From what I can recall this is only the second time that Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry have come together in public to discuss the matter of religion.
Yesterday, they teamed up against Ann Widdecombe and Bishop Onaiyekan (of Abuja, Nigeria) to argue against the motion, "The Catholic Church is a force for good in the world". Unlike
their discussion at Hay Festival in 2005, this debate centered on Christianity, demanding they focus their efforts. Seeing as this was a formal debate, conducted under proper auspices, here are the numbers:
Before the debate:
For - 678
Against - 1102
Don't Know - 346
After the debate:
For - 268
Against - 1876
Don't Know - 34
Well, what did you expect would happen? For all intents and purposes, that constitutes a rout. As someone remarked over at Richard Dawkins' website, "that's what they get for showing up to an artillery duel with water pistols". Apparently, the exchange is to be broadcast on BBC World on 7th and 8th November. Not one to miss, I imagine. There were even reports of Derren Brown in the audience. Fancy that.
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