Big ups to Antonio D’Arcangelis, a reader of this blog, for pointing me in the direction of Christopher Hitchens’ dismantling of the Ten Commandments.
When I see Hitchens on TV, I often think, “I’d rather lick the Grand Central Station bathroom floor than spend an hour with this guy.” In other words, he’s pompous, dismissive, rude—just a jerk. And yet, he’s wicked smart, and shares most of my beliefs when it comes to religion. I’m not 100% convinced that there’s no such thing as an afterlife, but I do consider organized religion to be a 98% useless and harmful endeavor. When people say, “Look at all the good it does,” I often think, “Look at all the bad it does.” When people scream, “Religion gives us a moral code!” I scream, “Religion gives us molesting priests! The Crusades! Racism! Homophobia!”
The wife and I debate joining a synagogue, and it’s one I’ll likely lose. She wants the kids to have a sense of Jewish identity—even if we don’t really buy the religious stuff. I suppose I understand, and a part of me shares her take. But, really, how can you be Jewish or Christian or Muslim and not believe in God? Not believe in the founding principles of your faith?
Clearly, in this case Hitchens is right—the Ten Commandments are a load of crock; an outdated, ludicrous concept that most of us ignore without much thought.
