Religion And Diversity In The Works Of Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens, an author, columnist, essayist, orator, religious and literary critic, social critic, and journalist, said “Religion is part of the human make-up. It's also part of our cultural and intellectual history. Religion was our first attempt at literature, the texts, our first attempt at cosmology, making sense of where we are in the universe, our first attempt at health care, believing in faith healing, our first attempt at philosophy.” If we were to really examine this, we would see that this is very true. Religion is a staple in modern day society, whether people like it or not. It affects our decisions, dictates social norms, and does many other things. Religion is pivotal in society, and naturally should have an effect

It offers variety, new opinions, new lifestyles, and it brings people together. Religious diversity also works the same way. America is like a melting pot, and it is great to have a plethora of varying religions in our country. As shown by this quote in the crucible, “Their fathers had, of course, been persecuted in England. So now they and their church found it necessary to deny any other sect its freedom; lest their New Jerusalem be defiled and corrupted by wrong ways and deceitful ideas,” it shows the appeal of coming to America to seek freedom from oppression in other countries. Although, even though there are a large majority of Americans who practice some sect of Christianity, we have to remember that there are also those who choose not to participate in religion. So it makes sense that when issues like ‘the war on christmas’ come up, that it can cause heated debates nationally. For example, in Melanie Springer Mock’s, “The misguided war on Christmas”, she leaves the readers with an interesting thought: “After all, if Christians about “the reason for the season,” that seems like evangelism, an act in which the government should play no role. After all, if Christians were a minor faith-- as my Mennonite ancestors were in Europe several centuries ago--I imagine they would not wish to be evangelized by those in the majority, be they Muslims or Jews or Hare Krishnas.” Which is interesting to think about because it provides

I know. Bold statement, right? I don’t mean to disparage anyone who does not practice religion or anything like that, but just to appreciate the positive effects that it can have on those who do. For example, in Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, it said “They believed, in short, that they held in their steady hands the candle that would light the world. We have inherited this belief, and it has helped and hurt us. It helped them with the discipline it gave them.” This shows how even though in tough times [the witch hunt] that they were able to stay together and keep hope alive because of their faith. Even now people can feel this way; the only thing that keeps them going is their religion. Another way that religion can positively affect someone is by giving people something to believe in, even when they don’t know what is going to happen in their life or after [death]. This issue is sort of addressed in the article, An Ideal of Service to our Fellow Man, in which Albert Einstein states “I cannot imagine a god who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, or has a will of the kind we experience in ourselves.” And even though there are observable upsides and positives to religion playing a role in American society, there are still some who doubt that it should play a role at