Hitchens' new book

I am about a quarter into Christopher Hitchens' new book, "God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything." My first exposures to Hitchens came from his various appearances on Bill Maher's HBO show, Real Time. Although far from expressing an upbeat personality, Hitchens came off as being a bright thinker. In addition, I had never read an atheist exposition, so I thought his new book might be a good place to start.

The chapters that I have read thus far do not include any theories or philosophies that debunk the existence of a God-entity. Instead, Hitchens writes of his opposition to religious beliefs, particularly the people that hold such beliefs.

For instance, he discusses the religious beliefs that some either create or subscribe to with regards to the use of condoms to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS in Africa. Some followers of the Christian faith (notably the Vatican) do not support the use of prophylactics, considering them an unnatural phenomenon that God is in opposition to. Hitchens wonders how the continuous support of suffering (thought to be in "accord" with the wishes of God) outweighs the guaranteed aid that the use of condoms would bring.

In the same chapter, Hitchens writes of Muslim leaders who believe that the vaccines used to treat diseases in impoverished countries is a Western ploy to sterilize the "true believers." These leaders encourage anyone who is willing to listen to them to avoid such treatments.

The overall theme of the book (at least thus far) has been to show how religious beliefs and faith can easily corrupt human rationality and one's ability to make sound judgements in an age of science. This point is not a new one, but the rhetorical talent that Hitchens possesses argues these points with a fresh vigor that makes his book an interesting read.