After a few months of researching boxing, this much I can tell you: ‘facts’ change over time. It doesn’t even matter if there is footage of the ‘facts.’ Mythologies arise, and are called truth.
Welcome to the world.
So imagine what happens to the stories, on the ground, with war (especially when you throw in tax-payer paid privatised security systems, the weapons industry—the Military Industrial Complex—and their friends the media). Or arising mythologies in the case of the following debate, witchhunts, genocides and other horrific things.
To begin, let me say this debate between D’Souza and Shermer is relatively friendly but, like most any effective Gallup Poll question, asks the wrong question altogether: Is Christianity Good For The World?
It’s a bit like asking Are Men Good For The World? because men commit virtually all the killings?
Wait a second, don’t ask the second question. The answer’s too up in the air.
SHERMER THE MONEY!
Anyway, as Michael Shermer points out, it depends on which Christians one is talking about—just like it would depend on which men (or women) or most everything else, and even then it’s all up to one’s belief. Although militant atheists will hate Shermer’s generosity, it seems to me that what he is saying is deeply important, if not an absolute truth.
You could dress Hitler up as a Nazi, a Communist (he hated communists), a Catholic (he at the very least worked with Catholics) or anything else—heck, even as a marginal vegetarian—and he would be profoundly distasteful in terms of personality.
Further, as evidenced everywhere, two well-intentioned, highly intellectual people can have remarkably polarized takes on a given subject.
This is not an argument for relativism, relatively speaking. But relativism, as a force, plays itself out as a natural human phenomenon anyway, due to the individuality of every person (and culture) on the planet, and its (wo)manifestation.
Here’s the debate.
RELATIVE GODS AND GOD’S RELATIVES
One note, I found Michael Shermer’s statistics on religion (sort of vs) spirituality—asking which people do the most for others, etc—provocative. You probably will too. Shermer speaks in the second half of the first part.
DINESH D’SOUZA DEBATES DE-TRUTH
D’Souza is a good debater, sans doute—and supposedly he once dated Ann Coulter, which is quite a thought and a curious image.
Regardless, like so many debaters, D’Souza reminds me of that wonderful type of person who can convince and teach a great deal, but will learn (or adjust) only that which reinforces their own viewpoint.
Of course, I too am like this (annoying).
Imagine if we actually debated to learn and to explore, instead of to win.
But back to Dinesh.
For example, as a defence of Christianity, D’Souza makes the interesting observation that, from recent evidence, only something like 2100 people were killed in the Inquisition, and adds that only 18 people were killed at the Salem Witch trials.
Which recalls that famous Abbott and Costello sketch:
Which trials are you talking about?
The witch trials.
That’s what I’m asking: which trials!
The Witch Trials. I’m talking about witch trials.
I know! That’s what I’m asking! Which trials are you talking about!
That’s what I said: witch trials!
Granted, with a mode of delivery meant to show how open, compassionate and unbiased D’Souza is, he says that 2118 people killed (or whatever it was he said) are 2118 too many—which of course they are. But, he adds, it’s not in the ballpark of seriously bad ideologies, like Islam or Communism.
What D’Souza fails to mention is that something like 50 to 60,000 ‘witches’ were actually burned to death during the episode of Witch trials, from something like 110,000 trials.
The effects of public torturing on a peoples’ psyche need not be addressed here. Suffice to say, when I read recently about one writer in China being sent away for 10 or 15 years for sending an email to a pro-democracy movement in the West, I got nervous by what I write—a bunch of love-dovey stuff—even though I live in the West!
Tha’s how persuasive such violence is. Imagine if three of four writers were killed in America or Canada for what they wrote. It would chill the air. Imagine fifty thousand.
Fifty-thousand deaths is a serious reign of terror, that would silence all but the very few.
Here’s a little more history on that.
Speaking of Michael Shermer, by the way, and a person I like by what I know, it was I who edited (cutting out simply the insults) the segment of his show he did with good friend and astrologer Jeffrey Armstrong.
The comments on that piece are hilarious, and instructive in how sure they are of what has been edited and what hasn’t. One of the big cries of outrage is the ending I supposedly left out.
It is quite simple. Michael finished with this shocking revelation (this is sarcasm):
While skeptics will explain the results of our study as due to chance and wishful interpretation, believers will see them as further proof that the stars and planets directly influence our lives.
How sinister to leave that out!
What’s cool is I don’t even have to ‘believe’ in Astrology to say that Jeffrey’s results were interesting. I didn’t say scientific or conclusive, but interesting. And, one could argue, worthy of respectful follow-up.
For a really long-winded essay on the piece (which I wrote in my long-winded way), press here.
That ol’ youtube-edited chestnut is here.
What all this has to do with a D’Souza-Shermer debate on Chrisitianity, I’m not sure—but then again, I’m not sure of much.
But is Chrisitianity Good For The World? All I know is that love is good for the world. And where Christianity preaches and lives love (and where this love is heard and manifests), it is very good for the world.
No longer love your neighbour, love your enemy (actually, love your neighbour too).
Love to you in this mystery we call life—love more!
pete xo