Child Abuse and Other Errors
While western religions are normally the target of the harshest criticism, Christopher Hitchens shows he is an equal opportunity critic with his chapter “There is No ‘Eastern” Solution.” As stated before, I am in no position to provide a detailed response as this is not my area. But I have few thoughts. I do appreciate that Hitchens has exploded the myth that Buddhists are the only religion that never causes problems and that Buddhists are always well behaved. Still, Hitchens has not demonstrated that eastern religions are bad in general or that his description holds to the majority. All he has shown is that he can find some bad examples, something no one should be surprised at.
In “Religion as an Original Sin,” Hitchens seems to try and pull together some of the things he hates about religion but does not fit any where else. However, what Hitchens presents does not fit together. Hitchens criticizes religions such as Christianity that set too high of a standard. At the same time he speaks against the Christian doctrine of atonement whereby Jesus pays the price for the standard we can’t attain. Hitchens can’t have it both ways.
Hitchens makes his most outrageous claim in “Is Religion Child Abuse?” I was shocked at the weakness of his arguments. He gives examples of religious teaching that seems to manipulate children to shape their worldview. I am assuming that Hitchens would have no problems using the same techniques to develop a humanist worldview in children. Some of the new atheists have actually adopted Christian style techniques to turn their children into stronger humanists. He also gives examples of religious teachers that have gone over the top with gruesome descriptions of hell and damnation. This is a pretty small portion of religious education and something I have never encountered. Strangely he gives circumcision as a form of religious child abuse. I, like everyone else I know, condemn the practice of female circumcision. Again this is very rare in comparison to religious families in the world. As for male circumcision, in my generation it was the norm, and I have never known a friend who is tormented by the loss of his foreskin. Hitchens concludes with one of religion’s greatest crimes: criticism of masturbation. He spends a fair amount of time on this. While perhaps some traditions have been interested in this subject, after twenty years in evangelical churches, I have never heard messages against this. It really is a non-issue.
On a positive note, I liked what Hitchens had to say about abortion. He has a surprisingly pro-life view, or at least a view of the fetus as a human being.
