Alister McGrath's Defense of Religion

A few months ago I attended a lecture by Alister McGrath on Deluded about God? Responding to Richard Dawkins' God Delusion [Alister McGrath]. The lecture was a big disappointment. I was expecting to hear of some wonderful new proof of the existence of God—one that Dawkins had overlooked. Instead all I heard was banalities about how poor old religion was being misrepresented. The only interesting point was what McGrath thinks about the future of atheism. He thinks it's dying and religion is gaining in popularity. That's a pretty good example of the reasoning ability of this Oxford Professor. The audio recording of this lecture is now available through TV Ontario, which just broadcast it last week [Alister McGrath]. I was reminded of this experience when the videos of a "debate" between Christpher Hitchins and Alister McGrath were posted on the web. The complete "debate" is available below and shorter versions are on YouTube [Christopher Hitchens Debates Alister McGrath 1 of 11].
This is another non-event as far as McGrath is concerned. He might as well have not bothered to show up for all the good he did in advancing his case. The best he can say for religion is that it makes him feel good. Hitchins, on the other hand, is very entertaining. He has the ability to say some outrageous things and get away with it in a way that others can't. Imagine, for example, the reaction if Jim Watson had said those things about religion!

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[Hat Tip: RichardDawkins.net]