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Hi, I've just watched a recent episode of the atheist experience which I normally enjoy,
a show from Texas which often features Mat Dilahuntay as co-host. This particular show
featured Ray Comfort as the sole guest on the end of a telephone. After about 10 minutes
I had to turn it off.
This prompted me to express some feelings that I have had for some time about such debates.
Nearly always you are not going to achieve what you are hoping to achieve - and very
often you will achieve the opposite. So let me dig into this a bit more and explain......Firstly
there is an assumption when I ask people about this, and I've asked quite a few friends about
this, what would they hope to achieve, what would their goals be? There are about three
or four answers that normally come back. Firstly to reveal the obvious lies and distortions
in Ray Comfort's central case. Secondly to reveal to his own flock/congregation
how distorted his message is, with the intention of hopefully persuading a few of them to leave
the church altogether. Thirdly to make sure that everybody out there
knows what a shill and what a liar Ray Comfort is.
Fourthly to give him a good kicking.- to give him a trouncing in debate which shows that
he cannot hold his own in rational debate. The last one I'll ignore because although
you may succeed in doing that, Comfort is enough of an operator to put any personal
irritation to one side and to take a wider picture - as you should also do.
Comfort isn't quite as stupid as you may gather if you take him at face value. He makes a
damn good living doing this stuff - this IS his living. He is like a second-hand car salesman
or a spiv or a shill or whatever word you want to use. He is basically a shady type
second-hand car salesman - a Del-Boy character. He makes enough to keep himself and his family
in relative affluence. This is done very knowingly. So don't treat him as though he is sincere
because he is not.
Every time you interview him you are giving him free adverts. And it doesn't matter whether
you trounce him in debate or not. Even if you absolutely hammer him in debate. He knows
this, which is why, if you watch the Atheist-Experience show I'm talking about, he is effusive at
the start with his thanks for being allowed onto the show. He MEANS it. He knows damn
well that he is going to be given a kicking by Matt for 30 minutes or so, but it doesn't
matter. That will only add to his prestige amongst his own followers and it is only going
to give him a chance to add to his congregation - to snare more people. It doesn't put people
off - it does just the opposite. The sort of people who are going to be attracted
to Ray Comfort are not the critical thinkers that we sometimes think they may be. They
are, for one reason or another denied access to high quality education, or brainwashed
/ indoctrinated or subject to peer-pressure or, unfortunately in some cases, just not
very bright. I am NOT trying to insult anybody here - honestly. Many of these people are
in desperate need of education. But they are not going to be persuaded by their hero being
given a kicking by atheists they have been taught to despise.
My position is clear- we should not be debating these people. There is no upside for us, only
downsides. Worst case scenario for Comfort is that he
makes no converts. more likely he will enhance his presence and prestige amongst the people
in his target group and probably add to his 'flock' and therefore increases what I would
regard as his illicit earnings from his dishonesty.
Take an honest good look at your motivations and objectives before debating Comfort et
al. There is no criticism here intended, simply a call for a bit of reflection on this to
see if we are actually doing what we probably wish to do.......
Best wishes