--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religion is a totalitarian belief. It is…" description: "\"“Religion is a totalitarian belief. It is the wish to be a slave. It is the desire that there be an unalterable, unchallengeable, tyrannical authority ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/christopher-hitchens-117_dead-man_religion-is-a-totalitarian-belief-it-is_1962045.jpg" --- # Religion is a totalitarian belief. It is the wish to be a… ![“Religion is a totalitarian belief. It is the wish to be a slave. It is the desire that there be an unalterable, unchallengeable, tyrannical authority who can convict you of thought crime while you are asleep, who can subject you to total surveillance around the clock every waking and sleeping…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/christopher-hitchens-117_dead-man_religion-is-a-totalitarian-belief-it-is_1962045.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/christopher-hitchens-117_dead-man_religion-is-a-totalitarian-belief-it-is_1962045.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/christopher-hitchens-117_dead-man_religion-is-a-totalitarian-belief-it-is_1962045.jpg) > ““Religion is a totalitarian belief. It is the wish to be a slave. It is the desire that there be an unalterable, unchallengeable, tyrannical authority who can convict you of thought crime while you are asleep, who can subject you to total surveillance around the clock every waking and sleeping minute of your life, before you're born and, even worse and where the real fun begins, after you're dead. A celestial North Korea. Who wants this to be true? Who but a slave desires such a ghastly fate? I've been to North Korea. It has a dead man as its president, Kim Jong-Il is only head of the party and head of the army. He's not head of the state. That office belongs to his deceased father, Kim Il-Sung. It's a necrocracy, a thanatocracy. It's one short of a trinity I might add. The son is the reincarnation of the father. It is the most revolting and utter and absolute and heartless tyranny the human species has ever evolved. But at least you can f#$%ing die and leave North Korea!”” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote equates organized religion with an oppressive, all‑seeing authority that demands absolute obedience, likening it to a totalitarian state. **In simple terms:** Religion is portrayed as a controlling, unchallengeable power. Key Takeaway Question authority that demands blind obedience. Themes freedom authority religion totalitarianism surveillance Mood critical provocative Type philosophical political When to use this quote - personal belief - public policy - cultural critique - education Key Concepts philosophy politics psychology sociology Questions to Reflect On - Do you see any positive aspects of faith? - How can societies balance belief and liberty? A Different Perspective Totalitarian regimes can also be benevolent; not all religious practice is coercive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dead man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-man/) [Deceased Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceased-father-226767/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Korea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/korea/) [North korea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-korea/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Totalitarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-totalitarian-562153/) [Totalitarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian/) [Totalitarian Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian-belief-3226837/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) [Tyranny Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny-human-1659159/) ## Related quotes > [ “\[Religious belief\] is a totalitarian belief. It is the wish to be a slave. It is the desire that there be an unalterable, unchallengeable,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religious-belief-is-a-totalitarian-belief-it-is-the-wish-to-be-a/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Islam, or any religion, will become totalitarian if it is made into an ideology, because that is the nature of ideologies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdolkarim-soroush/islam-or-any-religion-will-become-totalitarian-if-it-is-made-into-an/) [Abdolkarim Soroush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdolkarim-soroush/) > [My view on Islam is that it is not so much a religion as a totalitarian political ideology with religious elements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geert-wilders/my-view-on-islam-is-that-it-is-not-so-much-a-religion-as-a/) [Geert Wilders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geert-wilders/) > [“The story of the Lynch family was this: Once upon a time, a man named Niall Lynch had three sons, one of whom loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/the-story-of-the-lynch-family-was-this-once-upon-a-time-a-man-named/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“Walk the midway and hear the carnival barker. 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