Born on April 13, 1949 Christopher Hitchens would become one of the most outspoken men in politics and religion. To say that Hitchens has accomplished much in his lifetime would be nothing short of an understatement. Hitchens being extremely educated graduated from Oxford in England, and is a British and American Journalist that currently has monthly columns in Vanity Fair and Slate, along with formerly being a columnist in The Atlantic, The Nation, Newsweek, and New York Times (hitchens.web). Hitchens has not only been extremely successful in being a columnist, but has published a great deal of books including God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, the Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever, and Thomas Jefferson: Author of America.
Hitchens has also appeared on almost every news station on several occasions discussing everything from the Clintons, Jerry Falwell, the Middle East, to modern day secularism. Throughout the past few years, Hitchens has currently found himself in the spotlight by getting involved in hundreds of religious debates across the world. At times Hitchens has even teamed up with many well known atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Stephen Fry, and Daniel Dennett. Hitchens is known for his cunning verbal smack downs, intellectual and philosophical thinking, taking on the fight against theists and those that believe America is not a secular country, and those that fight against freedom.
Anti-Theism and Views on Religion
One of the things I live for is in the words of our greatest founding father the pursuit of happiness, liberty, and freedom and things are incompatible, completely incompatible with the worship if a divine celestial dictator. Someone who can watch you while you sleep and convict you of thought crime, and who’s rule cannot be challenged, and who is the big brother, whose eternal reign may not be disputed. That makes the concept of the pursuit of freedom and happiness negative. It negates it. (Stanford University).
Hitchens with his anti-theistic views has also made him an outspoken critic of those that believe in intelligent design (creationism). In a short little debate on Fox News against Sean Hannity, Hannity portrayed his views that it does not make sense that everything could have been created out of nothing (referring to the big bang theory). Hitchens replied by stating that not only is intelligent design untrue, but if it were true, intelligent would be the last thing it should be called. Stating:
You want your God to take responsibility for the huge number of collapsing starts, and imploding galaxies, and destroyed universes, and failed solar systems that have left us in this tiny corner on the one planet in this pity solar system that can support life some of the time on some of its surface, and you want a creator who’s filled this earth with species since life began 99 percent of which are extinct already, and this is some design isn’t it? (Hannity & Colmes)
Intelligent design is not the only argument that has come up several times in debates which he has taken part in. Morality is always the next thing coming. Like intelligent design, he is always ready for it. Hitchens has always asked a question at almost every debate that he has been a part of. He has yet to have any takers for the question. Hitchens always gets questions on how one can be moral without a being that has a standard. Who gets to decide what is right and what is wrong? How can one without religion be as moral or have morals at all, if one of the prime goals of religion is to teach morals? Hitchens replies, “Can you name a single moral action performed, or a moral statement said by a believe that a non believer could of not said or done?” Hitchens always follows up this question by asking next, “Now, can you name a wicked thing that was done solely based on religion? You didn’t have to think twice did you (92nd StreetY)”.
In fact, one could make an argument that this is the most common topic to be brought up in a debate against Hitchens is the morality one. Beth Rosenthal write of how Hitchens refers to religion “amounts to psychological abuse.” Rosenthal gives the impression that Christopher believes that if there were no religion the world would be a utopia (something Hitchens has never hinted too). Rosenthal goes on further to remind us that religion is not the only thing that causes harm in this world and atheists like Hitchens should stop pretending that is it.
Christopher Hitchens as you would assume, has also defended the idea that America is a secular nation and the separation of church and state, while at the same time attacking the idea that America is a Christian nation. While on MSNBC discussing the very topic of America being founded as a secular or Christian nation, Christopher had a lot to say. When asked what does it mean when people say that America is a Christian nation? Hitchens responded, “The idea that America is a Christian nation is literally a meaningless statement. The constitution deliberately omits all mention of God let alone of Jesus”. Of course Hitchens opponent Ken Blackwell brought up the fact that the Declaration of Independence mentions that all men are created equal. Hitchens came back by stating, “Though the Declaration of Independence mentions a creator it very specifically does not say that this creator intervenes. Most of the people that wrote the declaration were deists not theists (Hardball)”.
