Christopher Hitchens died of pneumonia last night. While I struggle to understand exactly how I feel about his passing, many on the religious side are celebrating, often with very cruel response. I can’t blame them, really, a harsh critic of their belief system has passed away and that is one less voice of reason to be forced to contend with. It’s not as if I can claim to be blameless in any sense, as I certainly had a very real sense of relief when Jerry Falwell and others of similar ilk have met their end. I took a certain sense of glee in those passings.
The difference between these religious moguls and Mr. Hitchens might be seen as one of debate, but from my perspective, I can’t see a true relation. Hitchens certainly pontificated endlessly on the base, vile nature of religion, as Falwell might have preached against the dangers of secular humanism. But Hitchens never uttered a word to swindle others out of their money with the looming fear of some horrible afterlife in burning Hell, or promise of some unsupported notion of post terminus reward for following bronze age fables. The evidence Hitchens presented for his viewpoint was demonstrable and empirical, rather than tenuous and mythological. In short, he spoke of fact as he knew it, not of fantasy preserved for the interest in power and wealth.
He will be missed. I know I’ll miss his rants and witty acrimony on religious nonsense. Gone, but most certainly not forgotten.
