to confront the ragged edge of love. Love always has a ragged edge.” – “Nancy,” on Amy Wellborn’s blog.
The Dish 