An issue that has struck Hitchens very hard has been the practice of genital mutilation or circumcision. Not always, but Hitchens commonly quotes Stephen Weinberg, where he says that when people are left to themselves, a bad person will do bad things, a good person will try and do good things, but if you want a good person to do a wicked thing that takes religion. The saying could not fit into another argument better than the one of circumcision. In a debate against Rabbi Harold Kushner at the Connecticut Forum, Hitchens was referring to circumcision when he said, “One of the reasons I call religion a poison is that it makes ordinary normal people and compels them, forces them, in some cases orders them, to do disgusting wicked unforgivable things”. Rabbi Kushner responded by saying, “My son cried more at his first haircut than he did at his Bris. And statistically the only long-term affect it seems to have on people is increasing their chances of winning a Nobel Prize”. After the audience finished their few seconds of laughter Hitchens then followed by stating the following,
I can’t find the compulsory mutilation of the genitals of children a subject for humor in that way. The full excision, not just the snip is fantastically painful, leads to trauma, leads to the dulling of the sexual relationship and can be life threatening. We have the records of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds in the United States who have died or have life had life threatening infections as a result of this disgusting practice. As a person as humane as yourself can sit here and think of that as a fit subject of humor shows what I mean. Religion makes morally normal people say and do disgusted wicked things, and you just proved my point.
Christopher Hitchens is known for causing controversy for almost everywhere he goes. His views on religion alone make that understandable. When in Australia john B. Randwick, of the Sydney Morning Herald wrote in regards to Hitchens, “Science must be evil because it created the atomic bomb. Cars must be evil because they cause pollution. These things all have one thing in common: fallible human beings are responsible for carrying them out. Religion, like science and cars, is not the problem. The problem is that anything can be misinterpreted or manipulated for selfish gain”.
Hitchens on Jerry Falwell
This would not be the only time that Hitchens would quarrel with someone who believed that America was a Christian nation. In fact Hitchens most popular opponent would not even recognize the separation of church and state. In fact when this opponent died Christopher Hitchens had a field day. Many know Christopher Hitchens not by his columns, books, debates, speeches, education, or commentary, but simply by his incredible harsh words in regards to Jerry Falwell. On Pat Robertson’s 700 Club the day after 9/11 Falwell gave his impression on who was to be blamed for the attacks on the World Trade Center Towers:
The ACLU has to take a lot of blame for this, throwing God out successfully with the help of the Federal Court system, out of public schools. The abortionists got to bare some blame for this because God will not be mocked when we destroy 40 million innocent babies. I really believe that the Pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays, and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternate lifestyle, the ACLU, people for the American way, all of them who try to secularize America, I point the finger and their face and say you helped this happen.
Because of that when Falwell died on May 15, 2007 many had great things to say about the legacy that Falwell had lives, Hitchens was not one of them. On an interview with Anderson Cooper Hitchens spoke his thoughts saying many things including, “It’s a petty there isn’t a Hell for him to go to” and calling him an “ugly little charlatan who proves one thing. That you can get away with the most extraordinary offences to morality and to truth if you’ll just get yourself called reverend”. Hitchens referred to the massive amount of media coverage showing his life work offensive to all that have some regard for truth. Hitchens went on to say the things that Falwell did to pollute the minds of his followers including pumping anti-Semitic views into American politics, and encouraged views that have help ruin the chances of peace in the Middle East by encouraging not give the land to those who already live there. Hitchens went on to say that in the Middle East, “Lots of people are going to die because of the nonsense preached by this man”. Saying that anyone who shared Falwell’s views about 9/11 should, “be out in the street, shouting and hollering with a cardboard sign and selling pencils from a cup”. This would not be the only time that Hitchens would portray his feeling for Falwell.
