Dear Richard,
We're both scheduled to discuss issues of Darwin and God on the Riz Khan Show on Al-Jazeera on Monday, July 21. Viewers who are interested can watch the show live here. The segments will also be posted on Youtube and I'll link to them.
But a few hours after I mentioned our forthcoming debate on this blog, you posted a comment on your website essentially accusing me of making the whole thing up. So first you accuse me of having a Hitler voice, and now you accuse me of misrepresentation.
Here's what happened. Al-Jazeera contacted me a while ago, asking me to appear in a point-counterpoint format with a leading opponent. I said I was writing about God and atheism, and suggested I appear with a prominent atheist. They chose you. Then the producer Zeresnaey Abraha confirmed that you were ready to do it. Late last week I got a studio notice from Al-Jazeera giving me the time for me to arrive at their rented San Diego studio. The other guest was listed as "Richard Dawkins" and your studio details at Oxford were given.
Apparently when you found out that the two of us were booked on the same show, same segment, you rushed to the producer to insist that we appear separately. Your pretext according to Abraha was that you have a long-standing pledge not to debate "creationists." I can understand that you don't want to give legitimacy to people who flatly deny evolution or who insist that the earth is less than 6,000 years old. The only problem with you invoking this pledge is that I believe in evolution and am not, nor have I ever been, a "creationist."
Apparently the format now is that we will each be interviewed separately. So technically it's no longer a debate, although it is most certainly an exchange of rival ideas on the same topic. It's a pity that we cannot engage each other directly.
To be honest, I find your behavior extremely bizarre. You go halfway around the world to chase down televangelists to outsmart them in an interview format that you control, but given several opportunities to engage the issues you profess to care about in a true spirit of open debate and inquiry, you duck and dodge and run away.
If we debate on the Riz Khan show, a format comparable to ABC "Nightline," you cannot seriously think I will drown you out with Hitler shouts. And if I tried that in an academic setting I would make a complete fool of myself. I have done several debates with your fellow atheists Michael Shermer and Christopher Hitchens (and have just scheduled my second debate this fall with Peter Singer) because all of them have consistently found me a serious and worthy opponent. Hitchens told me in Las Vegas that each time our debates are different because both of us adjust to what the other guy said the last time around. This is how knowledge is tested, through the process of critical exchange, isn't it?
You are supposed to be the public champion of science and reason and enlightened discourse. This is basically what your title at Oxford says, right? This is why the Microsoft billionaire Charles Simonyi is paying your salary, isn't it? So are we to believe that despite the seriousness of the issues involved, issues that engage your whole life's work, you won't even stand up and defend your views even in a hospitable setting like Oxford or any other venue of your choice?
Many years ago I read The Selfish Gene and was deeply impressed. What especially struck me was your intellectual audacity, your willingness to jump into a big debate and take on the big questions, and of course your literary eloquence. If you are so confident that your position is right, and that belief in God is an obvious delusion, surely you should be willing to vindicate that position not only against Bible-toting pastors but also against a fellow scholar and informed critic like me!
If not, you are nothing but a showman who takes on unprepared and unsuspecting opponents when you yourself control the editing, but when a strong opponent shows up you manufacture reasons to avoid him. Somehow, I would have thought the author of 'The Selfish Gene would be made of sterner stuff. .
Reader Comments ( Page 26 of 26)
376. Just to make my position perfectly clear.... If you are really saved by grace, through faith. Then you cannot, and will not ever lose that salvation. It is not so much what you do, but what Christ has done for you. There is rewards and loss of rewards. As well as there are different degrees of everlasting fire.
Man_in_Wilderness at 9:12PM on Jul 23rd 2008
-------------------------------
Sound doctrine, Man in Wilderness. AMEN...
Observant at 9:50PM on Jul 23rd 2008
377. APERSON.
(I believe in equality)
Godless Heathen Brian at 2:10PM on Jul 24th 2008
378. Ryan post 372 - Now you are not speaking true. If you are in Christ and Christ is in you, you cannot leave Him, and He will never lose you nor forsake you. It is not a copout, or cultish. Just simply "Once saved, always saved." If you do the things contrary to God's laws and commandments, better back up and check your salvation. If the Holy Spirit has dealt with you, and broken your selfish sin nature, and by faith you have accepted Jesus as your personal Saviour, you are saved by His grace.
BigTuna post 373 - Ouch... As with any man, woman, boy, or girl there are some saved in all faiths, and walk of life. All of us who have accepted Christ as our personal Saviour come to Him the same way.
Drawn by God the Holy Spirit we understand that because of sin we are doomed to a devil's hell, we can't save ourselves. Christ became our sin sacrifice, died in our place, was buried, and rose again the 3rd day according to the scriptures, conquering death, hell, and the grave. By faith we accept this as absolute fact. For those desiring a coded message it is like this... Romans 3:10; 3:23; 5:8; 10:9; and 10:13. Decipher this code in the book of Romans... AKA the Romans Road. Peace
Man_in_Wilderness at 6:57PM on Jul 24th 2008
379. MIW: Unfortunately, you "win" this argument, because there is no Christ, so he never was in me. It was just a trick of the brain.
