Sunday Morning Mulling, June 13, 2010: god is not Great

The Bible says of itself in Hebrews 4:12;

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

After reading , god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, I will have to assume it’s author, Christopher Hitchens, and his book, are like a katana eviscerating the very concept of religion for atheists.  The goal of the book isn’t to proselytize for atheism as much as to remove any consideration that there is any viability or warrant for religion at all.  As Mr. Hitchens says in his sub-title, he believes religion poisons everything, and he lays out his case with scathing wit and aplomb.  It’s an intense read as he challenges the conventions of religious belief and deftly makes his case, and to one as myself that is searching for answers to the question of religion he makes some cogent points.

Since I’ve embarked on the journey to evaluate my religious beliefs, I’ve made it a point to read books like Mr. Hitchens’ in order to have a complete understanding of both sides of the issue.  The question for me is whether or not Christianity is true. The process thus far has led me to no longer believe in the fundamentalist Christianity I found myself immersed in for several years and now to consider the more moderate forms of Christian belief, what fundamentalist would call being “liberal” (of which the mere thought of will lead to one’s apostasy).  Although Mr. Hitchens leaves room for tolerance in his book, he certainly does not encourage even a liberal consideration of religion.  And I wonder if I even can migrate to a more moderate form of faith, because the presuppositions of Christianity don’t change, nor do the epistemic and ontological reasons for religion.  In truth, it’s a tough issue for me when, in my gut, I know it shouldn’t be.  (For a somewhat cryptic look at my struggle with being a person of faith, read; Sunday Morning Mulling, May 2, 2010: Faith pt. 2)  This book makes the matter even harder.

In the final chapter of the book , Mr. Hitchens writes,

“Of course, it is better and healthier for the mind to ‘choose’ the path of skepticism and inquiry in any case, because only by continual exercise of these faculties can we hope to achieve anything…To ‘choose’ dogma and faith over doubt and experiment is to throw out the ripening vintage and to reach greedily for the Kool-aid.”

This rings true to me.  We should never allow personal convictions and beliefs to stymie inquiry and exploration.  It’s because we question and contemplate and investigate that our lives are made richer and more fulfilling.  In my religious experience I’ve many times done the exact opposite.  I’ve reached for too often for the Kool-aid.  Thankfully, through resources like Mr. Hitchen’s god is not Great, I'm starting to  taste of the ripening vintage.