Christopher Hitchens — American Author born on April 13, 1949, died on December 15, 2011

Christopher Eric Hitchens was an English author, religious and literary critic, and journalist. Hitchens later spent much of his career in the United States and became an American citizen in 2007... (wikipedia)

Religion is part of the human make-up. It's also part of our cultural and intellectual history. Religion was our first attempt at literature, the texts, our first attempt at cosmology, making sense of where we are in the universe, our first attempt at health care, believing in faith healing, our first attempt at philosophy.
When I meet people who say - which they do all of the time - 'I must just tell you, my great aunt had cancer of the elbow and the doctors gave her 10 seconds to live, but last I heard she was climbing Mount Everest,' and so forth, I switch off quite early.
There are all kinds of stupid people that annoy me but what annoys me most is a lazy argument.
A gentleman is never rude except on purpose - I can honestly be nasty sober, believe you me.
Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are God. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are God.