The God Of Freedom
Listening to the debate between the two Hitchens brothers was very interesting to me. One is (or was since he just passed away a few days ago) an Atheist in a part of the world that is a bit harder to be an Atheist, America, and the other a Christian in a part of the world that is equally hard to be a Christian, the UK.
That's the nutshell version of these two brothers, Christopher and Peter Hitchens. They both are persuasive and interesting and talented. I think the Atheist among the two has a bit of an edge in some ways, but that is not that important. I found myself drawn to the argument for the challenge it might bring to my own thinking.
When I started playing chess in high school, I was quickly given the advice, play the game with those who you know are better than you or others. Don't worry about losing, worry about learning. I take that sense into my listening to Christopher Hitchens, in his books and media appearances. He is a skilled thinker, debater and reasoner. I'll bet he was even a pretty good guy to be friends with. I'll never really know obviously but I respect him and his memory for some of these reasons.
Naturally, we are opposed to each other in the area of theology and religion and God. At least in the general themes. Look underneath the large themes and you find a number of things to agree with. He was highly skilled at showing you the flaws in some of your thinking. If you could get past your defensiveness and listen to him for a bit, you could learn something from him instead of worry about losing the argument.
One of the things I was amazed at as he spoke was his belief that any Divine being could somehow love us and at the same time want to restrict us with rules and behavior modification now on this earth and in some kind of heaven. To him, that was a wicked concept from an evil quarter.
His brother, only having five minutes to respond, went on a mild attack against being amoral, and not seeing God as a Moralist but a Loving God. I have made the same points myself, so I'm not faulting Peter, but can we learn something from Christopher's conclusions? I think we can.
I invite you to watch the video's either on iTunes or on youtube. It will take a couple of hours, you may tire of it after a bit. You might also find it fascinating as Hitchen's attempts to lead us into the mind of Atheists and why they find the concept of God wicked and repulsive.
I don't agree with him of course. I find God inclusive, liberating, empowering and creatively concerned with my future. This text from Deuteronomy is indicative --
Deuteronomy 32 The Message
The Song
1-5 Listen, Heavens, I have something to tell you. Attention, Earth, I've got a mouth full of words. My teaching, let it fall like a gentle rain,my words arrive like morning dew,
Like a sprinkling rain on new grass,
like spring showers on the garden.
For it's God's Name I'm preaching—
respond to the greatness of our God!
The Rock: His works are perfect,
and the way he works is fair and just;
A God you can depend upon, no exceptions,
a straight-arrow God.
His messed-up, mixed-up children, his non-children,
throw mud at him but none of it sticks.
6-7 Don't you realize it is God you are treating like this?
This is crazy; don't you have any sense of reverence?
Isn't this your father who created you,
who made you and gave you a place on Earth?
Read up on what happened before you were born;
dig into the past, understand your roots.
Ask your parents what it was like before you were born;
ask the old-ones, they'll tell you a thing or two.
8-9 When the High God gave the nations their stake,
gave them their place on Earth,
He put each of the peoples within boundaries
under the care of divine guardians.
But God himself took charge of his people,
took Jacob on as his personal concern.
10-14 He found him out in the wilderness,
in an empty, windswept wasteland.
He threw his arms around him, lavished attention on him,
guarding him as the apple of his eye.
He was like an eagle hovering over its nest,
overshadowing its young,
Then spreading its wings, lifting them into the air,
teaching them to fly.
As far as liberating experiences go, flying is right up there among the top of them. Lifting off and leaving earth behind, even if you don't climb very high, is one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had. The first time I flew around the pattern at a little airfield in southern Alabama, I whooped and hollered and cried as I took that little helicopter, powered it around the airfield, landed it and did it again. It was so cool, I can feel it right now, 35 years later. It really was liberating. In this passage, God taught His people how to fly.
I don't see God as holding us down, not for long at least. I see Him as urging us to new heights, teaching us to soar. And I'm whooping and hollering about it still. My voice is a little horse, but my heart if just as excited. Free Indeed.
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