God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything in Atheists and Skeptics

Feb 13, 2008 Becca rated it did not like it

Shelves: politics, religion

This book reads like a long, sometimes incoherent, rant. I mostly found myself hating Christopher Hitchens while reading it, especially during the times when he argues that it's biological destiny for men to want to masturbate all the time, kind of purports a pro-life stance, equates the physical & psychological trauma of female genital mutilation to male circumcision, and reduces the problems in Iraq to simply issues of religion. Frankly, if you are looking for a thoughtful book on atheism and/ ...more

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Dec 04, 2007 Christy rated it liked it

Shelves: religion-and-atheism

Hitchens' book isn't bad, but it isn't all that great, either. His arguments are nothing new (at least to me) and his tone frequently veers too far into the snarky and ad hominem. Given these flaws, God Is Not Great falls short of being a truly interesting and useful argument about the place of religion in human culture.

Having said that, however, Hitchens does some things very well indeed. His arguments may not be unique, but they are clearly and memorably presented, and the book is filled with Hitchens' book isn't bad, but it isn't all that great, either. His arguments are nothing new (at least to me) and his tone frequently veers too far into the snarky and ad hominem. Given these flaws, God Is Not Great falls short of being a truly interesting and useful argument about the place of religion in human culture.

Having said that, however, Hitchens does some things very well indeed. His arguments may not be unique, but they are clearly and memorably presented, and the book is filled with vivid and varied examples from history to support his argument. He acknowledges on more than one occasion that he is but a pygmy on the shoulders of giants in this endeavor and his book reads as such, but as a starting point for a reader who may be less familiar with the anti-religion arguments, Hitchens' book works well. He clearly points to the sources of his ideas, making it easy for a curious reader to explore further. He truly isn't interested in plagiarizing their ideas, only in making them more widely available as part of the battle he foresees in his conclusion: "we are in need of a renewed Enlightenment, which will base itself on the proposition that the proper study of mankind is man, and woman," he says.

"However," he continues, "only the most naive utopian can believe that this new humane civilization will develop, like some dream of 'progress,' in a straight line. We have first to transcend our prehistory, and escape the gnarled hands which reach out to drag us back to the catacombs and the reeking altars and the guilty pleasures of subjection and abjection. 'Know yourself,' said the Greeks, gently suggesting the consolations of philosophy. To clear the mind for this project, it has become necessary to know the enemy, and to prepare to fight it."

Conceived as a part of this battle, God Is Not Great's purpose, tone, and structure become much clearer. I only wish Hitchens' idea of this battle were more than a call to attack, also involving a greater sense of what good we can create through such a battle. He writes only very briefly of the renewed age of Enlightenment we can bring forth, of the benefits of doing away with religion; he spends the greatest part of his book elaborating on how awful religion is. For many, this may be necessary information, but criticism without a solution can feel one-sided and can be less than convincing. Hitchens gestures toward a solution, but he waits too long to do so and devotes too little time to it to keep this book from feeling like a series of negatives with no positive.

The final concern I have about Hitchens' book has to do with his audience. If he intends his audience to include those who do not already agree with his position, this negative and exceedingly critical approach may drive away those whose minds need changing. There is little recognition of what people gain from religion and no attempt to meet people on their own terms and lead them from there. As it is, his audience seems to be effectively limited to those who already agree that religion is dangerous but haven't yet marshaled enough evidence for their belief or explored the topic fully themselves--the newly converted, in other words. It is not a conversion tool, nor is it terribly useful for those who have been on Hitchens' side for a while. This, not the information, ideas, or structure of the book, is its primary weakness. ...more

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Dec 11, 2007 Steve rated it it was amazing

Shelves: atheism, favorites, non-fiction

Here we have another articulate Brit puncturing religion with devastating effect. The comparison to Richard Dawkins is inescapable. Listen to their self-read audiobook versions to get the full impact of their civilized British charm, and delightfully penetrating wit.

The difference between these two authors is primarily the academic disciplines that inform their work. Dawkins, not surprisingly, approaches the issue of religion from the viewpoint of a scientist. Hitchens, on the other hand, makes ...more

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Jan 12, 2009 Charles rated it really liked it

“Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you’d have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion.” ~ Steven Weinberg, Nobel Laureate in physics.

Perhaps the most acerbic of the group being called "the new Atheists"Christopher Hitchens, nevertheless, writes in a witty and accessible way. Having seen several interviews with Mr. Hitchens I couldn't help but to "hear his voice" while reading this book.

God ...more

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Jul 12, 2007 Krishan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-math-and-philosophy

Another beautifully written essay by Hitchens. Like Sam Harris' The End of Faith, it argues that religious beliefs are the root cause of most of the violent enmities in the world.

The book is filled with tons of quotable lines like this one. In a passage from the end of the book Hitchens was saying that it appears that religion is obsessed by negativity and death to the point of philosophical derangement.

"It is as if someone, offered a delicious and fragrant out-of-season fruit, matured in a pa ...more

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