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1-Page Summary of God Is Not Great
Introduction
Due to our progress in the fields of evolution, astronomy and medicine, religion no longer has any practical application. This is because we have more knowledge about the planet, universe and ourselves. Therefore humans don’t need religion anymore for answers. If this is so, then what’s the point of practicing it? The following examination will reveal that religious pursuits are a gross misuse of research time and morality.
Religion Is Violent
No religion is happy to stay within its own confines. Instead, it tries to impose itself on others and interfere with their lives. Hitchens uses Ireland as an example of this phenomenon. When the Irish were voting on whether or not they should uphold a ban on divorce in their constitution, the Catholic Church worked hard to keep the ban in place and perpetuate Catholic rule over non-Catholics. Even though the ban was eventually overturned, the church successfully demonstrated its desire to exercise control over everyone, even those outside of its congregation.
Hitchens goes on to mention several instances of oppression and violence perpetrated by religious authorities. In Belfast, sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics destroyed city blocks. In Beirut, the dominant Christian party is actually a Catholic militia that massacred two Palestinian refugee camps in 1982. During World War II, Orthodox Serbs participated not only in the extermination of Jews but also directed violence at other Christians.
These are all examples of religion being used to justify hate and violence. However, even more troubling is the medieval period when Christians and Muslims fought in holy wars, as well as the religious conflicts happening today. All religions come with violent histories that outweigh any benefits they might have.
Religion Is a Health Hazard
Religious zeal can detract from the quality of life in a community. In 2005, when some Islamic leaders declared that their supply of polio vaccine was part of a Western conspiracy, they prevented people from accessing it and soon polio spread to other countries as well.
Hitchens argues that this is not an isolated example, but part of a larger trend. Catholic leaders in the past have declared that the church is against birth control. In fact, they’ve gone so far as to say that condoms give people AIDS.
Religion’s attitude towards medicine and science is often negative, despite the fact that both are necessary for health. Religion wants to hold on to its power, so it tries to prevent people from getting better.
Hitchens notes that many religious figures don’t believe in building a better world for people currently living on Earth. There is the New Testament, which glorifies bloodshed and war; there are even some fatalistic beliefs of Hinduism based on astrology, believing that stars will play out events alone rather than humans being able to change what happens. Religion often calls for destruction or believes in an apocalyptic ending instead of believing it’s possible to build a better world here on Earth. This belief is dangerous and should be alleviated from religions so people can improve their lives rather than linger in misery.
Religion Contains False Metaphysical Claims
Religion is outdated, because most religions were established in ancient times when people didn’t understand much about the world. For example, Augustine believed that the sun revolved around the earth while Maimonides compared non-white people to wild animals.
In the past, people didn’t know much about the world. So they used religion to explain things that science couldn’t yet explain. Nowadays, we have a better understanding of the universe thanks to scientific discoveries like the Big Bang theory. Therefore, do we still need religious explanations for phenomena?
