Reviewed by Myra Butcher
In his book God Is Not Great, How Religion Poisons Everything (2007, New York, Twelve Books, 307 pages), Christopher Hitchens poses many questions, yet provides few answers. He grasps an element of truth, but that doesn’t make it gospel.
The rather-short book holds interest in that it could have run three or four times longer. Most of its assertions go without citation, a kind of shortcoming for which the author criticizes others. (On page 242 he challenges Time magazine for a lack of verifiable attribution.) Perhaps the author’s failure to refer to anyone else can be dismissed as delivering his own opinions. But he’s done himself no favours on credibility.
Hitchens heaps invective on religion, most notably on Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Much of what he writes is true. His examples emerge from news reports and history books. His angle for criticism arises from what adherents to religions have done.
When faulting people generally, he might have chosen a sociological or anthropological standpoint, not a religious one. One example of the problems that Hitchens attributes to religious differences involves the creation of Bangladesh (page 184) and was, to my understanding from people near the action, really strife over imposing the Urdu language on the Bangla (Bengali) speaking majority.
From the book’s title, casual observers might expect something on theology. But there’s almost nothing about any god. Although Hitchens asks valid questions, many more questions (and answers seen from different perspectives) hold equal validity and more justification.
As the Scottish bard Robbie Burns attested, “Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn might.” Those famous words might have inspired a better title than refuting the Islamic maxim, “God is Great”. But Hitchens needed a provocative title to attract attention.
Another fitting title might be Christopher Hitchens Is Not Great. That’s hardly bestseller material either. But the book tells much more about Hitchens than about any god.
I found myself questioning many points simply because I possess some knowledge of the subject. Then other points became suspect as I treated them with scepticism.
Fiercely and unrelentingly, Hitchens criticizes religion, which takes the hit while God emerges unscathed. The book lacks balance, and its author fails to consider alternative perspectives.
Read God Is Not Great only if you have few other books and little else to do.
Approval rating: just 20 per cent, I’m afraid.
For more information: www.twelvebooks.com
(January 3, 2008)
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