Collision: Christopher Hitchens vs. Douglas Wilson
COLLISION carves a new path in documentary film-making as it pits leading atheist, political journalist and bestselling author Christopher Hitchens against fellow author, satirist and evangelical theologian Douglas Wilson, as they go on the road to exchange blows over the question: "Is Christianity Good for the World?".
The two contrarians laugh, confide and argue, in public and in private, as they journey through three cities. And the film captures it all. The result is a magnetic conflict, a character-driven narrative that sparkles cinematically with a perfect match of arresting personalities and intellectual rivalry.
In May 2007, leading atheist Christopher Hitchens and Christian apologist Douglas Wilson began to argue the topic "Is Christianity Good for the World?" in a series of written exchanges published in Christianity Today. The rowdy literary bout piqued the interest of filmmaker Darren Doane, who sought out Hitchens and Wilson to pitch the idea of making a film around the debate.
In Fall 2008, Doane and crew accompanied Hitchens and Wilson on an east coast tour to promote the book compiled from their written debate titled creatively enough, Is Christianity Good for the World?. “I loved the idea of putting one of the beltway’s most respected public intellectuals together with an ultra-conservative pastor from Idaho that looks like a lumberjack”, says Doane. "You couldn't write two characters more contrary. What’s more real than a fight between two guys who are on complete opposite sides of the fence on the most divisive issue in the world? We were ready to make a movie about two intellectual warriors at the top of their game going one-on-one. I knew it would make an amazing film."
I agree with Dawkins, and I share his incredulity with Christopher Hitchens statement.
Hitchens was a natural-born debater - he was a smart guy that simply enjoyed arguing. Frankly, even though I think he was right about most things, Hitchens was an a$$hole.
Hitchens wins hands down !
Wilson admitted that he s a Christian because his parents were, so if his parents were Jewish he would be fighting the same battle for them, So whose god is real ???????? None..
What about evolutionary psychology? The basis of our society is the ability to communicate, the basis of our ability to communicate is language and the basis of language is theory of mind. Theory of mind is the ability to think about what another is thinking about and act acordingly. Being able to think like this is the basis of empathy which is the basis of morality, social cohesion and human solidarity.
Nice and circuler but there is some truth in there somewhere!! Haha.
i really wish Hitchens would have picked up an evolutionary biology book once or twice. Every Christian crusader I come across always reverts to the argument, "how can you explain morals through innate evolution?", and the answer is very simple. Over thousands of years, random mutations in DNA, as we all know, produce different results in offspring, and, as a process of natural selection, the fittest survive and reproduce. That is fact. What Wilson obviously never considered is that a morally just individual, one who has empathy for his or her kin and sees the importance of working together, is much more likely to survive. His argument is destroyed on this principle. I'm formally trained as a chemist and not a biologist but that is the gist of it. Just angers me when I keep hearing this argument over and over.
I wish this movie wasn't ruined by shitty music, often times disturbingly in the background, shaky camera and gangster'ish helicopter shoots.. It just doesn't fit, and it grinds my gears. Otherwise a good collection of discussions. I must say I'm impressed by Douglas Wilson, he has his own arguments, which he obviously has put a lot of thought in to, and they are often well formulated. But Christopher, as he always did (rip), rules!
btw, one of Douglas' arguments, which was about looking at the world map, and picking out the nations that had been or still is, christian, you get the nations of the first world. Granted, but as Neil D. Tyson said, the middle east was once the great center of science on earth. Think about it, most of the stars names are arabic, we use latin letters, arabic numbers and mathematics, etc. etc... Until this douche prophet came along and made every man grow beards, woman cover themselves up and stay indoor, and kill everyone saying that he was wrong about his religion (infidels).
And take a look at the christan dark ages, which ruined the progression of science and set us back, and held us back for several hundred years.
If Jesus resurrected from the dead than he never died for our sins did he?!
How would I define truth? Well, I would know how to define the struggle for it. I don't believe that as with, objectivity for example, that it can be declared to be arrived at or found or discovered. But I think there are rules of etiquette and procedure that one must follow in the un-ending search so that the struggle may go on. As Rabbi Halil once put it "you may not ever win the battle, but you are not allowed to give it up".
I don't think that everything is relative. I don't think that subjectivity or individual impressions, in aggregate, cancel each other out. No. I mean I think there are concepts such as honestly, and objectivity that could help one in the struggle for truth, but I would very much doubt someone who said that they've found what the truth was.
What an awesome Documentary!
If we go to other planets in the future, will all these religious people stay on earth? The bible is about events on earth, and never mention any other planets, why would they follow the rest of us?
in grammar school the priest came at 9am, and i had to lower my head and while internaly i asked myself 'what the hell is this for', I had to externaly obei and agree with the man of cloth. And that is what I recall of religion. It is a dictatorship. And it is on that basis alone that it is morally wrong. In other words there probably is nothing wrong with "informing" young ones of certain moral conduct, when it be in the interest of the youngling's well being, in which case it is assumed the parents are not able to perform some basic functions. but on the flip side when the vulnerable child is imposed a train of thought by a complete stranger who has no interest in the familly, I question the validity of the medium. As a matter of fact I question it's value.
