(RNS) — Before his death at 62, Christopher Hitchens, the uber-atheist and best-selling author of "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything," considered becoming a Christian.
That is the provocative claim of "The Faith of Christopher Hitchens: The Restless Soul of the World's Most Notorious Atheist," a controversial new book winning both applause and scorn while underscoring, again, the divide between believers and atheists that Hitchens' own life and work often displayed.
Apparently, Western civilization has been a touchy subject at Stanford University. Unbeknownst to many, the school removed Western civilization as part of the core curriculum in 1988, amid fallout from Jesse Jackson-led protests. Fortunately, a group of courageous students lobbied to have these courses reinstated. However, this past Monday their proposal was defeated in a landslide election.
The efforts of these students should be commended. They stood up to strident leftists operating under a veil of "social-enlightenment and awareness," a façade readily embraced and supported by today's colleges.
