Part 3/11:
A central theme in his discourse was his critique of religious responses to terminal illness. Hitchens was quick to scrutinize prayer—or as he framed it, irrational hope—especially when directed at him by well-meaning believers. He questioned their motives, asking, "What is the point?" of prayer if it aims to heal his body or convert his soul, asserting that such hopes are rooted in a fear of mortality that nullifies reason.