Tony Blair - Hitchens vs. Blair: Be It Resolved Religion Is a Force for Good in the World

PETER MUNK: On behalf of the Aurea Foundation, and on behalf of the Munk Debates, Id like to welcome you all. Ive been here for all six debates, and this time the excitement seems to be noticeable beyond the hall and beyond the city.

When we had the idea of starting these debates we hoped for excitement. The idea behind it was to try to elevate the quality of discussion, the level of dialogue on important global issues amongst Canadians. There are many ways of doing that, of course, but there was no better way than a high-quality debate, involving issues of vital importance to all of us, and discussions by people who are superbly informed and highly qualified people who have the expertise, the knowledge, and indeed the commitment to the very subject we want to bring to the fore. And, I must say, to the credit of everyone involved in tonights debate we did succeed.

Debates, in contrast to a speech, are multi-dimensional. It is a whole different ball game for our venerable guests to have the courage to come here in front of a large number of people, to be given no more than five minutes to offer their prepared presentation, and then to be faced with somebody equally as smart as you are, equally as well-prepared as you are, equally as committed as you are, but determined to destroy your points. And now youre rattled, youre shaken up, but youve got to come back and youve got to say something. And it is that kind of stimulus, that kind of adrenalin, that gets the most out of you. Brilliant minds, even mediocre minds, operate better under stimulus. We all operate better if we have been challenged.

So, in that spirit, this debate will not disappoint. I think the subject is as relevant as any subject we could have chosen. As to the speakers, we simply could not have done better. As to their commitment to the topic, no one can doubt the commitment of the two parties.

Before I conclude I would like to welcome three people. The first person is Rudyard Griffiths, the co-organizer of the Munk Debates and a member of the Aurea Foundation Board. It was Rudyards idea to have this debate, and he deserves unlimited credit for this very successful Munk program. A great idea coupled with great execution can change the world. Rudyard is a brilliant creator and a brilliant executioner. Tonight, he will be the moderator of this debate.

Next, Im personally and truly honoured to welcome our two debaters. First, Id like to welcome the Right Honourable Tony Blair, former prime minister of the United Kingdom. I dont believe that another human being has had as much impact on the events of the world over the past twenty or thirty years. I could not tell you how honoured we were when he accepted a role in this debate. And we know how committed he is to the side he is going to argue.

Next, Id like to welcome Christopher Hitchens. The world has known many skeptics, but very few skeptics of his calibre. I do believe that if anybody can stand up to Tony Blairs razor-sharp debating skills honed and trained over two decades in the British Parliament Christopher Hitchens will do it and can do it. In my opinion, Christopher also happens to be one of the greatest minds of our time. Thank you for being with us.

RUDYARD GRIFFITHS: Welcome to Toronto, Canada, for the Munk Debate on religion, in association with the British Broadcasting Corporation. I want to begin by welcoming the worldwide audience of the BBC some 240 million people that will have access to this debate through the BBC World Service, BBC online news, and BBC World News. I also want to welcome the tens of thousands of people watching this debate live on munkdebates.com its terrific that theyre part of this conversation too.

I also want to turn my attention to this hall, this spectacular hall, the lucky 2,700 people who are here in the flesh to listen to this debate. Let it be said that on this day, thanks to the generosity of Peter and Melanie Munk, Canada, and its largest city, Toronto, are truly at the heart of the global conversation.

Now, the moment we have been waiting for. We have our motion before us: Be it resolved that religion is a force for good in the world. All we need is our debaters. Please welcome Mr. Tony Blair and Mr. Christopher Hitchens.

Tony Blair was the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Among his many international roles today, he is the Quartet representative in the Middle East, working with the UN, the U.S., Russia, and the EU to secure a lasting peace in the region. After leaving politics, Mr. Blair converted to Catholicism, and he launched the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, a global initiative to promote respect and understanding among the worlds major religions. Many of us have read his recent bestselling memoir, A Journey: My Political Life .

Christopher Hitchens is a British-born American author, journalist, and atheist. His regular Vanity Fair columns and his prolific speeches and essays are essential reading for anyone and everyone concerned about global affairs. Christopher has a number of bestselling books, too god Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything , and his recently published memoir, Hitch-22 . Christopher was recently diagnosed with esophageal cancer, and as such we are doubly grateful that he and his family have joined us.