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Chapter Four: A Note On Health, To Which Religion May Be Hazardou
In this chapter, Hitchens explains how some religions can be hostile to treating diseases. He writes that many Muslims saw the polio vaccine as a conspiracy, and thus allowed polio to spread.[10] He goes on to discuss the Catholic Church's response to the spread of HIV in Africa, telling people that condoms are ineffective, which, he argues, contributes to the death toll.[11] He notes with examples that some in both the Catholic and the Muslim communities believe irrationally that HIV and HPV are punishment for sexual sin—particularly homosexuality.[12] He describes religious leaders as "faith healers", and opines that they are hostile to medicine because it undermines their position of power.[13]
He then criticises the Jewish ritual of circumcision that would have him "take a baby boy's penis in my hand, cut around the prepuce, and complete the action by taking his penis in my mouth, sucking off the foreskin, and spitting out the amputated flap along with a mouthful of blood and saliva", and denounces the traditional African practice of female genital mutilation. He concludes the chapter writing of the religious "wish for obliteration" — for a death in the form of the day of the Apocalypse.
In this chapter, Hitchens explains how some religions can be hostile to treating diseases. He writes that many Muslims saw the polio vaccine as a conspiracy, and thus allowed polio to spread.[10] He goes on to discuss the Catholic Church's response to the spread of HIV in Africa, telling people that condoms are ineffective, which, he argues, contributes to the death toll.[11] He notes with examples that some in both the Catholic and the Muslim communities believe irrationally that HIV and HPV are punishment for sexual sin—particularly homosexuality.[12] He describes religious leaders as "faith healers", and opines that they are hostile to medicine because it undermines their position of power.[13]
He then criticises the Jewish ritual of circumcision that would have him "take a baby boy's penis in my hand, cut around the prepuce, and complete the action by taking his penis in my mouth, sucking off the foreskin, and spitting out the amputated flap along with a mouthful of blood and saliva", and denounces the traditional African practice of female genital mutilation. He concludes the chapter writing of the religious "wish for obliteration" — for a death in the form of the day of the Apocalypse.
Sorry xkeyscore89, you posted at a poor time. We're currently in a quote-off!
