Hitchens vs Blair debate - Essay Example

Hitchens found it easy to make strong arguments concerning a wide range of bad things that humans have done in the name of religion, and he in fact did not find it difficult to explain how religion, which is considered to be good, has done more harm not only to individuals in the society, but also to the world as well. On stage, Hitchens raised very pertinent points many of which worked against Blair’s arguments. Among the most prominent statements that he made is that “religion forces nice people to do unkind things ... and to do stupid things." Hitchens made this statement in a bid to emphasize the fact that religion is among the most disastrous institutions in the world because it has often been the source of conflict. In addition to this statement, he also made a pass at circumcision, which he considers to be a violation of human rights, since it involves the mutilation of the human body. Hitchens sarcastically states, "Please pass me that sharp stone for its genitalia so that I might do the work of the Lord" (CSPANJUNKIEd0Torg) A major point of argument in the debate concerned the exclusivity of religion, on which Hitchens states that it had always struck him as strange that there should be a special church for English people. ...