rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mr. Hitchens illustrates in examples from his own life and career, as well as in views from historical religious, philosophical, and political figures, exactly why religious beliefs are not worthy of respect by default. Particular examples: why religious people should not be prima facie considered more moral or ethical than non-religious people; why claims such as “God outlawed the eating of ham because it made the ancients ill” are specious; why religious people’s need to prove their faith based on reality actually undermines their case; and why even Mother Teresa, Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama cannot be seen as stellar examples of goodness simply on the basis of their faith.
As with Harris’s Letter to a Christian Nation, the people who need to read it won’t. But it’ll keep a place on my bookshelf.
Tags: agnosticism, atheism, Christopher Hitchens, injustice, irreligion
