God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

Overview

Christopher Hitchens presents a vigorous, unapologetic critique of organized religion, arguing that faith is a human construct that has caused substantial harm throughout history. He asserts that religion is not only false in its supernatural claims but also corrosive to moral and social progress. The book combines historical narrative, personal anecdotes, reportage, and philosophical reflection to argue that religion impedes reason, the pursuit of knowledge, and genuine ethical behavior.
Hitchens frames his argument as a moral and intellectual indictment rather than a detached scholarly treatise. Although he engages with a wide range of religions, his focus is primarily on the major Western faiths, particularly Christianity and Islam, which he treats as powerful institutions that shape politics, education, and public life in ways he considers damaging.

Core arguments

At the heart of the book is the claim that religion is man-made and that its doctrines depend on faith, which Hitchens views as a vice rather than a virtue. He challenges the idea that moral goodness requires religious belief, arguing instead that compassion and decency are human qualities that can and should be grounded in secular ethics. For Hitchens, religious faith often substitutes dogma for critical thinking and promotes obedience over inquiry.
Hitchens also contends that religion fosters tribalism and moral distortion by privileging faith-based revelation over empirical evidence. He argues that religious texts and traditions have been used to justify violence, discrimination, and the suppression of dissent, and that appealing to divine authority frequently undermines personal responsibility and the rule of law.

Evidence and examples

The book draws on a wide array of historical episodes and contemporary incidents to support its claims. Hitchens recounts the Crusades, the Inquisition, witch-hunts, and colonial missionary violence as examples of how religious zeal has led to cruelty and suffering. He cites modern examples such as clerical child abuse scandals, faith-based opposition to contraception and education, and politically motivated religious extremism to show that these tendencies persist.
Literary and intellectual references are woven throughout, with Hitchens invoking writers, philosophers, and scientists to bolster his case. He reviews the biographies and sayings of religious founders and prophets critically, questioning miraculous claims and highlighting contradictions and moral problems within sacred texts. The book uses reportage from conflicts and social controversies to illustrate how religious institutions exert power in ways that often harm the vulnerable.

Style and rhetorical approach

Hitchens writes in a combative, witty, and highly rhetorical style, deploying sarcasm and polemic as instruments of persuasion. His prose is richly allusive and often impatient with conciliatory tones; he aims to provoke as much as to persuade. This approach gives the book energy and readability but also shapes its argumentative form, favoring forceful judgments over cautious nuance.
The tone is unapologetically secular and moralistic in its own right; Hitchens insists that critique of religion is a moral imperative because of the human costs he attributes to faith-based systems. He frequently uses moral indignation as a rhetorical device, challenging readers to consider the ethical consequences of religious belief and institutional power.

Reception and influence

The book became a central text of the early 21st-century "New Atheism" movement and provoked heated debate. Supporters praised its clarity, moral fervor, and willingness to tackle sacred cows, crediting Hitchens with reinvigorating public discussion about religion and secularism. Critics argued that the book overgeneralizes, relies on selective historical readings, and sometimes confuses worst-case examples with universal features of faith.
Regardless of one's stance, the book is notable for articulating a sustained case against institutional religion that blends intellectual critique with journalistic immediacy. It helped shape public conversation about the role of religion in modern society and remains a provocative, frequently cited contribution to debates over faith, reason, and ethics.