Rationality Now Rotating Header Image

Ray Comfort Responded Predictably

Ray Comfort has responded to the counter offer from Richard Dawkins regarding Comfort’s debate challenge. In a predictable statement, Comfort said…

Richard Dawkins told a news reporter that he will debate me for $100,000 per hour. He is afraid, and he thinks he’s safe because I won’t pay that much money for an hour of his time.

[…]

[Dawkins] is also a giant among intellectuals, and for years I have listened to him spout his blasphemies against God. I’m a nobody from a sheep-herding country, but I can see a gap in his armor. There’s an army of atheists hiding behind Mr. Dawkins waiting for him to feed me to the birds, and he is proving to be nothing but hot air.

What an embarrassment to the atheist community.

I have said that I will give him $40,000 an hour.  Let’s see what he says.

I doubt that fear is what Dawkins is feeling and I’m sure he does think he’s safe, but not for the reasons Comfort probably thinks. And yes, Comfort is a nobody… a nobody with silly, non-scientific claims… which is why Dawkins shouldn’t lend him any credibility by appearing on stage with him. Most of the comments I’ve read from atheists don’t want Dawkins to debate him for just that reason. They’re not “hiding behind Mr. Dawkins” waiting for him to destroy Comfort’s arguments. So Dawkins is far from an embarrassment.

As for the $40,000, why is Comfort trying to barter down the worth of God’s word? It certainly looks like that’s what he’s trying to do (not that I think “God’s word” is worth anything to start with, but Comfort certainly does). He’s also misrepresenting the recipient of the target amount. Dawkins doesn’t want the money for himself. He wants Comfort to donate the money (tax-deductible) to the Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, a non-profit organization.

Comfort also says…

All Mr. Dawkins has to do is go into a BBC radio studio in his home town of Cambridge and give 30 minutes on why God doesn’t exist. He doesn’t even have to acknowledge that I exist.

That’s odd because his original offer was for Dawkins to participate in an actual debate with each participant having a chance to respond to the other. This new requirement seems to change not only the time involved, but any chance for Dawkins to directly respond to any of Comfort’s retorts. It’s like Comfort is trying to make the whole thing more one-sided as the he tries to negotiate the price.

Go figure.

(thanks to Karen on Bligbi for the heads up)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.