A giant thinker is finding out today whether he was right. Wouldn't you love to know whether Christopher Hitchens will meet his maker or just turn to dust?
Regardless of whether you agreed with him, Hitchens made a powerful argument for atheism. He was part of a group of thinkers who came to prominence in the last few years arguing that organised religion, especially as it's practised in the world now, is more of an evil than a force for good.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, whose body was mutilated in the name of faith and whose life is under constant threat because of her writings, Sam Harris, whose musings on Christianity are really a call to arms, Richard Dawkins and Hitchens are the four "riders of the apocalypse" if you will.
I read them all, all in a row, during a several-month period I spent doing some pretty tough questioning of my own beliefs.
A couple of things struck me during that time:
First, Hitchens' writing is smooth and beautiful and well-argued but in person, in interviews, he was snarky and rude. Harris is smooth and reasonable in person and in interviews but his writing is snarky and rude.
Second, many complaints about religion hinge on the argument that the faithful can be nasty and awful and cruel. It's true, but it's a silly argument. Electricity still exists whether the guy who's twisting the wires is nice or not.
And third, people are downright uncomfortable talking about whether they believe in God. Several otherwise thoughtful people whose opinions I sought were huffy and defensive as they told me there's simply no such thing as an atheist. And no, they didn't want to borrow the books.
Rest in Peace, Hitch. Not that you think the sentiment does you any good.
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