The Beginning of the Argument

In this, at times, moving video Peter Hitchens talks about the motivation for writing his new book, Rage Against God: How Atheism Led me to Belief (see post below, Monday March 15th 2010).

According to Hitchens it was 'atheism', which he describes as 'the beginning of the argument', that led him to faith. He talks about why he changed his mind and how his brother Christopher Hitchens' atheism was a major motivating force in writing this book. As a young atheist and 'revolutionary socialist', reporting around the world in his capacity as a journalist, Peter Hitchens witnessed at first hand the hostility of totalitarian regimes to belief in God and the dangers posed by atheist attempts (both old and new) to drive God from the world.

Hitchens also talks about some of the other influences in his life and recalls the moment his consciousness was raised by seeing Van der Weyden's startling depiction of The last Judgement. It was then that he realised for the first time that his life, like everyone else's, would be judged.

From atheism to belief in God

Peter Hitchens has a new book out today called Rage against God which, according to the publisher, is 'an autobiographical and spiritual journey from atheism to faith in God through the power of reasoning'. In this article Peter Hitchens describes how his generation thought they 'had grown out of the nursery myths of God, angels and Heaven. We had modern medicine, penicillin, jet engines, the Welfare State, the United Nations and 'science', which explained everything that needed to be explained.' Hitchens later came to see the poverty of this vision, and the inadequacies and dangers of atheism led him to eventually reject it as a worldview and embrace belief in God. In this article he also discusses the lifelong rivalry between him and his brother, Christopher, and, interestingly, his brother's failure to acknowledge, let alone address, the problems with atheism.