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Tony Blair stands up for people of faith in Munk Debate with Christopher Hitchens

Last night Tony Blair spoke out for the silent majority of millions whose faith inspires them to do good every day of their lives. At the set piece Munk debates in Toronto between the former Prime Minister and Christopher Hitchens, Tony Blair challenged the idea that a world without religion would be a better place.

Arguing against the well-respected author and atheist, Christopher Hitchens, Faith Foundation Patron Tony Blair said:

"People are inspired to do such good by what I would say is the true essence of faith, which is along with doctrine and ritual particular to each faith, a basic belief common to all faiths, in serving and loving God, through serving and loving your fellow human beings.

"Throughout human history, there have been examples of people inspired by faith that have actually, rather than contributed to the suppression of humanity, contributed to its liberation, spiritually, emotionally and even materially, and it is those people that I stand up for here with you tonight."

Inviting the 2,600 people in the auditorium and the thousands of people watching live online, to think of a world without faith, he said:

"So imagine indeed a world without religious faith, not just no place of worship, no prayer or scripture but no men or women who because of their faith dedicating their lives to others, showing forgiveness where otherwise they wouldn't, believing through their faith that even the weakest and most powerless have rights, and they have a duty to defend them.

"In a world without religion, the religious fanatics may be gone, but I ask you, would fanaticism be gone? And then realise that such an imagined vision of a world without religion is not in fact new. The 20th century was a century scarred by visions that had precisely that imagining in their vision, and at their heart, and gave us Hitler and Stalin and Pol Pot."

Tony Blair, who set up the Faith Foundation three years ago to increase respect and understanding between the world’s major religions, described it as a "fascinating and I think deeply important debate about probably the single most important issue of the 21st century."

Reflecting on his own faith, Tony Blair said: 

"Faith is not about certainty, it is in part a reflection indeed of my awareness of my own ignorance. And though life's processes can be explained by science, nonetheless the meaning and purpose of life cannot be; and in that space, for me at least, lies not certainty in the scientific sense but a belief that is clear and insistent and I would say rational, which is that there is a higher power than human power. That higher power causes us to lead better lives in accordance with a will more important than our own, not in order that we should be imprisoned by that superior will, but on the contrary, so that we can discipline and use our own will in furtherance of the things that represent the best in human beings and the best in humanity."

Looking to the future, Tony Blair explained how important it was for people to understand religion to if they want to fully understand the modern world. He said:

"I actually don't think the 21st century will be about fundamentalist political ideology, I accept it could be about fundamentalist religious or cultural ideology. The way that we avoid that is for those people of faith actually to be prepared to stand up and to debate those people who are of none. Those people who believe in a world of peaceful co-existence, where people do co-operate together need to recognise that there are people with deeply held religious convictions and that those convictions impel them to be part of that world of peaceful co-existence."

Audience members in Toronto and around the world welcomed the debate. Dr Brian O’Sullivan from Durham Catholic District School Board said:

"It was a very engaging and respectful debate about the force of religion for good in the world. Both were very able speakers . The ultimate victory was that good people were given the opportunity to debate one another with such brilliance on such an important topic."

Speaking after the debate attendee Dominic Palano said: 

"The debate was very timely in a world where many issues are entangled with religion. I think it is necessary to debate the role religion should play in society. Hopefully we are providing a means by which the world can become a better place for all through such debates."

Another attendee, Varsha Naik, from Peel District School Board said:

"It was wonderful that Tony Blair recognised the role faith plays in building resilience in young people; guiding them to make the right choices and motivating them to make a positive impact in the world. The debate was both stimulating and intellectual. It certainly inspired individuals in the audience to reflect on their own beliefs and practices." 

One of the thousands who watched the debate online around the world, Chris Sedman, from the US commented:

"As an atheist and secular humanist who is working to bridge the religious-secular divide, I was hugely impressed by Tony Blair's constructive, positive vision for interfaith cooperation as a necessity for addressing global conflict in the 21st century. As Blair rightly noted, it is much easier to focus on the negative elements of religion than it is to acknowledge the important contributions religious people have made as inspired by their religious convictions. But if we identity shared values within the various world religions (and humanism) as a means to mobilize people around important global issues, we will be able to make religion a force for good in the world."

Watching via the web stream, Simmi Kher, Co-ordinator for Face to Faith in Delhi said:

"Religion playing a positive role is surely a take away. Faith motivating us to do good is something which all of us understand. True religion is about embracing everyone who is different.

"There is a power higher than human power which gives us humility’ - I couldn't agree more."