On the Christopher Hitchens and William Lane Craig Debate - Details

Following is an interesting trailer from the 2009 AD debate between Christopher Hitchens and William Lane Craig.

Christopher Hitchens asks whether the debate would be a David vs. Goliath situation and he states that it will be a Goliath vs. Goliath. Quite true: a Goliath of substance vs. a Goliath of empty emotive rhetoric (as an aside; you may want to read A Lie About Goliath?).

Christopher Hitchens is seen asserting a ubiquitously promulgated atheist-group-think-talking-point, “Extraordinary claims require truly extraordinary evidence.”
I have never read, seen or heard anyone ever justifying this claim.
The fact is that just as any claim extraordinary claims require adequate evidence.

So why demand that certain claims which are labeled as “extraordinary” required “extraordinary evidence”?
The video actually gives us the answer as Christopher Hitchens is seen stating, “I find all your arguments in favor to be fallacious and unconvincing.”
See how it works?

1) Assert, without a logical or evidential premise at all, that “Extraordinary claims require truly extraordinary evidence.”
2) Employ this vague and arbitrary pseudo-standard in considering any arguments in favor of God’s existence.
3) Regardless of the arguments, merely retort that since “Extraordinary claims require truly extraordinary evidence…I find all your arguments in favor to be fallacious and unconvincing.”
4) Done.

In fact, this was the debate that took place after the one on this must hear clip when Craig is reviewing all of the arguments to which Hitchens gave no cogent response.

Interestingly, William Lane Craig repeats a characterization of Christopher Hitchens which asserts, or rather, identified him as one who chooses and or prefers to not accept the arguments and thus, not believe in God because, “I wouldn’t like it if it’s true.”
To this Hitchens appears to take umbrage as he asks/states, “No such assertion was ever made by me” which is acknowledged by Craig who goes on to state that, “…it sticks” and that it does so due to the absence of argument.
But, keep in mind that the characterization of Christopher Hitchens is accurate as he has placed the label of “anti-theist” upon himself—this, my friends, is God in the hands of an angry sinner.