Description The documentary COLLISION pits leading atheist, political journalist and author Christopher Hitchens (God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything) against fellow author and evangelical theologian Pastor Douglas Wilson on a debate tour arguing the topic “Is Religion Good For The World?”. Lives and worldviews collide as Hitchens and Wilson wittily and passionately argue the timeless question, proving to be perfectly matched intellectual, philosophical, and cinematic rivals. COLLISION is directed by prolific independent filmmaker Darren Doane (Van Morrison: To Be Born Again, The Battle For L.A., Godmoney).
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Great DebateNovember 20, 2009 B. S. Copeland 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Most Christian vs. atheist debates are horribly one sided but Hitchens has finally stumbled across a consistent, rational Christian and I think he was surprised. Part of the importance of this movie is that it gives Christians an example of how to interact with people of opposing worldviews. You should not pretend like your beliefs can "coexist", yet you need to remember you are interacting with another human made in God's image. These two men clearly respect one another. In other words, there is a third option beside being spineless and being a bigot.
Interesting, but could have been better presentedNovember 20, 2009 Barbara J. Frederick(St. Louis, MO) 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Perhaps it's just me, but when I understand two people are debating, I'd like to see the face-to-face confrontation, perhaps interspersed with background materials. Both of the participants are interesting people, but the way the video is edited is chaotic.
Outstanding, outrageous and sometimes outside the linesNovember 17, 2009 C. Coty(Tampa, Fl USA) 3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is not a watch it once kind of a flick. I showed it to a group of friends last night and although they were enthralled, to a person they said they'd need to watch it again. At times the "Blair Witch" feel made the argumentation difficult to follow. The format is clearly not your garden variety lectern styled stuffy debate. It's funny, exhilarating, challenging and thought provoking. "Is Christianity Good for the World?" Well, that's the question Christopher Hitchens (atheist) and Douglas Wilson (Christian pastor) attempted to answer.
The reasoning on both sides, anti-theist and Christian, was riveting and the music presentation was captivating. As a Christian, I must admit that I was extremely impressed with Hitchens. He was witty, thoughtful, at times self-effacing and often powerfully direct. He pulled no punches and his take no prisoners style should be an abrupt wake-up call to the Christian community. This man was on his game and has apparently had his way with Muslims, Jews and Christians. I'd venture to say that few Christians would survive the Hitchens' assault...but then again he's rather freakish in that his IQ is off the charts, he's got an incredible command of the English language and his reasoning skills were brilliantly startling.
Wilson was Hitchens' intellectual equal and was clearly not shaken by Hitchens' well-placed attacks on Christianity. On numerous occasions Wilson hammered home the theme that Hitchens had co-opted the Christian moral worldview, since he could not account for the origin of his own morality.
One particularly poignant moment where I felt that Wilson became super-energized and more forceful, came at the halfway point when Hitchens did the old tried and true "Jesus predicted he'd return in the lifetime of his disciples. He didn't do it and therefore he's a false prophet, not God and thus Christianity is a bankrupt religion"... Wilson said rather emphatically something to the effect of "Jesus was speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem not the end of the space/time universe. He simply wasn't." Wilson went on to explain his preterist eschatological position that few Christians are even aware of. This was one of the few points where Hitchens seemed unprepared and for a season, silenced.
At any rate, I believe the producers created a very well-balanced movie. Both atheists and Christians may think their view was victorious. Some Amazon reviewers have offered slightly negative critiques because in their mind "Collision" didn't solve anything. That's true. But that was the point. Serious arguments were presented on both sides, giving the watcher the chance to hone and refine their particular worldview. The debate should not be considered an end in itself but the starting point for serious inquiry. It has been my belief that too many Christians shy away from these kinds of tough questions. That must stop.
I admit my bias in saying the following. Christians can take the best shots Hitchens, Dawkins and other atheists can land. However, they need not be lazy or unprepared. If they don't bring their "A" game they will not meet their challengers.
Must SeeNovember 16, 2009 Andrew Johnson(Cary, NC) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Overall, it was definitely worth the buy. I know the makers had to work with the footage they received, but some of it was a bit too shaky. I'm glad the subtitles were in place for the footage that was more difficult to hear.
We Want More..We Want More...
GreatNovember 16, 2009 Tim K(Chicago, IL USA) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Christopher Hitchens, a self-described anti-theist, and Douglas Wilson, a christian theologian, go head-to-head in this wonderful documentary. 'Collision' documents these two men's debates, discussions, and other events that fall under the topic that the movie is all about, "Is Christianity Good For The World?". Both men have great respect for one another, and it shows. Both are gracious to each other, but do not mince words when it comes to the topic at hand, christianity. Hitchens believes christianity to be a cult and should be elimated, as should all religion. Wilson is a devout christian, and believes it is good for the world. As you can tell, very opposite viewpoints
It would've been nice to have included a full debate between the two men as an added bonus, but overall, this DVD was worth the price.
Atheist? Theist? Agnostic? Everyone will find this DVD informative and entertaining
