Category: Christianity

D’Souza versus Hitchens

from Thousands attend Boulder debate on atheism and religion

Father Kevin Augustyn, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, prefaced the debate, saying, “As Catholics, we are not afraid of intellectual debate. Faith and reason are not opposed to each other.”

Modern science, he[D’Souza] said, was “faith-based” in that it was rooted in Christian assumptions. We presume that we live in a lawful, rational universe whose external rationality is mirrored in our own minds, presumptions nourished by Christianity.

Man is placed between two distinct domains of “the way we are” and “the way we ought to behave.” – D’Souza

If atheism were correct, Hitchens argued, “we would be in precisely the same place we are now” in considering what our duties are towards others and why we are here.

Hitchens then raised the raised the questions of why Christianity should be considered superior to other religions, such as Islam.

D’Souza replied by noting the disconnect between “the way things are” and “the way they ought to be.” This can be explained by supposing a chasm between the “human level” of existence and the “divine level.” In D’Souza’s view, Islam and Judaism hold that this chasm may be closed by mankind building a “ladder” to climb to God.

Christianity, however, declares this project “wonderful but impossible” by teaching that the chasm “has to be closed from the other side” through God entering the world in the person of Jesus Christ.

Hitchens then explained that he finds it “extraordinarily objectionable” to exclude the “occupant of the womb” from the human family.

Following the debate, CNA spoke with Father Augustyn. He said it was an “excellent debate” with both speakers doing “very well” on their positions. In his view, D’Souza countered and “unmasked” some of Hitchens’ “unfair” and “selective” comparisons of religions.

“At the same time, Christopher Hitchens is a formidable opponent. He’s very witty, very sharp, he makes good points, and he brings out audience participation. I don’t think his arguments hold water, but I think he is a good debater.”

Facts about Christianity

Here are some facts about Christianity. Use them to write about this widespread religion.

  • About 2,000 years old
  • Based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
  • Has only one God
  • Followers believe that Jesus was the Christ and that he died and was restored to life.
  • Followers worship in churches
  • Has two billion followers worldwide
  • Has many branches, including Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and various Protestant denomination, including Baptists, Lutheran, and Anglican
  • Religious text is the Bible, which is made up of the Old Testament and New Testament

The Life of Jesus

Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus. His life is sometimes summarized like this: He was born in a stable. He didn’t go to college, and he wrote no books. He worked as a carpenter. At the age of thirty-three, he was executed as a criminal.

Does this sound like the life story of someone who ended up changing the world?

Baptism

John the Baptist was a Jewish prophet. He told people that they needed to prepare for the coming of the Messiah, or deliverer of the Jews. John urged people to repent and to seek forgiveness for their sins. To show their repentance, people came to John to be baptized. John immersed his followers in the Jordan River. This immersion, or baptism, was symbolic. It signified spiritual cleansing and rebirth.

Today baptism is an important Christian ceremony. The ceremony still involves water, whether just a sprinkling or complete immersion. Why do you think water is used in this ceremony?

Jesus Chooses His Apostles

Jesus had many disciples, or followers. He chose some of the disciples to be his close companions. They are known as the apostles. An apostle is a person who is sent on a mission. Jesus’ apostles went out to spread his message, which became the foundation of Christianity.

This passage from the Bible describes Jesus’ selection of the apostles.

At daybreak he called his disciples and selected twelve of them to be his apostles: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter, and Ander his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James son of Alphaeus,and Simon called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who turned traitor (Luke 6:13-16)

How many apostles were there? Name them all.

Temptation

According to Christianity, temptation is an obstacle we all face in life. Jesus himself had to deal with temptation from a devil, a spirit that seeks to convince someone to disobey God’s will. The devil asked Jesus to turn a stone into bread and prove his miraculous powers. He offered Jesus all the riches of the world if he would follow him. Jesus said no to these offers.

Do you think temptation is a part of everyone’s life? What kinds of temptation do you face? How do you deal with temptation?

Jesus and the Money Changers

Passover is a special date in the Jewish calendar. In Jesus’ time, people traveled great distances to spend Passover in Jerusalem. Part of the Passover ritual involved sacrificing animals and paying a tax to the temple. Since this tax needed to be paid in local currency, people from other areas had to have their money changed. Those who made long journeys could not bring their own animals for sacrifice, so they bought them in Jerusalem.

Jesus, who was a Jew, went to Jerusalem at Passover time. Here is an account of his visit from the Bible.

As the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple precincts he came upon people engaged in selling oxen, sheep and doves, and others seated changing coins. He made a whip of cord and drove sheep and oxen alike out of the temple area, and knocked over the money-changers’ tables, spilling their coins. He told those who were selling doves: “Get them out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” (John 2:13-16)

If worshippers needed to buy animals and change money, why do you think Jesus reacted in this way?

Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots

When Jesus, whose teachings form the basis of Christianity, was born, Palestine was under Roman rule. Jews were treated badly and had to pay high taxes. Different groups responded to this situation in different ways.

One group, the Sadducees, tried to make the best of things. They accepted Roman rule and tried to fit in with Roman society.

Another group, The Essenes, thought the situation in Palestine came about because the world was corrupt. They withdrew from the world into their own independent communities and devoted themselves to a life of piety.

A third group, the Pharisees, wanted to change society. They remained within society but tried to make Judaism strong again by sticking strictly to the Jewish code of holiness.

A fourth group, the Zealots, also wanted change. They tried to use force to overthrow Roman rule.

Based on what you know about the teachings of Jesus, which of these four groups do you think he had most in common with?

Pharisees and Jesus

The Pharisees were an important Jewish group at the time of Jesus. They wanted to change society by making Judaism strong again. They focused on Mosaic law – the laws that Moses gave the Jews. The Pharisees categorized certain things as clean or unclean, such as foods and the way they were prepared. People who didn’t follow these distinctions were also categorized as unclean. This meant that people who did certain jobs or who couldn’t afford to follow all the rules of the Pharisees, were seen as less worthy.

Jesus didn’t agree with this idea. He saw all people as worthwhile. Jesus was willing to talk with anyone, even those the Pharisees considered unworthy, such as sinners, prostitutes, lepers, poor people, and the mentally ill.

This attitude toward people caused conflict between the Pharisees and Jesus and his followers. Why do you think this might have caused conflict?