27 November 2010 Last updated at 06:08 GMT
Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens debate religion

Click to play
Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens debated the idea 'Religion is a force for good in the world'
Former UK PM Tony Blair has defended the role of religion in global affairs, in a televised debate in Canada with atheist columnist Christopher Hitchens
Mr Blair, a Catholic convert, said faith was a force for good and it was "futile" to attempt to drive it out.
But Mr Hitchens, who is terminally ill with cancer, argued religion forced people into doing terrible things.
In a vote after the debate, the audience voted two-to-one in Mr Hitchens' favour.
A 23-country poll paid for by the debate's Canadian organisers suggests the world is evenly split on the issue.
The confrontation took place in front of a sell-out audience of 2,700 people in Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall.
The two men were asked to debate the motion: "That religion is a force for good in the world".
'Cruel experiment'The BBC's Paul Adams, who was in the hall, said it was a carefully moderated and largely polite debate, without the rumbles of thunder many had been hoping for.
Mr Blair, a lifelong Christian who converted to Catholicism after leaving office in 2007, acknowledged that "horrific acts" had been committed in the name of religion.
But he said that a "world without faith would be morally diminished".
He said the most challenging issue for people of faith was how to explain the relevance of ancient scripture in the modern world.
Mr Blair also insisted that his decision to support the US invasion of Iraq was based on policy and not on his faith.
Mr Hitchens, who has previously described Christianity, Judaism and Islam as the "real axis of evil", said religion was "a cruel experiment whereby we are created sick and ordered to be well".
Humans gained little, and compromised their freedom, by acting like sheep, said Mr Hitchens.
He said religions created a "celestial dictatorship" which was "greedy for praise from dawn to dusk". He won a laugh from the audience and Mr Blair when he compared such an authority to the North Korean leadership.
In the end, the audience seemed more impressed, and perhaps more entertained, by Mr Hitchens, says our correspondent, and he won the debate by a margin of two to one.
Global pollPrior to the debate, the organisers had commisioned a 23-country poll on religion by Ipsos.
Some 48% of the 18,192 people questioned by Ipsos took the view that "religion provides the common values and ethical foundations that diverse societies need to the thrive in the 21st Century".
Fractionally more - 52% - supported the view that "religious beliefs promote intolerance, exacerbate ethnic divisions, and impede social progress in developing and developed nations alike".
Rich countries were less likely to see religion as a force for good than poor countries - the main exception being the United States, where 65% said it had a positive impact.
The Ipsos poll, conducted in September, found that Europe was the region most doubtful about the benefits of religion, with just 19% in Sweden agreeing that it was a force for good.
At the other end of the scale, in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, it was seen as a positive force by more than 90% of those questioned.
Within North America, there was a pronounced divide. In Canada, only 36% agreed with the positive view of religion whereas 64% saw it as a negative force - figures almost exactly the reverse of those in the US.
Christopher Hitchens has continued his outspoken attacks on religion in interviews as he is treated for cancer of the oesophagus.
He is scathing about those who suggest his illness might lead him to retract his atheism.
In a BBC Newsnight interview to be broadcast on 29 November, he says he is not afraid of death, but regrets the fact that it will cause distress to friends and family.
In comments released by the debate's organisers he said it was "bizarre" that Mr Blair, a Catholic since 2007, had converted "at one of the most conservative times for the Catholic Church, under one of the most conservative popes".
Speaking before the debate, Tony Blair said: "The good that people of faith all over the world do every day, motivated by their religion, cannot be underestimated and should never be ignored."
It could, and should, be a force for progress, he said.


Click to play
Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens debated the idea 'Religion is a force for good in the world'
This is what I am talking about - it is not a question of religion, it is a question of faith. We all have faith in something and there is no need to build churches and clans in the name of it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this post. I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteelectric man 2
geometry dash
Thank you very useful information admin, and pardon me permission to share articles here may help :
ReplyDeleteCara Menghilangkan Benjolan Di Punggung Secara Alami
Cara Mengobati Radang Telinga
Cara Pesan QnC Jelly Gamat
Obat Gagal Ginjal Tanpa Cuci Darah
ReplyDeleteI browse I imagine your web site is obviously fascinating and weblog articles
with this distinctive unique web site and h -AS acquired collections of tips which were amazing
my website - 풀싸롱
(jk)
. It is encouraging you that there are nations whose public pay is less $800 and ethical quality of under five years age youngsters is about 26%.Islamic quotes about life
ReplyDeleteA very awesome blog post. We are really grateful for your blog post. You will find a lot of approaches after visiting your post.
ReplyDeleteShohar Se Talaq Ya Divorce Lene Ka Wazifa
Shohar Ki Narazgi Khatam Karne Ka Wazifa
Thanks for your nice sharing article for us. I’m a blogger and i have a news related with more website running on wordpress. I used CMS for my different site and you share here details about CMS for any wordpress site. That’s really helpful to us.
ReplyDeleteHow To Get Your Ex Boyfriend Back
Vashikaran To Get My Ex Love Back
토토사이트
ReplyDelete배트맨토토
토토
Your blog is great. I read a lot of interesting things from it. Thank you very much for sharing. Hope you will update more news in the future.
스포츠중계
ReplyDelete해외스포츠중계
스포츠토토
Thanks for sharing.I found a lot of interesting information here. A really good post, very thankful and hopeful that you will write many more posts like this one.
스포츠토토
ReplyDelete먹튀검증
토토
Thanks so very much for taking your time to create this very useful and informative site. I have learned a lot from your site.
Tony Blair is a Prick
ReplyDeleteStudents can use a service to get their assignments done. In some cases, they even pay the writers to complete their assignments. However, it is important to make sure that the assignment is completed with quality content. This is why you need to choose the right assignment writing service.
ReplyDelete