Look for a moment at cultures that have no Judeo/Christian moral code.
a) India.
Example: Suttee, a practise where a widow, regardless of her age (sometimes 9 or 10) is burned alive on her husband's funeral pyre. (This was outlawed by the Judeo/Christian laws of the British who colonised India.)
b) China.
Example: endless murder of female infants, culminating in a population which now had 60,000,000 more young adult males than females.
c) Islamic nations.
Examples:
Stonings, beheadings, amputations, mutilations, enslavement of an entire gender...the list is too horrific to continue.
I could site more examples than could fit on this site, but I don't have time to write a thesis.
That was a terrible 'documentary'. Such an incoherent mish-mash of half-finished ideas and snippets of film, backed by nerve-rending 'music'.
I thought this video was going to be an actual debate.
melvin i believe the bias it uses is the outright denial of the truth that has been given to the world.
you see "the kicking of a pregnant woman is repulsive", sure maybe for a sympathetic viewer, but, I would beg to differ if you say the person kicking them is feeling repulsed by the act he is doing.
Ughh. I almost want to believe at least one idea that comes from Wilson's mouth just because he seems like such a nice man and he's getting his ass kicked. It actually makes me sad how much he believes what he is saying, but essentially is making points that wouldn't sway even a wavering atheist, let alone a firm one. Anyways any logical human being would agree with Hitchens. Just plain and simple.
What Christians don't want to admit is they share a core belief with other religions that the answers are within. A teaching shared by Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Gnosticism, Muslim and many other faiths. The problem with actually teaching this within each religion is that it undermines the control they have over their flock. "If the answers are within than why the hell do you need us" is a fear of any control system.
"Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine."
I like the argument because they respected each other which made for a good and not irritating listen. I grew up with all chrstian beliefs and walked away from them later in life. The killings which took place in Joshua were something I could not get over. I do have a question for people on the side of athiesm which was not brought up in the debate. What about the supernatural? What do athiests say about healings, signs and wonders etc. There are thousands upon thousands of cases of healings from the past up to the present. I am curiouse for some feed back on this.
Dave
My problem with the good samaritan is that the church teaches the wrong story. I realised the story was aimed against the church a long time ago and I'm surprised at Mr Hitchens look of epiphany at this. It goes against the church and yet he took time to work that out. He should have used this against the believer instead of a bit of mutual backslapping.
I think they have to much mutual respect to argue effectively on this subject. This is more about book sales than actually pushing the argument forward.
Excellent doc.
Hitchens and Wilson debate in very affable manner and at times it's lol stuff. The Woodhouse quotes bit is hilarious! I think it's because Wilson is such jolly and genial chap that Hitch is a bit easy on him. Hitch says that this is one of the few debates where his opponent genuinely believes in god. Wilson's arguements are weak but his belief is strong, he cannot see he has been brainwashed so effectively that brainwashing is now his profession. Religion is the business of mind control and they are very good at it.
Unkeep the faith
Wow.. Best ReligiousAtheist debated Documentary.. very well carried.. well handled.. very respected... it's beautiful to see people agree to disagree and not be so irate or hostile about it.. Strong points on BOTH sides... but I still love God. God reveals himself to me and I can NEVER deny it. I can't leave it.. not only because the Bible says so.. it's just diferent .. not of this world as some would say.. If I had such fluent words for such a description as these gentlemen in the film.. perhaphs it might help.. but as usual.. you have to experience God .. know God.. not just learn about Him.. I mean really get to know him.. seeking Him.. when you experience that.. then you'll understand love, grace.. not just stories.. you begin to change.. something good dwells in you that come alive änd makes you yearn for more of Him. Experience.
I am surprised the frequent players are not all over this doc.
az
God is love. God is light. The light shines in the darkness. Even though in the name of religion wrong is done, love and light persist. Billy Graham said if the Holy Spirit went home, 90% of the religious business would continue. It is in the 10%, amongst those filled with the Spirit of Jesus, that miracles are seen, love is released, and the world made a better place. We are naturally self serving, sin is choosing self. Christ's spirit empowers us to choose others and to focus our lives on transforming a suffering world.
Although I'm an atheist, I have a certain respect for religion, because it has served as a primitive form of philosophy in times when there simply wasn't any other system of ideas in existence, and men needed (as they also now need) a consistent worldview.
I also think the majority of philosophers (both religious and secular) have undermined the pursuit of truth.
However, the truth ultimately lies in understanding reality by means of reason, and that's why I choose Objectivism and atheism rather than faith or skepticism.
Another positive word on religion - I admire the artistic creations of certain religious people of the past. I very much enjoy the music of Bruckner, not because I agree with him on religion, but because I'm moved by the feelings of joy, profoundness and purpose that his music conveys (particularly his 7th and 8th Symphonies).