…and this is a 
Ray Comfort won the debate
Category: Kooks
Posted on: May 9, 2007 10:18 AM, by PZ Myers
At least, that's what he says. He's a good Christian, so he wouldn't lie to us, would he?
You know those parts in the debate where they sat there looking poleaxed, not knowing how to reply? They were praying. That's the ticket; when the Rational Response Squad said something rude about god, they had to stop for a moment to beg god to forgive them. That's how good a Christian Ray Comfort is. It was an unfair edge to the skeptics, because they could blaspheme without having to pause to have a chat with The Lord.
Comments
And that's why it's pointless to "debate" these people - they're so completely clueless they don't even realise when they've been taken to the cleaners. If logic and reason (of even the most basic sort) are completely alien to you, how would you ever realise you were wrong about something?
Posted by: Dunc | May 9, 2007 10:26 AM
Holy crap, it must take Comfort a week and a half to watch Goodfellas, what with all the pausing and praying, pausing and praying.
Posted by: BigHeathenMike | May 9, 2007 10:30 AM
They're not allowed to watch anything but Growing Pains reruns and Gidget.
Posted by: Steve_C (Secular Elitist) FCD | May 9, 2007 10:38 AM
Was it also noticed here that last night Anderson Cooper brought up evolution and the Republican debate? James Carville and Ralph Reed batted it back and forth a few minutes.
Unsurprisingly, it wasn't much. Carville had the (true) talking points down well, bringing up Mormon teachings (well, nonsense like the lost tribes being in America) and how they could be taught in Mormon churches and tabernacles and oughtn't be taught as fact in schools. Reed said that it should be up to local school boards to decide if scientific alternatives (what are those, Ralph?) should be taught in their schools.
IOW, Carville stated that science and fact are all that should be taught in science class, Ralph tried to imply that ID and other "alternatives" counted as science and fact ("academic freedom" was a term he abused). And that's about as far as it got, actually.
I think it's mostly interesting simply that it appeared on a major cable news show, not too long after a more extensive discussion of the same subject on the same program.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/35s39o
Posted by: Glen Davidson | May 9, 2007 10:40 AM
I thought it was Comforts job to lie to the masses.
Posted by: Chaoswes | May 9, 2007 10:58 AM
You people don't understand that, according to these lunatics, "logic is a tool of the Devil".
Several years ago I read an exposé of a local TV news show that hired a right-wing Christian News Director. This was the one quote I remember from that article. It explains so much about their thinking.
I also thought of how brilliant the first preacher was who used this line. What could be a better way to keep people in ignorance? "Don't be listening to these infidels and their logic -- logic was sent by Satan to test your faith!"
Posted by: Sonja | May 9, 2007 11:19 AM
Actually, they are restricted only to reruns from the final season, when Mike quit acting like a heathen and all.
Posted by: chris | May 9, 2007 11:25 AM
Pretty lame that the RRS guy was reading from his notes for most of the time.
Posted by: Philboid Studge | May 9, 2007 11:27 AM
Ray Comfort needs comfort.
Posted by: John Danley | May 9, 2007 11:28 AM
Sonja:
He's got a valid point. Logic tested my faith, and my faith failed. So I got rid of it.
Posted by: Roy | May 9, 2007 12:02 PM
Did Ray forget that they blasphemed against his god with the one unforgivable sin? According to his mythology, praying to his god to forgive them is kind of pointless, now.
Posted by: Steve Sutton | May 9, 2007 12:04 PM
The clip at the link is pretty clear about how things went-- I was pleased and impressed with the positive, friendly approach of the rational responders. They were very direct, but also perfectly polite throughout; I'd have taken a slightly different tack on a couple of issues, but overall it went very well. On the other hand, the reaction of Comfort is typical: I won and I was mistreated (these are, after all, people who claim to be oppressed when they aren't allowed to impose their revelations on all of us by force of law).
Posted by: Bryson Brown | May 9, 2007 12:19 PM
I think the video of the 'debate' that I watched must be different to the one Comfort is looking forward to, since, in his words we will hear clear, concise evidence for the existance [sic] of God. How incredible.
Incredible indeed. Actually, it would be miraculous!
Posted by: Ray | May 9, 2007 12:48 PM
I haven't seen the show yet but I've heard that the Rational Responders were not as polished as Comfort and Cameron, so they may have suffered - image wise - for that.
But the God Squad's logic and science wasn't polished either - mostly, from all accounts, because it did not even exist.
What I find amusing is that when I pointed out the idiocy of their victory dance then I became guilty of "Crowing and Mocking".
Posted by: Calladus | May 9, 2007 12:53 PM
Glenn,
I too watched the debate on AC360 on CNN. What pains me most was neither the Carville nor AC asked what you are asking i.e., what is the scientific basis for what Ralph was proposing. I think AC failed as a journalist because he never asked the right questions.
Posted by: Zhaphod | May 9, 2007 1:35 PM
They declared victory. What a surprise.
If I had a nickel for every time some theist declared victory over me...I'd have a whole lotta nickels.
Enough to break a Coinstar, in fact.
Posted by: Krystalline Apostate | May 9, 2007 8:39 PM
Re: logic as the devil's tool:
I have had that experience personally, as recounted here a while ago. I no longer argue with those types...
Posted by: Jorg | May 9, 2007 9:06 PM
The people who say logic is the devil's tool still use it. You can't make any argument without logic - and you can do without it is make outraged sounds.
Posted by: Caledonian | May 9, 2007 9:08 PM
I haven't had a chance to read through all these comments, but I completely agree with the initial post. It's nice to see the scientific community concede their loss. I look forward to similar debates (with similar outcomes) in the future. Hopefully with less blaspheming from the atheists so there are fewer pauses in the action.
Posted by: Speide Bahl | May 10, 2007 7:23 AM
Watching the debate just proved to me how sick I actually am. I still think Kirk is kinda hot in a vacuous, bimboish sort of way. The kind of guy that, if you asked him what he thought about art, he would say, "Who's Art?"
Posted by: wrpd4 | May 10, 2007 8:42 PM
Oh please #6: "logic is a tool of the Devil". I've been preaching in Christian churches all over Australia for the better part of the last 20 years and I've never heard a single Christian even insinuate as much. In fact Anglicans appeal to logic as a part of their faith. They'll tell you they refer to Scripture, Tradition AND Reason.
All of that aside, I agree the atheists won the debate. Truth is - Ray and Kirk were terrible at "debating". They didn't make a serious attempt to deliver on their promise and were like stunned deers caught in the headlights whenever they were called to respond to the atheist's points.
BUT - I gotta wonder if anyone really wins these sorts of debates anyway. Atheists remain atheists, Christians remain Christians and each side rolls their eyes at the other's points while patting themselves on the back for their own.
While the fence-sitters will no doubt have concluded that the Atheists were better debaters, many were still persuaded by a few of the points brought forth by Ray and Kirk. I've had lots of calls from people wanting to come back to church as a consequence of the debate. I wonder if any will stop going as a consequence?
Cheers
Posted by: Pastor Pete | May 12, 2007 5:51 AM