On March 20th, Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA, hosted an NBC Nightline Face-Off debate on the existence of Satan.
The debators for the existence of Satan were:
Pastor Mark Driscoll; founding pastor of Mars Hill Church and
Annie Lobert; executive director of “Hookers for Jesus” (seriously). The debators gainst the existence of Satan were
Dr. Deepak Chopra; president of the Alliance for a New Humanity, and
Bishop Carlton Pearson; author, “The Gospel of Inclusion”.
Here are some direct quotes from the debate that have stood out to me. You can watch the whole thing
here if you're interested.
Pearson: “I take the bible very seriously, just not literally.”
Deepak: “All belief is a cover-up for insecurity.”
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Pearson: “What you believe, you create, and you become what you think about…and so I don’t believe in a god or the god, I just believe in god. I love god. I don’t know how not to. But I’m still learning how to love god, believe in god, and leave the devil where ya’ll found him. So I’m just rethinking all this. I believe in the mystical Jesus rather than the mythical Jesus.”
Driscoll (in rebuttal): “Do you really think these people got together and said ‘Let’s create a religion in which there’s only one way to heaven, we’re all sinners, and hell is hot and forever is a long time’, and actually voted on that and this is what we ended up with? I mean, were it
invented I think we would end up with something totally different, like salvation by eating chicken wings and napping, you know? That’s what I would have voted for.”
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Deepak: “I don’t need the devil because I don’t have the guilt and shame that you people have.”
Driscoll: “I don’t have guilt and shame. I used to. And in being forgiven I don’t need to rejoice in myself. I get the joy in thanking someone rather than being proud.”
Deepak: “Everyone is saying what they are saying because of their level of consciousness and actually there is no need for debate here because everyone totally believes in their truth.
Mediator: “This debate is not for you guys, it’s for the people watching at home, and they might be learning something.”
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Deepak: “What of all the people who lived before Jesus, and there are millions of them, what about them? Are they damned forever?”
Driscoll: “Two things: one, ultimately there was anticipation more than 2,000 years ago for the coming of Jesus. The Jews had a clear concept of the Messiah. Secondly, it is God who saves. Unlike your system where there is no one outside of the system, my God comes into the system and he saves, and he can save anyone he likes. He can save anyone at any time and God is gracious and loving so I trust God to do what is best.”
Deepak: “By the way, I don’t have a system.”
Driscoll: “Well, for someone with higher consciousness I expected one.”
Deepak: “I have only one philosophy. I want to seek the company of those looking for the truth but I want to run away from those who have found it.”
Driscoll: “Well, Jesus said he was the truth and that’s what I’m looking for.”
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