If Hitchen's challenge is correct, then why are there ethical lapses?

[kanageddaamen]

richardhutnik said:

pokoko said:
Looks like others have already beaten me to the punch, but I'll say it anyway: why do Christians sin when they're told in definitive terms what is right and what is wrong?

Because human beings are fallible and influenced by many divergent factors. You know this already, I'm sure. In fact, Christianity hinges on this idea to a large degree.

A Christian response to Hitchen's challenge isn't that there is some sort of act, in and of itself, that only someone with God can do, but the reality that, despite that every single act that is seen as moral is doable by about everyone, the fact is that people fall very short of being moral.  But then, what is "moral" can end up a slippery slope, because I am sure I can speak of several things Mr. Hitchens would find offensive.  The word "Submit" I am sure is offense to Mr. Hitchens, but there is Bible verses that tell people to submit, and submission is seen as virtuous.  So, in end end, the goalposts will end up getting moved.  

Maybe a better way to phrase Mr. Hitchens challenge is to then ask if there is anything religious people can that Mr. Hitchens finds morally accceptable, that Mr. Hitchens and other atheists can't do.

In regards to Hitchens, one could argue there is ONE thing that religious people, like say Mormons, are able to do which he seemed to not be able to do, and that is avoid smoking and drinking which shorten one's life.  Hitchen confessed that his smoking and drinking caused him to get cancer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens

Hitchens died on 15 December 2011, from complications arising from oesophageal cancer, a disease that he acknowledged was likely due to his lifelong predilection for heavy smoking and drinking

 

He also apparently got divorced and remarried, so he apparently wasn't able to do what is considered an ideal regarding marriage, that is the "until death do they part" bit also.

There is no such thing as christian morality, only christian obedence.  The morality of any act is judged by the society of the time, and certainly not absolute in any religious framework.

Let me give you an example.  There are things that are conditionally moral, immoral or amoral.  Killing a person, for example, if done because they have dark skin, is something that we as a society would consider immoral, while killing a person in defense of an innocent life we might consider amoral or moral, depending on the situation.  Rape, on the other hand is something as a society we would not deem moral under any circumstances

Not so in a christian framework.  In several sections of the bible, god commands people to rape.  Were these people NOT to rape the virgins as commanded, they would be disobeying god's word and would therefore be sinning.  From a christian viewpoint, then, sometimes it is actually immoral NOT to rape someone, if so commanded by god.