Quote by Christopher Hitchens

At least two important conservative thinkers, Ayn Rand and Leo Strauss, were unbelievers or nonbelievers and in any case contemptuous of Christianity. I have my own differences with both of these savants, but is the Republican Party really prepared to disown such modern intellectuals as it can claim, in favor of a shallow, demagogic and above all sectarian religiosity?Perhaps one could phrase the same question in two further ways. At the last election, the GOP succeeded in increasing its vote among American Jews by an estimated five percentage points. Does it propose to welcome these new adherents or sympathizers by yelling in the tones of that great Democrat bigmouth William Jennings Bryan? By insisting that evolution is 'only a theory'? By demanding biblical literalism and by proclaiming that the Messiah has already shown himself? If so, it will deserve the punishment for hubris that is already coming its way. (The punishment, in other words, that Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson believed had struck America on Sept. 11, 2001. How can it be that such grotesque characters, calling down divine revenge on the workers in the World Trade Center, are allowed a respectful hearing, or a hearing at all, among patriotic Republicans?)

Summary

This quote criticizes the trend within the Republican Party to embrace a shallow and sectarian religiosity at the expense of intellectual conservatives like Ayn Rand and Leo Strauss. The author questions whether the party is willing to abandon modern intellectuals in favor of demagogic religious rhetoric, posing the question of whether the GOP will welcome new Jewish supporters or adhere to rigid biblical literalism. Furthermore, the author points out the irony of figures like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, who blamed the September 11 attacks on America's perceived immorality, being given a platform within the party. The author suggests that if the GOP continues down this path, they may face negative repercussions for their arrogance.