Nightline to air debate on existence of Satan
Offline Worth watching or 30 minutes you'll never get back. I can't decide.
The debate over whether Satan exists is hardly going to be settled in a 30-minute television show.
But that's not stopping a rather curious lineup from debating that question for ABC's "Nightline."
The debaters: megachurch Pastor Mark Driscoll of Seattle; alternative-medicine author Deepak Chopra; a former Las Vegas escort who founded Hookers for Jesus; and a former Pentecostal preacher who was branded a heretic for saying everyone — not just Christians — could go to heaven.
The four are gathering Friday at Mars Hill Church in Ballard, where Driscoll is preaching pastor, to tape the segment, which will air March 26.
The topic has gotten a few responses of "Say what?" Why, now, is "Nightline" discussing Satan's existence, and why were these particular people chosen to do so?
For one, the topic can be particularly relevant in troubled times such as these, when people are looking for explanations for economic chaos.
For another: "There's always an interest in these topics," said James Goldston, the show's executive producer.
Not to mention potentially great ratings.
"Every time we've done one, the response has been pretty dramatic," he said.
It's the latest in a series of "Face Off" debates "Nightline" launched two years ago, bringing together prominent people to debate hot topics. The first one — on the existence of God — is still abcnews.com's single most commented-upon story, Goldston said.
Bold was mine, there at the end.
Link to full story here:
seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2008877678_satan18m.html
"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
George Orwell
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You can throw out questions for the debaters at the link. And I think I put this thread in the wrong spot. Crap !
"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
George Orwell
30 minutes I'd never get back. Good thing I won't be watching it.
Their collection of speakers sounds like a circus. That's 30 min you will never get back.
What? No atheists? It'll totally suck. A theist circle jerk.
Seriously folks, every time a national show like(not just this one, but any show, now or in the future) this fails to include an atheist we should e-mail them and ask them why they failed to do so.
Contacting local and national does work.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Not only does Satan exist, we know exactly where he lives:
http://www.askelm.com/news/n020627.htm
I say nuke his home and be done with him.
What if God is dead and Satan is all we have left?
Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. --Mark Skousen
No Satanists either. They really ought to be kind of important to the process if the producer has already decided the conclusion which they are going to reach.
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If 'the devil's greatest trick is to make people believe he doesn't exist', then wouldn't a true Satanist be an atheist?
Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. --Mark Skousen
I thought Mary Magdalene founded Hookers for Jesus.
And for that matter, why are they inviting the Hindoo and not any Mohammedans or Hebrews? They're clearly discussing the existence of the Biblical Satan, and at least an analogue to that character is present in Judaism and Islam.
"The whole conception of God is a conception derived from ancient Oriental despotisms. It is a conception quite unworthy of free men."
--Bertrand Russell
You know why. Nightline had more success hosting an argument about God featuring a stripper and a child actor than anything they've ever done. Surprised? Why would they risk it by attempting some kind of egalitarian approach, when I'm pretty sure it was more important to have the stripper in there than the child actor?
Now, predictably, there's a prostitute in the mix. "Hey guys, if we did that well with a stripper ..."
Yeah. Who doesn't think that Kelly's boobs are smarter than both Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron combined? Anyone? Raise your hands. Bueller? That's what I thought.
Saint Will: no gyration without funkstification.
fabulae! nil satis firmi video quam ob rem accipere hunc mi expediat metum. - Terence
I'm continually amazed that anyone finds debates like this anything other than comical. I see this, and I think, "Really? Satan? ... Really?"
I find that the farther I get away from religion, the more incredulous I become when I encounter a real life person who takes it seriously. Someone was telling me just a few minutes ago that they saw two cyclists stopped on the sidewalk having a laying on of hands prayer session with a homeless guy.
Really? They really stopped that guy to say magic words over him?
Really?
It would be downright comical if it wasn't the most oppressive scourge on the earth.
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
Lol! I'm half tempted to put that in my sig!
"They always say the same thing; 'But evolution is only a theory!!' Which is true, I guess, and it's good they say that I think, it gives you hope that they feel the same about the theory of Gravity and they might just float the f**k away."
Because there aren't more pressing matters to debate....
How sad is it that in the year 2009 we're STILLd debating this bullshit for serious?
*Our world is far more complex than the rigid structure we want to assign to it, and we will probably never fully understand it.*
"Those believers who are sophisticated enough to understand the paradox have found exciting ways to bend logic into pretzel shapes in order to defend the indefensible." - Hamby
I agree. There's a false premise being presented in the debate by excluding atheists. It's about whether satan exists within the framework of a religion, never minding the validity of the religion itself.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
I thought this was going to turn out to be George Bush's ranch in Texas and was all set for a good laugh, but not.
____________________________________________________________
"I guess it's time to ask if you live under high voltage power transmission lines which have been shown to cause stimulation of the fantasy centers of the brain due to electromagnetic waves?" - Me
"God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, - it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks please. Cash and in small bills." - Robert A Heinlein.
Just one of those ironic little things, after reading this I went on Facebook and saw my brother is currently listening to Mark Driscoll.
This so called debate is obviously a sad one sided deal. I don't really care that they didn't include atheists, it's hardly a earthshattering debate. They should have included some people from satan's 'side'. Wasn't there a debate on atheism or god's existence awhile ago in which they didn't invite any atheists? But hay, since when do christians listen to other opinions..
Psalm 14:1 "the fool hath said in his heart there is a God"-From a 1763 misprinted edition of the bible
Argument from Sadism: Theist presents argument in a wall of text with no punctuation and wrong spelling. Atheist cannot read and is forced to concede.
How ironic that this topic appears just as the easter season begins. What movie will be in the theaters on easter Sunday? I haven't yet seen Bill Mahr's movie. Can we not get an Atheist on that program, or maybe these people are just to scared of the damn truth.
Next:
"Does Santa exist? Tune in to find out!"
Cue prostitutes AND strippers (naturally, in Christmas costumes).
Saint Will: no gyration without funkstification.
fabulae! nil satis firmi video quam ob rem accipere hunc mi expediat metum. - Terence
All right a portion of the debate airs tonight on nightline, but you can watch the full debate anytime online.
The debate is also broken up into 10 segments and titled individually if you want to check it out that way.
I just watched Carlton Pearson tak about how the bible has borrowed mythology.
The link to the debate here:abcnews.go.com/nightline/faceoff
The ABC News article on the debate here:www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story
"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
George Orwell
Funny how getting too old to make the big bucks seems to help hookers find Jesus.
Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. --Mark Skousen
Mark Driscoll's statement that "people choose to believe a lie" was just a gem. Let's all be a good atheists and force ourselves to believe what we know is a lie. Of course we know we're going to hell for not believing, but we got to force ourselves to believe Satan's lies.
Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. --Mark Skousen
It is sad that our species has put humans on the moon and invented cell phones, computers and medicine for AIDS and cancer, and people still believe in godsperm and zombie gods surviving rigor mortis.
BUT, if we don't raise our voices, it will get worse.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
The best part was when the guy in the audience asked the question.
Guy: So you believe that all belief systems are result of human insecurity?
Chopra: Yes
Guy: You believe that?
Chopra: Yes, I believe that.
Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. --Mark Skousen
I'm in the same boat... and I keep falling back to my youth and drawing parallels between these guys and those kids that use to argue about who was tougher the Hulk or the Thing.
Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer. - William S. Burroughs