Former British Prime Minister, and relatively recent convert to Catholicism,  Tony Blair debated writer Christopher Hitchens (God Is Not Great) over the weekend.  The topic? Whether religion is a force for good in the world? Video. Transcript.

It doesn’t take a mystic to guess who was representing which side of the question — and, if you know me, which side I ultimately come down on.

But, while I do believe the world would actually be a far darker place without the light of faith,  Hitchens, who I think actually is a compassionate man, makes some very valid points regarding how religion has, at times, promoted superstition over reason, harsh application of dogma over true morality and compassion and war over peace.

On the other hand, the anti-slavery movement and other great causes were, in fact, spearheaded by people of faith. And I don’t exactly equate morality with the atheistic regimes of the former Soviet Union or Communist China.

It almost seems as if you may as well debate whether the internet is a force for good in the world. It’s an amazing means of putting vital information and great art in the hands of ordinary people all over the world. But it can also be used to promote hate speech, cyberbullying and degrading pornography. It depends how the internet is used by people whether or not it is a force for good in the world.

When religion is misused by human beings, it says nothing about the existence or goodness of God — which, of course, was not directly the subject of the debate.

I do think it’s important not to confuse the two topics. Because, while religion may not always be great, I believe God is.