This film is about the debates between Christopher Hitchens and Pastor Douglas Wilson. And they answer the question, "Is Christianity GOOD for the world?"
Christopher Hitchens is an atheist, a journalist, and a writer. He's written books called "The Portable Athiest", "Thomas Jefferson: Arthur of America", and "God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything."
Douglas Wilson is also a writer, and has written books called "Reform Marriage", and "The Case for Classical Christian Education." Wilson is also an evangelical theologian.
I found all their debates to be engaging, thought provocking, and absolutely hypnotic. And this documentary creates a very intense atmosphere, and can be very hypnotic at times.
I was amazed to see Douglas Wilson win many of the arguments that he had with Christopher Hitchens. And how Douglas was able to even teach Hitchens about certain parables within the Bible. Like the "good Samaritan" story. Hitchens realized that it's a story that didn't come from Christianity, since the story was told by Jesus Christ. And that it's not just a morality tale, but a parable that Jesus used to tackle the racial tensions between Jews and Samaritans. I guess Hitchens either didn't know about that, or he forgot. But this parable is usually told as a Sunday school lesson, and children are basically told to be "good kids." And they completely ignore the actual reasons to why the story was told.
Christopher Hitchens also makes some great points. Like some of the immoral actions that take place within the Old Testament, and that morality is innate in us. We know the difference between right and wrong, because we just know it. Hitchens also says that just because somebody says that their mother was a virgin, it doesn't make their arguments true. And if that same man turned out to be dead, and then alive again, his arguments are still no good. So Hitchens grants everything in the New Testament to be true, and it wouldn't make him a Christian. And to him, it shouldn't make anybody a Christian.
That is easily the most thought provocking, and extraodinary argument that I have ever heard in my life. So while I completely disagree with all of his points, I can't deny how intelligent they are.
Douglas Wilson points out that Hitchens doesn't come up with a standard, that over rules Christianity. Because the moral standards that Hitchens lives by, comes from the Bible. The moral standards for Atheists, basically comes from the Holy Bible. Their standard, borrows from another standard. So we wouldn't know the difference between right and wrong, if it wasn't for the Holy Bible. And I agree with Wilson, because I'm also a Christian. I believe in God and Jesus Christ, and I follow the Bible. And I consider the Holy Bible to be the absolute word of God.
But while I agree with Wilson, I will admit that morality is innate in us. But I believe that morality is innate in us, because it comes from God. While Hitchens says that it's just innate in us, and that there is no God behind the creation of morality. So Hitchens is accidentally quoting from the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible teaches that morality is innate in us. Except Hitchens chooses to ignore God.
In the end, I didn't feel like anybody won the debates. Both of these men made some great points. Douglas Wilson was kind of "insulting", and "flippant" towards the end, while Hitchens was a walking contradiction.
So what are my criticisms of the film? Well there seemed to be too many random shots of Douglas Wilson's shoes, and Christopher Hitchens eyes. There were also too many close ups of their faces, and strange camera angles. And a lot of scenes in black and white for some reason. With some really odd color motifs. The director of this film was trying way too hard to be artsy. The film was too artistic for it's own good.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this film. And it's probably the best documentary that I've seen in months. My rating is an 8.5/10.
Monday, March 28, 2011
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