God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

Pick one or more religions discussed in God Is Not Great, and examine how Hitchens characterizes this faith. How do other scholars characterize this religion? What nuances does Hitchens overlook, and what unique perspectives does he offer?

Hitchens argues that religion is inherently totalitarian. Choose an influential historical figure who was publicly religious and who is not considered in Hitchens’s book, and explore whether they fit Hitchens’s theory that piety undermines the pursuit of social justice.

Examine one or more rebuttals to God Is Not Great by a religious believer. Do they make a convincing argument that Hitchens is wrong? How do you think he would respond?

Are Hitchens’s arguments dependent on the idea that humans are naturally self-centered? How are his arguments affected if the reader does not agree with this notion? Do some of his arguments regarding Enlightenment and morality suggest that humans may be more altruistic than selfish? Why or why not?

Is atheism a suppressed viewpoint in the modern world? Why or why not? Support your answer with your own research.

How might the world be different today if the “major monotheisms”, especially Christianity, had not gained the prominence that they have?

Does Hitchens focus too heavily on fundamentalism? Why or why not?

Choose a specific religious taboo, such as the pork taboo covered in the book, and research its history. What historical factors might have influenced this rule? Are such taboos still relevant to and/or necessary for faith?