Christopher Hitchens

About the author: Christopher Hitchens is a columnist for Vanity Fair.

Prohibitions against the abuse of children are common across cultures, and under normal circumstances, someone who sheltered a pedophile would be condemned and prosecuted. However, those in the Catholic Church who allow priests to sexually abuse children remain in office and seem surprised at the public's outrage. Catholic practices, including celibacy, sexual repression, and the need to gain authority over children, lead to a church hierarchy that contributes to the sexual exploitation of children.

You often hear it said that religion, or religious belief, has the effect of making people behave better even if the metaphysical claims of faith are ill-founded or untrue. Bertrand Russell mounted a spirited attack on this opinion, on what were mainly empirical...