Christopher Hitchens, World-Renowned Atheist: What You Need to Know About Him

Last week, world-renowned scholar and atheist Christopher Hitchens came to Binghamton University to speak about religion. His talk of religion was shocking to many people, as he called upon students to free themselves from the "bondage of religion." Christopher Hitchens is a highly controversial figure; one who was ranked as the #5 intellectual in the world and someone who needs police protection because of the holy Islamic decree of a Fatwa to kill him. In September of 2005, Foreign Policy magazine and Britain's Prospect Magazine all classified Hitchens as one of the Top 100 intellectuals as well.

Hitchens first appears to the ordinary observer as a rambling, babbling idiot but once you really hear and understand what he is saying, his arguments are logical and reasonable and make you take a step back to look at your own religion and how you are connected with it. Christopher Hitchens has written in numerous magazines and newspapers including Vanity Fair, The World Affairs, the Nation, Slate, Washington Post and Free Inquiry. Christopher Hitchens is also known for his famous best selling book called, "God is not great" in which he slams all world religions, taking especially harsh criticism to Islamic fundamentalism.

Hitchens has been called a politically affiliated individual with the liberal left but he has taken positions siding with both the right and left. In the United States, he has sided with right wing conservatives in support of the Iraq War. Hitchens is also credited with being the inventor of the phrase, "Islamofacism" which he has referred to numerous times in his speeches. During President Bill Clinton's president, Hitchens attached Clinton for being inept, a rapist and for war crimes for Clinton's actions of ordering missile attacks in the Sudan. Politically, Hitchens views himself as a libertarian thinker. During the Bush administration, Hitchens has been critical of the protection given to Henry Kissinger whom Hitchens has said has committed numerous war crimes and human rights abuses.

In the religious sector, Hitchens has the harshest criticism towards Islam but Judaism and Christianity are always frequent targets of his criticism. Hitchens has debated several prominent religious figures including Reverend Al Sharpton, long thought to be the religious leader of the African American Christian community.