Putting It Strangely
I have started reading Christopher Hitchen’s God is Not Great. Since I am reading it any way, I thought I would post short reflections on each of the chapters.
Today I am going to respond to his chapter “Putting It Mildly.” As Hitchens begins, he sets the stage with portrayals of religious people as pitiful and atheists as admirable. Hitchens paints with broad strokes, in fact it comes across as an attempt to paint the Mona Lisa with a paint roller. Hitchens suggests that “Religion spoke its last intelligible or noble or inspiring words a long time ago.” He writes off Dietrich Bonhoeffer as holding to a “nebulous humanism” and C.S. Lewis as “dreary and absurd.” Has Hitchens really studied these authors enough to come up with such conclusions? Are highly educated people who are inspired by Bonhoeffer’s biblical theology or Lewis’ creative style just too stupid to see what Hitchens sees?
Hitchens describes Christians in a way that I do not recognize. He suggests that we have no place for seeing the beauty of creation or interest in what scientists uncover about the universe. Apparently we are too busy grovelling and wallowing in our unworthiness. That is strange as I have yet to attend a church that wallows and most Christians I know are excited to learn about new discoveries. As a former atheist, I have gained a greater hunger for knowledge as a Christian than I ever did as an atheist. In fact I did more wallowing as an atheist as reflected on the meaninglessness of life. Hitchens describes himself as being superior as he tolerates religion while religious people refuse to reciprocate by leaving him alone. If Christians are responding to atheism, it is because atheists have taken the step to declare philosophical war on Christianity and other religions. If the new atheists had never attacked religion, few religious writers would even think to criticize atheism. As for Hitchens, how does having a book subtitled “How Religion Poisons Everything” demonstrate his respect toward religion or invite religious people to leave him alone?
“As for Hitchens, how does having a book subtitled “How Religion Poisons Everything” demonstrate his respect toward religion or invite religious people to leave him alone?”
I don’t believe Hitchens does respect religion. He has a modicum of respect for people who happen to be religious, but not religion itself.
My reference is to his comments on page 12-13. His respect is not in the sense that he thinks religion is good. Obviously he does not. But he speaks of attending religious ceremonies and being respectful even though religious people do not reciprocate by leaving him alone. How can they reciprocate when he obviously has taken aim at religion?