I’m no fan of ChristoÂpher Hitchens. ActuÂalÂly, I find him an almost entireÂly disÂagreeÂable figÂure. But I have to give him points for creÂativÂiÂty. InterÂviewed last week (MP3 — iTunes — Feed), Hitchens, the author of the recent bestÂseller God Is Not Great, gave his spiel on atheÂism and offered a unique arguÂment against God. Not against God’s exisÂtence. But against God itself.
For Hitchens, if there existÂed a God who answered prayers and interÂvened in human affairs, “we would be livÂing under an unalÂterÂable celesÂtial dicÂtaÂtorÂship that could read our thoughts while we were asleep and conÂvict us of thought crime and purÂsue us after we after are dead, and in the name of which priestÂhoods and othÂer oliÂgarchies and hierÂarÂchies would be set up to enforce God’s law.” EssenÂtialÂly, we’d be livÂing in a superÂnatÂurÂal Orwellian world.
In a quick couÂple senÂtences, the theÂoÂretÂiÂcal virtues of an all-knowÂing God get turned into a vice. It’s a creÂative and provocaÂtive remark, just the kind that sells books in AmerÂiÂca. Many, many books, in fact.
This bit appears about 41 minÂutes into his interÂview. DurÂing the rest of the conÂverÂsaÂtion, Hitchens conÂtinÂues jusÂtiÂfyÂing his supÂport for the Iraq war and offers his thoughts on who killed Benazir BhutÂto. If you want more Hitchens, and if you want to hear Hitchens behavÂing parÂticÂuÂlarÂly badÂly, you can always lisÂten to this othÂer interÂview from last year.
And don’t forÂget to check out our large colÂlecÂtion of Ideas & CulÂture PodÂcasts.
Hitchens is such a pain in the butt.
It’s not that there are not good arguÂments against reliÂgion, and it’s cerÂtainÂly not that all relÂgiÂion is good.
But how a man that smart ends up being such a twit when it comes to this is beyond me. He always ends up soundÂing like a shrill jr. high atheÂist all pissed at the world.
Despite what HarÂris and he may believe, there are many types of reliÂgions in the world — and many of them don’t conÂceive of a god that behaves anyÂthing like that.
What a schmuck.
I think Hitchens has a very good point and makes his argueÂment very clearÂly. He is not attackÂing the more modÂerÂate reliÂgions like BudÂdhism and HinÂduism but the major monotheisms like ChrisÂtianÂiÂty, Islam, and Judaism.
Although Hitchens can come across as very negÂaÂtive, I think his negÂaÂtivÂiÂty toward reliÂgion is well deserved and needÂed in disÂcussing the major monotheisms.
I think Hitchens is smarter than both the peoÂple who comÂmentÂed here. PosÂiÂtivÂiÂty does not make your arguÂment corÂrect. Could you imagÂine a cheerÂful Jew walkÂing into a gas chamÂber? Maybe if you realÂize how torÂmentÂing it is for us atheÂists to hear conÂstantÂly about peoÂples’ imagÂiÂnary friends and everyÂthing they demand of us — you’d be a litÂtle more cynÂiÂcal too.
ObviÂousÂly you’ve nevÂer read the Bible, because Hitchens is being parÂticÂuÂlarÂly genÂerÂous towards God conÂsidÂerÂing that fact by simÂply callÂing him a StalÂinÂist DicÂtaÂtor.