Ryan Anderson at 7:03PM on Jul 24th 2008
380.
The Deceit of Religiosity
Positive conclusions of an Octogenarian.
As the human mind is fundamentally prone to the generation of illusions, we must try to visualize in a realistic manner, the birth & ramose nature of Religiosity. Everyone is infected with an imaginative ‘spiritual’ tendency, sentimentally induced, that is nothing more than the natural wonderment of our existence & surroundings. Elemental reasoning is needed to place all ‘fantasial’ thoughts in true perspective.
‘Heavenly’ visions need to be truly assessed & not allowed to sabotage the prevalent common sense & research that seeks to counter Life’s ongoing problems. Unrealistic ‘Beliefs’, the cause of so much mayhem & mortality of past & present, are all very basic Man-made creations - - - devious proclamations of a false & tedious nature, incessantly filling shallow minds with absurd religious dogma.
Unease can result in the mind having a very distorted & tormented view of one’s situation, with an urge to look skywards for help. In order to form a valid judgement on ‘figmentary Gods’ & ‘Heavenly’ matters, a reasonably healthy state of mind is essential.
Nearing the end of a long life, not without bother, the need to rely on any absurd ‘belief’ has never really entered my consciousness! It’s all too apparent that religious ‘Faiths’ are pure humbug, blessed with existence by Impostors & their largely naive followers.
******************************************
To date - ‘Beliefs’ I have ignored - They’ve never really struck a chord
But ageing - Getting more a wreck - I deemed it wise to run a check
Pondered long - Far back in time - & I declare with thoughts sublime
Faith’s nebulous starting point was found - I was correct the first time round!
Following are my DEEP reflections - All plain FACT - NO deception
***************************
Mankind has been profoundly caught - In devious realms of religious thought
One needs understand it’s INSTITUTION - & follow through - it’s EVOLUTION!
Quite simply - - - All ‘Gods’ were born as Man in fear - Strove to see his future clear
Apprehension & lack of knowledge - Spawned a ‘Holy Praying College’!
In primeval times - Long gone - Man deified Idol & Icon
& once begun – That ‘Godly Grind’ - Nested within a receptive mind!
Inevitably - - - In those early years of Man - The reign of Charlatan began
Claiming insight without proof - & saddling Man with ONE BIG SPOOF!
Generations gone & all they’ve known - Is Charmanism - All ‘home grown’
RELIGIONS? - They are SO abundant - ALL should be by now – REDUNDANT!
THEOSOPHIES? - Created by the score! - BELIEFS? - We doubtless need no more!
Suffice to say - “We’ll NEVER know - What REALLY makes the green grass grow!”
Probing the ATOM or ‘Heavenly’ SPACE – We do, indeed, come face to face
With INFINITIES galore - & probably a good deal MORE!
Temples & Cathedrals Grand - VERY impressive - But as they stand
Forget thee not - These ‘Sacred Places’ - Are but MONUMENTS to Man’s benighted phases!
The hallowed music of the choir - For better things it does aspire
But does ‘God’ hear this psalmic prayer? - Is He listening? -IS HE THERE?!
‘Men of God’ are full of cant - Preaching they know what we want
Know they themselves - They are UNCOUTH - When they profess to know the TRUTH!
Where ARE the ‘Gods’ to which they pray? - Requiring worship every day
The ‘Gods’ are solely in their heads - & in their heads that’s where they PLAY!
Just because Man CANNOT see – Affairs that may have yet to be
Trust is placed in a God unseen – An Essence that has NEVER been!
Are we ALL obliged to be beholden? - Even when life is FAR from golden?
Let’s have done with this masquerade - From the HEADS DOWN - BACKSIDES UP BRIGADE!
The grievous indifference of NATURE’S COURT - Is apparent in LIFE - of ANY SORT
What Man must do to get along - Is RATIONALIZE & STAY on song!
‘Faith’ in covert ‘Gods’ I fear - Can’t be taken serious here
COMMON SENSE ALONE sheds light - Let’s put ALL pious B’s to flight!
May the wisdom now amongst us - Rid us of this cloying fungus
Let’s all rejoice in LOGIC’S role - & bury the BUNKUM down a hole!
The grasp of facts in Man evolving - Guideth him in problem solving
When an act proves NO SOLUTION - - - MODIFY IT - - - THAT’S EVOLUTION!
So let some light into the brain - Resolve to think & think again
Is A religion all THAT fateful? - Oh PLEASE COME OFF IT - - - ALL YE FAITHFUL ! ! !
COMMON SENSE is ALL one needs - Not PASSÉ - SHROUDED - Man-made creeds
Common sense - ? ? ? - - - Get off thy perch - - - Use EVERYDAY WISDOM - Plus RESEARCH!
http://hometown.aol.co.uk/bill45690/bb.html
Bill Davison at 11:51AM on Jul 25th 2008
381. The Deceit of Religiosity
Positive conclusions of an Octogenarian.