The very next day Hitchens appeared on Hannity and Colmes and a repeat of the interview with Anderson Cooper was in the making. Colmes asked shouldn’t you let those close to him to have a few moments to celebrate his life and have some peace? Hitchens response was, “Well I don’t care whether his family’s feelings or hurt or not, but if they are they can take comfort from the extraordinary piety and stupidity and generally speaking uniformity of the coverage of the man’s death”. When guest Ralph Reed spoke about how are feeling should be with those that are grieving whether we liked Falwell or not Hitchens replied, “Oh come on play the world smallest violin. Listen, he established a business. A racket in my opinion, he was a religious business man in the same way that Mr. Ralph Reed is a religious entrepreneur. He’s left the business to his children. Let that console them”. Hitchens went to say that, “I think we have been rid of an extremely dangerous demo dog who lived by hatred of others, and prejudice, and who committed treason by saying that the United Sates deserved the attack upon it on September 11th”. The rest of the broadcast went back and forth between Hannity and Hitchens trying to get their points in, but Hitchens got the last word in saying, “If you gave Falwell an enema he could be buried in a matchbox.”
Hitchens Views on Politics
One of Hitchens many great accomplishments was being named one of the top most influential liberals. In early 2009, Forbes listed Christopher Hitchens as one of the top 25 most influential liberals in the U.S. media. Specifically number 14. Forbes explains that Christopher Hitchens would, “Likely be aghast to find himself on this list.” There are several reasons why this may be so. First, unlike many liberals Hitchens is pro-life. I would not say that he is part of the pro-life movement for he does not try to impose this on anyone, nor try to persuade those that are pro-choice that they are killing a human. However this does not change the fact that he is still pro-life.
Hitchens has also been a harsh critic on the Clintons as much as he has on Jerry Falwell. Hitchens does not portray almost anything that either of the Clintons has done to be beneficial for the country. He criticized Bill Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky and saying that he has disgraced the office. He criticized Hilary Clinton in almost every possible way during her 2008 presidential campaign for the presidency. On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Hitchens was brought on to discuss Hilary Clinton and Obama while they were both in the hunt for the nomination. It was the day after that Hilary Clinton had won a primary and gave her winning speech. Hitchens pointed out that in her speech she mentioned that she had won the delegates in the Florida and Michigan primaries, when in fact they were irrelevant. Hitchens also pointed out that she had not won in Florida and Michigan because the democratic national convention said they do not count, but she wants them to count. Going on to say that this means Hilary Clinton is going to fight it out to the very end (a prediction is which he was correct), instead of admitting that she has already lost and trying to unite her party. Saying, “Anyone who like me when they think about the Clinton’s thinks about zombies, thinks about the undead, thinks about steaks through the heart, silver bullets and so on has just received confirmation. It’s as bad as we thought it was going to be”. Hitchens went on to poetically add, “It’s terrifying. Before anyone noticed it she’s thinking delegate count and super delegates and what is the arm twisting that she’s going to be ready to do and is already exerting in the Democratic Party.”
Beside his views on abortion and the Clintons, Hitchens has taken a firm ground on supporting the war on terror and believes that we should continue on with the fight. Christopher has been in one or two minor debates with host of Real Time, Bill Maher. Although they have the same general view on religion, the subject on how the Middle East should be dealt with, they do not. Hitchens was brought on and discussed whether Al-Qaida was in Iraq before United States troops were. Bill Maher believed that they were not present, while Hitchens did. Hitchens said,
Mr. Zarqawi (one of the main Al-Qaida leaders) was correctly identified in Iraq during the time Suddam Hussein was in power. No rival power would have been allowed inside Iraq during the time Suddam Hussein was in power. He was not a rival, he was a collaborator. So how come Mr. Zarqawi is in Northern Iraq trying to kill the Kurdish leadership, who is by coincidence Saddam’s main enemies. You can believe anything you like, but you have to believe a lot to say that that was coincidence.
