To bang a drum for religion's demise because it "poisons everything" seems so pathologically Chris-centric. To paraphrase a person whom Hitchens has all but equated with Satan, it depends on what the meaning of "everything" is. I know many people with religious faith — Quakers, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, etc. — and it seems to enrich, rather than poison, their lives. I often find myself envying the inner strength and serenity that their religious faith offers them.
Thus, it would be hard for me to embrace such a sweeping thesis. The desire to destroy religion, as Hitchens appears to advocate, is itself a fundamentalist perspective. I, of course, agree — and I hope few rational people would disagree — that religion, as it's used by world leaders like George W. Bush, Osama bin Laden and Iran's misleader, Ahmadinejad, is poisoning the planet.
I discussed this topic with a friend, a brilliant man who's written books on "higher consciousness," and he sees Hitchens as playing the role of Satan in John Milton's Paradise Lost: "I'd rather rule in Hell than play second fiddle in heaven! His God seems to be himself, a pathological disaster of the ego."This blog often has attacked fundamentalism (Christian, Muslim and Jewish) as the greatest danger facing civilization. So you'd think I'd appreciate Christopher Hitchens' latest effort. But that disagreeable man's most notable talent is his ability to make his readers feel sympathy for anyone and anything he targets.
I've never willingly set foot in any church except when forced by overwhelming social and familial pressure. The idea of my praying in private seems as absurd as the idea of my having sex in public. And yet: I have a long-standing interest in religious history. I've spent untold hours following debates over the historicity of the New Testament. The Gnostics fascinated me long before the general public made them chic.
Moreover, the art I like best tends to be religious. Whenever you visit this site, you may presume that I wrote with the music of Mahler or Bruckner blaring in my headphones. To paraphrase something Bruno Walter once said, Mahler spent his life looking for God, while Bruckner considered God an old drinking buddy. Although the Bible may be the world's most intriguing literary puzzle, the book long ago lost its power to move or to inspire me. Yet the finale of either composer's Eighth Symphony offers all the definition I've ever needed for the word transcendent. In the beginning was the Word; now we have the Downbeat.
Thus, my response to Hitchens is the same as my response to the theocrats: Let's get God out of politics and into the concert hall where he belongs.
7 comments:
Hitchens is trying to regain what's left of his reputation with a seemingly easy target for the rational sect. As usual, he is failing miserably. One moment 'Ole Hitch' lambastes a goon like Jerry Falwell yet every other minute he's locking arms with those who gave the dead creep credibility. He left the winning team years ago. He ain't missed...
Hitchens began pissing me off in the 1980s, well before he switched sides. At the beginning of the Bush era, the conservatives got Hitchens while our side got Arianna Huffington. Now THAT'S a trade.
RE: Hitchens and Huffington.
If intellectual dishonesty were an Olympic event we'd be looking at the gold and silver.
My response to the many people we consider good and who credit their religion for their inspiration to do these good things applies equally to those who commit what we consider evil acts, also in the name of religion: In short, I think that religion is used most often as an excuse to do what the person was inclined to do anyway. Many people seem to need to have God's validation of the way they choose to live their lives, and it's generally pretty easy to find religious texts that fill that role. And, if not, one can simply create a new religion that will. Those of us who behave admirably because that's the right thing to do, not because God will punish us if we don't, confuse the true believers, who seem to doubt that they have the capacity to do the same.
I often find myself envying the inner strength and serenity that their religious faith offers them.
Unfortunately, it is a strength and serenity based on a lie, and will - when the chips are really down - abandon and betray them.
Joseph you may not know about all this.
Huffington has her own history within the new religion movement aka cult.
History behind the history of.....Life 102: What to Do When Your Guru Sues You
here
Excellent article on the pursuit of truth behind MSIA:
here
(It should also be noted that Huffington is a libertarian (free market) first and foremost. Now, most people want to believe she is otherwise)
Oh, I used to have Peter McWilliams' book, which I wish was more widely available. John-Roger is crook and Arianna remains loyal to him. She has lied repeatedly about her religious beliefs.
For years after her right-to-left segue, I refused to trust her. But now, I really think that her views have changed.
Point is, she is a damned good writer -- better than Hitchens ever was. Arianna is an attractive person. Nobody ever used that word to describe Chris Hitchens.
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