As the human mind is fundamentally prone to the generation of illusions, we must try to visualize in a realistic manner, the birth & ramose nature of Religiosity. Everyone is infected with an imaginative ‘spiritual’ tendency, sentimentally induced, that is nothing more than the natural wonderment of our existence & surroundings. Elemental reasoning is needed to place all ‘fantasial’ thoughts in true perspective.
‘Heavenly’ visions need to be truly assessed & not allowed to sabotage the prevalent common sense & research that seeks to counter Life’s ongoing problems. Unrealistic ‘Beliefs’, the cause of so much mayhem & mortality of past & present, are all very basic Man-made creations - - - devious proclamations of a false & tedious nature, incessantly filling shallow minds with absurd religious dogma.
Unease can result in the mind having a very distorted & tormented view of one’s situation, with an urge to look skywards for help. In order to form a valid judgement on ‘figmentary Gods’ & ‘Heavenly’ matters, a reasonably healthy state of mind is essential.
Nearing the end of a long life, not without bother, the need to rely on any absurd ‘belief’ has never really entered my consciousness! It’s all too apparent that religious ‘Faiths’ are pure humbug, blessed with existence by Impostors & their largely naive followers.
******************************************
To date - ‘Beliefs’ I have ignored - They’ve never really struck a chord
But ageing - Getting more a wreck - I deemed it wise to run a check
Pondered long - Far back in time - & I declare with thoughts sublime
Faith’s nebulous starting point was found - I was correct the first time round!
Following are my DEEP reflections - All plain FACT - NO deceptions!
****************************
Mankind has been profoundly caught - In devious realms of religious thought
One needs understand it’s INSTITUTION - & follow through - it’s EVOLUTION!
Quite simply - - - All ‘Gods’ were born as Man in fear - Strove to see his future clear
Apprehension & lack of knowledge - Spawned a ‘Holy Praying College’!
In primeval times - Long gone - Man deified Idol & Icon
& once begun – That ‘Godly Grind’ - Nested within a receptive mind!
Inevitably - - - In those early years of Man - The reign of Charlatan began
Claiming insight without proof - & saddling Man with ONE BIG SPOOF!
Generations gone & all they’ve known - Is Charmanism - All ‘home grown’
RELIGIONS? - They are SO abundant - ALL should be by now – REDUNDANT!
THEOSOPHIES? - Created by the score! - BELIEFS? - We doubtless need no more!
Suffice to say - “We’ll NEVER know - What REALLY makes the green grass grow!”
Probing the ATOM or ‘Heavenly’ SPACE – We do, indeed, come face to face
With INFINITIES galore - & probably a good deal MORE!
Temples & Cathedrals Grand - VERY impressive - But as they stand
Forget thee not - These ‘Sacred Places’ - Are but MONUMENTS to Man’s benighted phases!
The hallowed music of the choir - For better things it does aspire
But does ‘God’ hear this psalmic prayer? - Is He listening? -IS HE THERE?!
‘Men of God’ are full of cant - Preaching they know what we want
Know they themselves - They are UNCOUTH - When they profess to know the TRUTH!
Where ARE the ‘Gods’ to which they pray? - Requiring worship every day
The ‘Gods’ are solely in their heads - & in their heads that’s where they PLAY!
Just because Man CANNOT see – Affairs that may have yet to be
Trust is placed in a God unseen – An Essence that has NEVER been!
Are we ALL obliged to be beholden? - Even when life is FAR from golden?
Let’s have done with this masquerade - From the HEADS DOWN - BACKSIDES UP BRIGADE!
The grievous indifference of NATURE’S COURT - Is apparent in LIFE - of ANY SORT
What Man must do to get along - Is RATIONALIZE & STAY on song!
‘Faith’ in covert ‘Gods’ I fear - Can’t be taken serious here
COMMON SENSE ALONE sheds light - Let’s put ALL pious B’s to flight!
May the wisdom now amongst us - Rid us of this cloying fungus
Let’s all rejoice in LOGIC’S role - & bury the BUNKUM down a hole!
The grasp of facts in Man evolving - Guideth him in problem solving
When an act proves NO SOLUTION - - - MODIFY IT - - - THAT’S EVOLUTION!
So let some light into the brain - Resolve to think & think again
Is A religion all THAT fateful? - Oh PLEASE COME OFF IT - - - ALL YE FAITHFUL ! ! !
COMMON SENSE is ALL one needs - Not PASSÉ - SHROUDED - Man-made creeds
Common sense - ? ? ? - - - Get off thy perch - - - Use EVERYDAY WISDOM - Plus RESEARCH!
Bill Davison at 11:58AM on Jul 25th 2008
382. Come home Bill Davidson, come home, the men in the white coats are a'waitn'
I don't know what you are talking about and I don't much care.
I'm the last one here. Don't taze me bro'!
TJ at 11:21AM on Aug 20th 2008