It's an odd thing. When I heard that Christopher Hitchens had esophageal cancer, I remembered him in my prayers each day. In spite of what nonsense he said about Mother Teresa, I think it was because of his tremendous talent, and his difficult early life.

I knew someone who died of this cancer, and the outlook for it isn't good. But I prayed daily that he would be healed of his cancer. I also prayed that when he died and faced God, and God invited him to forgiveness and heaven and life with God, that he would not turn away.

And Christopher Hitchen's wife said that he didn't die of the cancer, that he actually might have beaten it. He died of a perhaps unrelated virulent pneumonia.

Perhaps my other prayer was answered also.

(As a note, Santa Claus is based on the Cardinal Archbishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna, in Turkey, who lived in the 11th century I think. He made a habit of very generous gifts to the poor children of the city, and the legend spread of St. Nicholas. It can be a distraction, and it certainly has been taken up by advertizers, but it presents some of the attributes of God to children in a way they can understand, specifically God's goodness, and God's love and concern for them.)

"Repentence"?...and?....LOL...what a dumb statement

Apparently there ARE atheists in the foxhole

No Clive - Ed believes in magic and Santa-Claus, leave him be.

to ed from larchmont-

oh for the love of decency,what a mindless thing to say.

But illness did not turn him to repentance.