God Is Not Great - SFBA Book Club

Hardcover, 307 pages

English language

Published May 2007 by Twelve.

ISBN:: 978-0-446-57980-3
OCLC Number:: 70630426

(1 review)

Christopher Hitchens, described in the London Observer as "one of the most prolific, as well as brilliant, journalists of our time "takes on his biggest subject yet--the increasingly dangerous role of religion in the world.

With his unique brand of erudition and wit, Hitchens describes the ways in which religion is man-made. "God did not make us," he says. "We made God." He explains the ways in which religion is immoral: We damage our children by indoctrinating them. It is a cause of sexual repression, violence, and ignorance. It is a distortion of our origins and the cosmos. In the place of religion, Hitchens offers the promise of a new enlightenment through science and reason, a realm in which hope and wonder can be found through a strand of DNA or a gaze through the Hubble Telescope. As Hitchens sees it, you needn't get the blues once you discover the …

Christopher Hitchens, described in the London Observer as "one of the most prolific, as well as brilliant, journalists of our time "takes on his biggest subject yet--the increasingly dangerous role of religion in the world.

With his unique brand of erudition and wit, Hitchens describes the ways in which religion is man-made. "God did not make us," he says. "We made God." He explains the ways in which religion is immoral: We damage our children by indoctrinating them. It is a cause of sexual repression, violence, and ignorance. It is a distortion of our origins and the cosmos. In the place of religion, Hitchens offers the promise of a new enlightenment through science and reason, a realm in which hope and wonder can be found through a strand of DNA or a gaze through the Hubble Telescope. As Hitchens sees it, you needn't get the blues once you discover the heavens are empty.

12 editions

NathanU reviewed God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens

Important, entertaining, limited.

3 stars

Rather than rehashing old arguments against common religious beliefs, this work is a systematic take-down of the myth that religion is a net-benefit for society. It's an educational and entertaining read, although Hitchens' can be a touch verbose and his choice of word at times leans esoteric. Depending on the chapter, "God is Not Great" could be a pleasure to read or a slog, but my biggest issue with it is that, while Hitchens didn't limit his critique to abrahamic religions, he stopped short of addressing the underlying issue of magical thinking in any form, not only religion, as a terrible and destructive framework for understanding reality and deciding upon a moral framework with which to engage with the world and others around us. In my opinion, this limits the utility of the work and opens it up to endless debate over historical and doctrinal points. There are some problematic …

Rather than rehashing old arguments against common religious beliefs, this work is a systematic take-down of the myth that religion is a net-benefit for society. It's an educational and entertaining read, although Hitchens' can be a touch verbose and his choice of word at times leans esoteric. Depending on the chapter, "God is Not Great" could be a pleasure to read or a slog, but my biggest issue with it is that, while Hitchens didn't limit his critique to abrahamic religions, he stopped short of addressing the underlying issue of magical thinking in any form, not only religion, as a terrible and destructive framework for understanding reality and deciding upon a moral framework with which to engage with the world and others around us. In my opinion, this limits the utility of the work and opens it up to endless debate over historical and doctrinal points. There are some problematic moments, as expected from a prominent member of the "New Atheist" movement, but beyond nothing so egregious that I would recommend against someone reading the book with a skeptical eye.