rationalskepticism.org

Hitchens seems to be unaware of what Dr. Ken Nealson of the National Academy of Sciences takes for granted, “Nobody understands the origin of life, if they say they do, they are probably trying to fool you.” If the profundity of the problem is still not clear, here is world renowned biologist, Dr. Lynn Margulis, “To go from bacterium to people is less of a step than to go from a mixture of amino acids to a bacterium.” This, of course, is the reason why many of the well known scientific advocates of atheism, including Jerry Coyne, P.Z. Myers, and Richard Dawkins, have assiduously avoided participating in a debate on the specific topic of Origin of Life. The enormous, yawning chasm between non-living chemicals and the simplest bacterium is enough to send the most zealous and outspoken atheist running for cover

Oh ffs. Such unshakable ignorance, or, on the likelyhood that the author isn't entirely unaware of the completely awful reasons for believing in religion - eloquently explained by the writers he seeks to defame and discredit - such flagrant dishonesty. You're not going to get a serious scientist (atheist or otherwise) to debate the origin of life on Earth for the same reasons you're not going to get a serious scientist (athiest or otherwise) to debate the behaviour of turbulent fluids. These are very intriguing problems within the remit of science which currently don't have a comprehensive and definitive answer. We may even have to be open to the possibility (though it's an unduly pessimistic one) that human science may never be able to solve them. How desperate do you to have to be to try and get away with god of the gaps arguments these days?

I know next to nothing about Judaism to judge whether or not the Rabbis other points have hit the mark, although unlike others who share his rejection of the world's religions, I don't hold Hitchens in such uncritical reverence that I consider him infallible. The Rabbi may very well have nailed Hitchens on many points here. We shouldn't have faith that he's going to destroy him with a witty and entertaining response.