Christopher Hitchens has supported Former President George W. Bush’s foreign policy after the events of 9/11, but has taken much criticism for his views on the United States use of water boarding which is deemed as torture by the Geneva Convention. Because of this Hitchens was asked by Graydon Carter (editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair) if he would be willing to undergo the form of torture itself. Hitchens accepted. The practice did not last long to say the least. He lasted much shorter than he thought he would. Afterwards he said that he was wrong to try and hold his breath. The less you breathed the more the towel over your mouth will tighten the grip and it is a lose situation either way. He described it as smothering, yet at the same time drowning, going on to say that he can understand why someone would give up the location of a friend, or a relative in order to make it stop. However, he also stated, “But what if you didn’t have anything? What if they got the wrong guy? Then you would be in danger of losing your mind very quickly.”
Hitchens in Interviews and Discussions
As by now you have realized that Christopher Hitchens is not afraid to disagree and even make enemies. He has criticized and in some cases flat out attacked everyone from George Galloway, Mel Gibson, Cindy Sheehan, Ronald Reagan, to Michael Moore. However, one that could be added to this list is his brother, Peter who is a little over two years younger than Christopher. Christopher leans more toward the left, Left Europe and became an American citizen. Peter is on the right, and after spending much time in Russia and in America now lives in the heart of England. They disagree about many things from the Iraq War to religion and the idea of God. However for a special event, both brothers agreed to have a debate. They debated in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2008.
The debate that the brothers took part in was not the only appearances that the two agreed to appear on. Both brothers appeared on the BBC show Question Time. This time specifically discussing how long Britain should stay involved in Afghanistan. Besides debating on the major television news networks such as BBC, Fox News, MSNBC, and so on, Christopher Hitchens has appeared on many documentaries and interviews throughout his career. Two of the documentaries that he has appeared in are Expelled and Collision. Expelled was made by Ben Stein and focuses on how the theory of Intelligent Design being taught in high level universities is frowned upon. During an interview Hitchens was asked, what is your opinion on the overall idea of intelligent design? Hitchens replied, “The only thing intelligent about it is that you can get people to call it that”. In Collision, Hitchens took on Douglas Wilson who is a Pastor of Christ Church Moscow. The two debated the motion is Christianity good for the world? Collision only shows only one debate between the two, when in fact the two hit the road together, became good friends, and did a serious of debates.
Hitchens has done several interviews throughout his ongoing career as well. One interview with reddit.com was where he only answered questions that were asked to him by members of reddit.com. There was no one giving the interview, just Hitchens getting questions by those who were a part of an online audience. Hitchens was asked what historical figures, movements, or books have been ignored or underemphasized in the public education of young people. His reply,
I think the study of the founding of the country. The emergence of the United States as the world first and only, still only secular democratic republic is terribly understudied these days. The likelihood, that there would have never been a revolution. Just been a rebellion if not for the sponsored ideas of people like Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson. Instead kids learn about Washington crossing the Delaware.
One question seemed to stick out because of the answer that it generated from Christopher. Obviously not every single issue, but on the grounds of religion Richard Dawkins and Hitchens seem to agree for the most part. They are both atheists; believe that the world would be far better off without religion, and believe that we could easily carry on without it. However one question promoted Hitchens to make a disagreement with Dawkins and I believe it should be noted. When asked do you believe that the word “brights” is an appropriate definition of the unbeliever. Hitchens replied,
I did quarrel with some of my comrades by saying that I thought to call ourselves brights would be in the first place very conceded, and in the second place very misleading. We do not say that of people who disagree with us that they are stupid. Many very, very intelligent people have been persuaded by Thomas Aquinas arguments for the existence of God for example. It’s not an IQ question. I thought it was a false issue and I’m rather glad to see that it has gone to some kind of eclipse recently.
Christopher Hitchens has done much for the world of politics and philosophy. He has never backed down from a challenge, at least one that he had the option of doing so. He has always challenged those who have different beliefs then himself through respectable means, such as university debates. He has done a great deal for the world of literature with all of his columns and overall publishing. He has influenced a great number of people all over the world to become more rational thinkers. Something that this world will always need.
Works Cited Page
Christopher Hitchens - The Portable Atheist. Perf. Christopher Hitchens and Joe Scarborough. Youtube/Christopher Hitchens - The Portable Atheist. MSNBC, 7 Jan. 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbmszn1p6zo.
