Atheists v. believers, latest

Christopher Hitchens has been on a book tour with his anti-religion polemic , and senses that people are liking him.  He writes in Vanity Fair that "A generation ago the words "American atheist" conjured the image of the slightly cultish and loopy Madalyn Murray O'Hair. But in the last two years there have been five atheist best-sellers".
    He is full of anecdotes of his opponents, proving that "you can get away with anything in this country if you can shove the word "Reverend" in front of your name"
     His habitually bilious tone, however, might be deplored by Michael Shermer , writing him a gentle  open letter to him in Scientific American:  he quotes Martin Luther King who said  " Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.” If atheists do not want theists to prejudge them in a negative light, then they must not do unto theists the same....Rational atheism values the truths of science and the power of reason, but the principle of freedom stands above both science and religion"

Comments

[Maggie Millington]

Hitchens will no doubt jump on the latest revelations about Mother Threresa's letters, saying she never felt ,heard, or saw anything from her God.
The world saw her as a modern day saint with a faith almost strong enough to heal.
Now her letters with her true thoughts on God have surfaced & things look very different to the image we all had of her.
Of course none of this alters the amazing self sacrifices she made & the good she did in the name of God.
I would like to hear Hitchens on this.

[Ian]

Is an atheist someone who does not believe that there is a God, or someone who is against those who do believe that there is a God?
Mr Hitchens and Mr Dawkins are not atheists in the dictionary sense of the word, they are men who are against religion and faith and that makes them a very different thing from an atheist.
They appear by their actions and words to actually have a "religion" of sorts, but it is curiously an 'anti-religion'.

[James Hepburn]

In response to Libby Purves - people in glasshouse springs to mind.Theists of whatever, especially from the three main religions have built their religions on attacking almost anyone else that doesn't share their beliefs.Whatever you think of Christopher Hitchens personally it is hard to get away from the fact he is right.

[phil]

I'm sorry but am I missing something? How are science and reason threats to freedom? You're free to believe you want, just as I'm free to find your beliefs a bit silly and ill-concieved. I'd say that more harm has been done to personal freedom in the name of religion, than ever has in the name of reason.