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Children Quote by Christopher Hitchens

“I do not set myself up as a moral exemplar, and would be swiftly knocked down if I did, but if I was suspected of raping a child, or torturing a child, or infecting a child with venereal disease, or selling a child into sexual or any other kind of slavery, I might consider committing suicide…” quote by Christopher Hitchens
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““I do not set myself up as a moral exemplar, and would be swiftly knocked down if I did, but if I was suspected of raping a child, or torturing a child, or infecting a child with venereal disease, or selling a child into sexual or any other kind of slavery, I might consider committing suicide whether I was guilty or not. If I had actually committed the offense, I would welcome death in any form that it might take. This revulsion is innate in any healthy person, and does not need to be taught. Since religion has proved itself uniquely delinquent on the one subject where moral and ethical authority might be counted as universal and absolute, I think we are entitles to at least three provisional conclusions. The first is that religion and the churches are manufactured, and that this salient fact is too obvious to ignore. The second is that ethics and morality are quiet independent of faith, and cannot be derived from it. The third is that religion is - because it claims a special divine exemption for its practices and beliefs - not just amoral but immoral. The ignorant psychopath or brute who mistreats his children must be punished but can be understood. Those who claim a heavenly warrant for the cruelty have been tainted by evil, and also constitute far more of a danger.””

Christopher Hitchens

About This Quote

Source Essay: God Is Not Great, 2007

He argues that religion is a human construct, independent of moral truth, and can be immoral when it claims divine exemption.

In simple terms: Religion is man-made, not the source of morality.

Key Takeaway

Question moral authority beyond faith.

Themes

religion ethics authority

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

philosophical controversial

When to use this quote

  • public policy
  • education
  • legal systems
  • personal belief

Key Concepts

philosophy secularism human rights

Questions to Reflect On

  • Is morality possible without religion?
  • How do cultural traditions influence ethical views?
A Different Perspective

Religious claims can be deeply ingrained, making change slow.

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