# Hitchens Proof of God **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 16, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965 "2010-09-16T13:59:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yokan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@yokan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yokan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/1 "2010-09-16T13:59:36Z")
Christopher Hitchens has recounted more than once a dream he had. In it, a Jew came over and asked him to join their minyan (prayer quorum which only Jews – and in Orthodox circles, only Jewish men – can join). Hitchens didn’t know he was Jewish then. How do you explain that? (I don’t believe in Judaism or religion of any kind, but it’s a pretty crazy story) ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/2 "2010-09-16T14:06:43Z")
He may have also had dreams about being Muslim, Hindu, or Mormon but just didn’t tell everybody about them. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/3 "2010-09-16T14:07:29Z")
> [@yokan](#): > > Christopher Hitchens has recounted more than once a dream he had. In it, a Jew came over and asked him to join their minyan (prayer quorum which only Jews – and in Orthodox circles, only Jewish men – can join). Hitchens didn’t know he was Jewish then. How do you explain that? > > (I don’t believe in Judaism or religion of any kind, but it’s a pretty crazy story) Selective memory. Whose to say that he didn’t have similar dreams about being part of other religions, but those dreams didn’t leap to mind 40 years later because they aren’t part of the mental narrative he is currently laying out… ETA: Simul-post! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/4 "2010-09-16T14:10:03Z")
Or . . . what makes any dream proof of anything? I had a dream that I went to work without any pants on. Evidence of some divine, pantless truth, or just a dream? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/5 "2010-09-16T14:16:45Z")
I once had a dream about leprechauns. I didn’t yet know about leprechauns. How do you explain that? ---
**Author:** ![yokan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@yokan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yokan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/6 "2010-09-16T14:19:57Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I once had a dream about leprechauns. I didn’t yet know about leprechauns. How do you explain that? Really? I mean, if you did, that’s pretty crazy too, no? ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/7 "2010-09-16T14:24:53Z")
More proof for the [Carlos Castaneda](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Castaneda) school of theology. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/8 "2010-09-16T14:27:11Z")
I’ve had dreams in which I was fabulously wealthy. Yay! ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/9 "2010-09-16T14:29:21Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Or . . . what makes any dream proof of anything? > > I had a dream that I went to work without any pants on. Evidence of some divine, pantless truth, or just a dream? Actually… I meant to tell you, you should probably put your pants back on. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/10 "2010-09-16T15:02:51Z")
> [@yokan](#): > > > [@DCnDC](#): > > > > I once had a dream about leprechauns. I didn’t yet know about leprechauns. How do you explain that? > > Really? I mean, if you did, that’s pretty crazy too, no? Hahaha! That’s what I was thinking! I mean, leprechauns are so specific. The green outfit, the hat, the belt buckle, the pipe, the red hair… If you have never seen one, and you dream it, that is freaky! ---
**Author:** ![President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/President_Johnny_Gentle)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/11 "2010-09-16T15:14:31Z")
Kind of a strange title to the thread, considering that Hitchens is a very vocal [atheist](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_atheism). As to the actual topic, it wouldn’t surprise me if his [grandmother](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens#Early_life) had dropped enough hints for him to be able to put two and two together subconsciously. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/12 "2010-09-16T15:18:01Z")
> [@President\_Johnny\_Gentle](#): > > Kind of a strange title to the thread, considering that Hitchens is a very vocal [atheist](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_atheism). Actually I saw it and assumed it was his brother, who IIRC, is not an atheist. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/13 "2010-09-16T15:20:31Z")
That’s funny, he doesn’t _look_ Jewish… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/14 "2010-09-16T15:22:41Z")
> [@yokan](#): > > Christopher Hitchens has recounted more than once a dream he had. In it, a Jew came over and asked him to join their minyan (prayer quorum which only Jews – and in Orthodox circles, only Jewish men – can join). Hitchens didn’t know he was Jewish then. How do you explain that? > > (I don’t believe in Judaism or religion of any kind, but it’s a pretty crazy story) Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/15 "2010-09-16T15:26:37Z")
> [@yokan](#): > > How do you explain that? Assuming it’s true it doesn’t require an explanation. It’s a dream he had. And obviously he had enough exposure to Jewish culture to know what a minyan is. Once you know about something it is not all that surprising if you dream about it. For the record, Hitchens and his brother discovered (maybe in their early 30s) that their maternal grandmother was raised Jewish. And it’s not like he’s the only person who discovered as an adult that he had some Jewish family members. And it goes without saying that Hitchens certainly doesn’t think it’s proof of god. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/16 "2010-09-16T15:27:28Z")
> [@yokan](#): > > How do you explain that? Clearly, in a past life, he was Jewish. I can think of, literally, no other explanation… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/17 "2010-09-16T17:10:07Z")
Dreams give incite into the spiritual reality where we are all part of a family, usually different from our biological or ‘real world’ family. And we are all connected. The dream seems to be a attempt by his spiritual family to call him home, to his heritage. Very possibly those men are his brothers, who sense a absence in their ‘spiritual family’. ---
**Author:** ![yokan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@yokan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yokan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/18 "2010-09-16T17:19:55Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Cite? When looking for a proper citation, I found out some more interesting details. See [this](http://www.jstor.org/stable/25007142?seq=2) article. Sorry if you don’t have access, but it’s what I have right now. What’s interesting is that in recounting the dream, Hitchens says “it was the only one that counted as recurrent and I had also experienced it as a waking fantasy.” Spooky, no? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/19 "2010-09-16T17:40:48Z")
> [@yokan](#): > > Spooky, no? No. But then, I don’t think you’ll find any other explanation convincing and I doubt you’ll be surprised if your question gets negative responses. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965/20 "2010-09-16T17:47:31Z")
> [@yokan](#): > > > [@Czarcasm](#): > > > > Cite? > > When looking for a proper citation, I found out some more interesting details. See [this](http://www.jstor.org/stable/25007142?seq=2) article. Sorry if you don’t have access, but it’s what I have right now. What’s interesting is that in recounting the dream, Hitchens says “it was the only one that counted as recurrent and I had also experienced it as a waking fantasy.” > > Spooky, no? Not really, since we can only access the first page of the chapter, which only tells us that his brother told him he was Jewish when he was an adult. Is there any site that recounts this dream and his reaction to it? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitchens-proof-of-god/553965.md?page=2)