Catholic blogger speculates on humanity’s least likely deathbed conversion…
If a blog post title exists that more effectively signposts the uselessness of the subsequent post than this gem from the Catholic Herald I would like to see it:
Perhaps throat cancer will move Christopher Hitchens to a change of heart
I have just learnt that the writer Christopher Hitchens, who for several years now has modestly assumed the mantle once worn by Attila the Hun, as “Scourge of God”, is suffering from throat cancer. It would be impertinent for me to feign great sorrow at this news, as I only know Hitchens from hearsay, reputation and his writings. Nonetheless, if my own doctor had broken similar news to me I would have been shocked, so he has my sympathy; prayers as well – a more practical remedy.
Yes, you read that correctly. There are other unsubstantiated assertions and spin that are dutifully lampooned in the comments section. But I’ll excerpt the concluding paragraph as a sample of the kind of unthinking callousness displayed by some of the religious that serve as prime examples of the very attitude that Hitchens has spent a career exposing.
Some years ago, I happened to mention to a saintly Irish priest (his one small vanity was to think he looked like the actor Robert Mitchum) that the scientist Francis Crick – of Crick & Watson, the well-known firm of DNA supplies – had just died. “He didn’t believe in God,” I added. “He does now,” replied my Irish friend.
Perhaps visiting his doctor will be a wake-up call for Hitchens?
If Hitchens were to read this particular section no doubt he would have a witty and lucid reply. However, he might just as likely default to the only phrase that came to mind for me: F@&k you.