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CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS MISUNDERSTANDS NEED FOR GOD

I have read God is not Great by Christopher Hitchens, and I am here to tell you it is fascinating. That Hitchens is an exceptional intellect is evident in his research and writing style; I've never seen so many Rolls Royce words outside a thesis or a dissertation. You go, Chris! I am not being sarcastic. His style is erudite and clear and to the point, hammering historical information and unimpeachable logic home pellucidly. (I like Rolls Royce words, too.)

He appears to me a sincere, dedicated evangelist, a Jerry Falwell type if you will, Capella's Guide to Atheism, perhaps, in his hand, pacing the podium, quoting chapter and verse, mostly from the Bible, to validate and vindicate each tenet and credo of religious skepticism, agnosticism, nihilism, and disbelief available. Lacing his discourse with historical resources, direct quotes, and reasonhis raison d'etra-he is almost impossible to dispute. Actually, I found myself in total agreement with his assertions, not so much because of his beautiful postulation as the fact that he was bang on.

It is banality that religion has caused the most pain and anguish by and for human beings throughout recorded history, and animals if we include their sacrifices at our hands. No other institution or creation of human kind has brought more destruction, torment and misery. Even politics is tied irrevocably to religion, which becomes its coda. "For God and country," comes the cry, in that order. Hitchens points out indisputably that most all major wars in history were fought over religion, from the Crusades and before to World War II, in which he shows the religiosity of fascism. Our present war in Iraq is unquestionably a religious war, Muslims against Oil Worshippers.

So, Hitchen's treatise is unassailable by theologians, philosophers, logicians, and thinkers, except that it is full of guano. He is a dogmatic evangelist in his pursuit of atheism, no different than fundamental Christians, Hassidic Jews, extremist imams, or any other religious absolutists. Ironically, he whacks the Holy Bible in his ministry and quotes its texts from both the Old and New Testaments that support his opinion, as well as tomes of history, philosophy, and literature. Don't underestimate him; he is superbly knowledgeable of scripture from most all religions.

But I continue to agree with him. Religion, in its general definition, has been then bane of human existence. Simply put by radical zealots, believe

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