The Ghost of Christopher Hitchens

When I was an adolescent, I would spend a lot of time watching C-SPAN. I was particularly interested in watching reruns of Washington Journal with host Brian Lamb as it seemed he had the best guests. Christopher Hitchens was a common presence on the show. He would appear with his conservative brother Peter, and others as well. He was also featured in interviews about his various books. To say I was a fan would be an understatement. I didn't always agree with him, but I admired the way he thought.

One can usually get away with categorizing a person as "left-wing" or "right-wing." This cannot be successfully accomplished with Christopher Hitchens. His evolution is nothing short of an enigma. At certain moments in his life he was a self admitted liberal, socialist, conservative Marxist, and Trotskyist. Never refer to him as an objectivist, as he absolutely despised Ayn Rand. He admired Thomas Paine, yet supported a form of universal healthcare in the 90's. Paine complained about British tyranny, specifically addressing mandatory taxing in any case it chooses. Hitch was opposed to the death penalty, and yet supported both wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He wanted both the religious tyrant and the tyrannical dictator dead. Some argue that he changed his opinion of the death penalty, but I can't find any such statement. Some would call his change of heart a form of flipping for political convenience, but I wouldn't be so brash.

I assume the reader is aware that Hitch was an atheist.  Not only that, but he hated the notion of God. Similar to Genesis chapter 1, Hitch believed that man created God in his own image and not the other way around.  He argues, "Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it."  Hitchens laid out three arguments against religion in which I will respond.

1) "If everything that cannot be explained, must therefore be laid to the charge of a supernatural being...then nothing remains to be explained.  Nothing is added by this explanation."  

I agree with Mr. Hitchens on this point. The absence of evidence should not become evidence itself. It doesn't prove anything, nor does it further the conversation.

2) "Religion is a totalitarian belief. It is the wish to be a slave. It is the desire that there be an unalterable, unchallenged, tyrannical authority who can convict you of thought crime while you are asleep...a celestial North Korea."  "If I was to say to someone, 'Now, can you name me please a hideous moral act undertaken or an immoral remark made because of their faith?' You've already thought of one. Now you've thought of another one. You'll keep on thinking of them." He adds that it would be difficult for us to find such acts committed in the name of secularism or atheism.

In a totalitarian society, the state controls all aspects of life. One could argue that there have been historical examples of religious totalitarianism, but could also argue the examples of atheist totalitarianism. Ironically, Stalin could be an example of both. As an atheist, Stalin shut down over 49,000 churches, enforced atheism in schools, and killed thousands of religious figures. I should make mention that Stalin, later, used religion to declare that he was the divinely anointed leader. It helped him in the war effort. Hitler, on the other hand, was an opportunistic Christian, using the Christian faithful only to serve his purposes. He stated that it was his Christian duty to eradicate the Jews. (The Speeches of Adolf Hitler: April 1922-August 1939. Vol. 1. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 19). As I've just demonstrated, religion doesn't solely own totalitarianism. It wouldn't be fair of me to state that all religions are not totalitarian. I can and will claim that mainstream Christianity is not. In the Christian belief, choices by man are not determined by God. Here’s what the Gospel of John says on the matter: John 8:34: "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." 36: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (KJV). What is the freedom in which this verse is referring? Galatians 3:22: "But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." (KJV). Translation: Before the sacrifice of Christ (atonement) on behalf of men, the world was as a slave to sin. After the sacrifice, believers in Christ, are free from the burden of sin through repentance. (This is clarified in the four Gospels). Christianity is quite specific about not being totalitarian. If it were totalitarian, the God of this religion would not have granted moral agency.

I assume that Christopher Hitchens believes that the God of Christianity/Judaism convicts persons of “thought crime” due to the 10th commandment (covet), as well as Matthew 5:28 (lust). To covet means to yearn to possess something. In the book Essays in Jewish and Comparative Legal History by Bernard Jackson, it is argued that the 10th commandment contains "lo tahmod" which was translated as “covet” yet is used in other parts of the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 7:25) as a physical restriction. Dr. Joel Hoffman, in his book And God Said, which re-translates many popular verses, says that the original Hebrew means "take." Matthew 5:28: "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." (KJV).  Keywords: “to lust after her.” There is apparent willful intent in this scripture. It does not say “whosoever looketh on a woman hath committed adultery.” There is also no punishment in this verse. A crime hasn't been committed, only a motive.

3) "We must also be forced to love someone who we fear, which is the essence of sadomasochism, the essence of master-slave relationship....I say this is evil."

Hitchens is referring to Deuteronomy 6:24: “And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.” (KJV). The Hebrew word yirah was translated as “fear.” In actuality, it can mean awe or reverence according to translators John Parsons and Eugene H. Merrill. Early Christians didn't have a problem with the word "fear" as dictionaries have since modified definitions of this word. See Merriam-Webster's current version of the word "fear" vs Webster's 1828 version of the word (specifically #6). 2nd Timothy 1:7 clarifies: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.." (KJV).

The reader has probably found by now that the title of this post seems to contradict the subject, yet beautifully represents his life. Christopher Hitchens was one of my favorite authors, commentators, and historians. I loved his skepticism as we exist in a world with unchecked opinion grounded upon mysticism. I believe that all religions have unanswered questions, and all of these organizations are or have been corrupt. The same can be said about science and even some skeptics, but at least these groups are able to defend themselves to a higher level of scrutiny. I am grateful to Christopher (and his brother Peter) for helping me understand that there’s more to a story than is generally reported and to become enlightened not by mysticism of the super-natural, but by the great wisdom and history that is all surrounding.