Courtesy Hot Air, a snippet of Christopher Hitchens' debate on religion with Tony Blair...
Hitchens' vocal eloquence sometimes tends to butter over his argument, which probably happened here. He makes the case against communism by calling it well-meaning but short-sighted and ultimately wrong based on the individual freedoms it removes, then takes that concept and leaps into an analogy with organized religion via requirements to follow religious leaders and rules, etc.
Seems his problem lies more in the organization than the faith. According to the Gospels the message of Christ was more about the individual--not necessarily following stale rules or leaders but about living a life on earth that would lead to a salvation in the great beyond. Using his commie comparison maybe it's more akin to sharing and helping society without being forced via the authoritarian boot on the neck. The true leaders are not of this world, and they provide a choice here on earth.
Granted, not all religions are the same in this department, and since Blair is not a religious expert it might be more useful to pair Hitchens off against someone more learned such as Billy Graham or Rick Warren, or even Jeremiah Wright. He did spar with Al Sharpton one time, but that wasn't quite a fair fight.
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