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Oh Come All Ye Unfaithful
Christopher Hitchens latest polemic that God does not and cannot exist poses no new threat to those of faith.
by Philip Marchand
Professional contrarian Christopher Hitchens doesn't just make an argument, he attacks, boots first. His latest polemic-God does not and cannot exist-is a very old game, one that poses no new threat to those of faith. Philip Marchand ponders an unbecoming rant.
Journalist Christopher Hitchens is a formidable polemicist in many respects, not least because of his prolific output. A contributing editor to Vanity Fair, author of numerous books and articles, he ranges widely in the fields of culture and politics.
... the book is a broadside against all religion.
I recently read one of his articles in a literary journal where he declared that Ezra Pound was a "lousy poet"-a critical statement indicating that Hitchens has now adopted the Shakespearean mantle of the "all-licens'd fool," free to utter any opinion that comes into his head, no matter how fatuous.
His latest book is entitled God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. As the title indicates, the book is a broadside against all religion. It's a curiously old-fashioned enterprise, raking through the Bible for preposterous and scandalous bits, trumpeting Darwin as an answer to those who argue for the existence of God based on "design"-the arguments haven't changed much since this genre flourished in the late Victorian era.
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