Christopher Hitchens Debates Jay Richards Part 8. Perf. Christopher Hitchens and Jay Richards. Christopher Hitchens Debates Jay Richards Part 8. Stanford University, 23 July 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHO7dYVRiAY&feature=related.
Christopher Hitchens on Clinton and Obama. Perf. Christopher Hitchens and Joe Scarborough. Youtube/Christopher Hitchens on Clinton and Obama. Morning Joe, 11 Aug. 2009. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFTjgg57TpI.
Christopher Hitchens on Jerry Falwell. Perf. Christopher Hitchens and Anderson Cooper. Youtube/Christopher Hitchens on Jerry Falwell. Anderson Cooper 360, 16 May 2007. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIviufQ4APo.
Christopher Hitchens on Hannity & Colmes about Rev. Falwell's Death. Perf. Chrsitopher Hitchens and Sean Hannity and Ralph Reed. Youtube/Christopher Hitchens on Hannity & Colmes about Rev. Falwell's Death. Hannity & Colmes, 17 May 2007. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doKkOSMaTk4.
Christopher Hitchens V. Bill Maher. Perf. Christopher Hitchens and Bill Maher. Youtube/Christopher Hitchens V. Bill Maher. Real Time, 20 May 2008. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTrzZLM0Tm4.
Christopher Hitchens V. Sean Hannity. Perf. Christopher Hitchens and Sean Hannity. Christopher Hitchens V. Sean Hannity. Hannity and Colmes, 25 Nov. 2007. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU10wpgetNk.
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Dir. Nathan Frankowski. Perf. Ben Stein. Rocky Mountain Pictures, 2008. DVD.
Falwell and Robertson on The 700 Club after 9/11. Perf. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Youtube/Falwell and Robertson on The 700 Club after 9/11. The 700 Club, 13 Sept. 2001. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-CAcdta_8I.
Full Version: Hitchens and Boteach Debate on God. Perf. Christopher Hitchens and Shmuley Boteach. Full Version: Hitchens and Boteach Debate on God. 92nd Street Y, 8 Feb. 2008. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnMYL8sF7bQ.
God-Is the Issue between Believers and Non-believers or Religions? Perf. Christopher Hitchens and. God-Is the Issue between Believers and Non-believers or Religions? Connecticut Forum, 5 Feb. 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLyQDS1fy_Y&feature=related.
Hardball: Christopher Hitchens vs Ken Blackwell on the US Being a Christian Nation. Perf. Christopher Hitchens and Ken Blackwell. Youtube/Hardball: Christopher Hitchens vs Ken Blackwell on the US Being a Christian Nation. MSNBC, 8 Apr. 2009. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ISylK4g6UM.
Hitchens vs. Hitchens. Perf. Christopher Hitchens and Peter Hitchens. Youtube/Hitchens vs. Hitchens. Center Valley State University, 7 Apr. 2008. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmnVQLOd9Lg.
Randwick, John B. "God's Harshest Critic Doesn't Allow for Fallible Humans; RELIGION." Sydney Morning Herald [Sydney] 3 Oct. 2009, First ed., NEWS AND FEATURES; Opinion sec.: 8. Print.
Reddit.com Interviews Christopher Hitchens. Perf. Christopher Hitchens. Youtube/reddit.com Interviews Christopher Hitchens. Reddit.com, 28 Dec. 2009. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Jl2iPPUtI.
Rosenthal, Beth. "Only Religion Can Teach Morality and Ethics." Greenhaven Press [Detroit] 2009, Opposing Viewpoints: Atheism sec. Print.
Wang, Sam. "The 25 Most Influential Liberals In The U.S. Media." Princeton.edu. Princeton, 23 Jan. 2009. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. http://election.princeton.edu/2009/01/23/forbess-top-25-liberals/.
Watch Christopher Hitchens Get Waterboarded (VANITY FAIR). Perf. Christopher Hithens. Youtube/Watch Christopher Hitchens Get Waterboarded (VANITY FAIR). Vanity Fair, 2 July 2008. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LPubUCJv58.
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