This morning, a bald Christopher Hitchens debated Dr. William Dembski at a Christian school in Texas. I wrote a little about it here.
Without re-watching the debate, I can’t give a full review. I listened to it in the background while I was working, so I took very few notes.
But I wanted to point out that I haven’t seen any reviews online. This is troublesome. Did no one else watch it? Did no one else respond?
At the same time, people are bombarding Le Café looking for the debate. Or they are possibly looking for responses.
Let me reiterate, Hitchens trounced Dembski. Dembski bumbled and mumbled his way through his responses and I would have felt badly for him if he weren’t such a slimy liar advocating creationism and “Intelligent Design.”
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The one thing I wanted to point out was the end of the debate. The moderator invited some guy on stage to deliver a closing prayer.
This guy stood up in on stage, and he gave a weepy thanks to Dembski and Hitchens for the debate. He said something to the effect of, “As I sat in the audience confused by both debaters, and as I pondered all my research on the debate between atheism and belief, I know that since 1970, I’ve been sure that Christianity is all I need.”
Wait, what?
He was confused, but he’s sure? He sat there and the information caused some confusion, and yet he stood in front of the audience and said, “I’m certain Christianity is right.”
This is what I don’t get. You can’t be confused and sure. If you have confusion, there is an absence of certainty.
This is what gets me about belief. People can hold two opposing ideas and continue to be positive about one way. They can be absolutely positively certain that Christianity is correct despite having a curiosity that maybe if they delved deeper, they might not believe what they currently believe.
This guy walked into the debate sure. He left confused. But despite confusion, he was still sure.
WHAT!
That is the definition of Christianity. Even Dembski sat on stage — ruffled by Hitchens kicking his ass — saying he wasn’t sure about the concept of hell, but he was sure about the concept of god, his goodness, Jesus’ forgiveness, and that Intelligent Design IS NOT connected to Christianity.
So finally the guy who was supposed to pray prayed. And when he prayed he said (not exact), “Dear god, despite the fact that I’m confused, I know you’re the god that I should worship … blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.”
Seriously.
It was that lame.
If you’re a Christian, and you’re confused, own up. Pick up your toys, get out of your crib, straighten your bib and own up. It’s okay to be confused and move forward with uncertainty.
To be fair, if you’re an atheist, and you’re confused, own the fuck up and be confused.
I, for one, was not confused.
Hitchens trounced Dembski. Dembski should only fall asleep tonight after a cocktail or two, because no back rub from any spouse should alleviate the pain of getting demolished that badly.
Dembski is a failure for his cause.
That’s for certain.