Peter Hitchens on Q&A

First off, we’re doing a survey to find out what you would like to read about. It takes just minutes and helps us enormously: Click here to have your say.

At home, Queensland blogger, Nathan Campbell, does a typically vigilant write-up of last Monday night’s Q&A which highlighted “Dangerous Ideas”. The episode included this quote:
“The most dangerous idea in human history and philosophy remains the belief that Jesus Christ was the son of God and rose from the dead ….”
Who said it? Hint: he’s related to Christopher Hitchens.

Still from Australia, this piece from John Watson at the SMH excoriates the selfish thinking that has led to a withdrawal from promised aid: “It’s a form of national psychosis when a rich, secure nation unblinkingly spends more on killing people than helping them.”

Further afield, a surprising perspective from China: where a government spokesperson is reported to have said that “the ‘beliefs’ and ‘love’ of the Church were an ‘advantage’ to [Chinese] society”.

Over to Times Square in New York, and the Answers in Genesis ministry have taken out a billboard reading: “To all of our atheist friends, Thank God you’re wrong.” It’s all part of a long-runnning ‘war’ on both sides of using billboards as religious broadsides.

We finish with the sombre news that the religious-based civil war in Syria has claimed yet more Christians, and caused thousands to flee the city of Sadad, which was subsequently destroyed and looted. Syrian Orthdox Archbishop Selwanos Boutros Alnemeh is quoted as saying:

“We have shouted aid to the world but no one has listened to us. Where is the Christian conscience? Where is human consciousness? Where are my brothers? I think of all those who are suffering today in mourning and discomfort: We ask everyone to pray for us.”