Mr. Hitchens’ hatred for religion colors a great deal of what he says and writes. This article is no exception.
Which is not to say that he is wrong in this case. Perhaps the single most abhorrent aspect of churches is that frauds and fools worm their way into the heirarchies and pulpits and by their evil invective and horrific actions discredit real religion. Wright, Meeks, Farrakhan and their ilk are not religious at all. They worship no real god but bow instead to their own twisted idols. They worship power and money ora at the altar of some insane ideology and the fruit of their labors are resentment, hatred and violence. Not for anything on this earth would I want to be such a man as on that inevitable day when each faces the real God and the truth of what they have done and who they are - and who they could have been - is revealed to them their anguish will be terrible. I believe that forgiveness is available to all who will avail themselves of it. But I also believe that the overweening arrogance of some makes the likelihood of such a reach very nearly impossible.
I see nothing anti-religious in this observation:
Perhaps the single most abhorrent aspect of churches is that frauds and fools worm their way into the heirarchies and pulpits and by their evil invective and horrific actions discredit real religion.