Hitchens on Mortality

Life beyond religion involves many questions beyond whether to believe in a God, and we’re fortunate that Christopher Hitchens left us his thoughts on facing mortality. Hitchens’ book Mortality is a short, easy to read book about difficult questions of life.

As a prominent atheist dealing with cancer, Hitchens was exposed to a wide range of reactions from the general public. Some claimed Hitchens was suffering God’s judgment. Some prayed that he would convert. Some offered their hopes for cures that were not based on current science. Hitchens handles these reactions with his usual cognitive skill.

With characteristic frankness, Hitchens brings to life his experiences of loss and pain, offering those who admired his work a chance to get to know him in a more personal way and putting to rest the false hope that things which don’t kill us make us stronger.

Christopher Hitchens’ Mortality opens more discussion about the ways we think, connect, and act as we aim to live well by human effort and intelligence. In Mortality, Hitchens shows not only the courage to challenge common assumptions about religion but also the courage to face his own mortality. Christopher Hitchens died on December 15, 2011.

[This message was presented for Dial-A-Humnanist by Derrick S.]