The following is a transcript of a speech by the author, Peter Hitchens, a former atheist, given at a debate at the Oxford Union* titled, “Does God Exist?” on Thursday 8th November 2012.

(NOTE: Hitchens’ speech has edited here slightly for clarity - where sentences have been omitted are indicated by an ellipsis. Italics are my emphasis.)

“Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, I hate this argument. In fact, I loathe taking part in it almost more than any other argument I ever take part in. Why? Because I have to come up here and defend the religion of love, brotherhood, peace, justice, and turning the other cheek rather than kicking the other guy in the crotch.

And I have to listen while I'm doing it to these (atheist) gentlemen who remind me constantly of the most irritating, infuriating, revolting person I ever knew, namely my adolescent self. Honestly…there has been nothing serious said against the concept of God by the opposition (atheists) this evening at all. I'm expecting something serious to come from the third speaker, but that hasn't meant anything so far. I'm hoping, I'm really hoping because it would be nice, because this is not fundamentally a serious discussion as it has been held so far from the other side (atheists), and it's not serious for a very simple reason: It's not arguing about what we ought to be arguing about.

I'm going to offer a little bit of poetry here for those of you who appreciate that sort of thing. It's from the 38th chapter of the Book of Job where God speaks from the whirlwind:

“Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone?”

The answer, ladies and gentlemen from the opposition (atheists) is they haven't a clue. Nor have I, nor has anybody in this room. We haven't the faintest idea. Nothing that any of us could say here tonight could convince anybody that they knew that God existed. What we are discussing here is a matter of opinion. And a matter of opinion, Mr. President, is a matter of choice. So the real question before us is why we choose what we choose. And this is the most fascinating part of the argument addressed by the most intelligent and interesting atheist, I think now living, Thomas Nagel, who asks repeatedly, ‘why is it that I and my fellow atheists so much want there not to be a God?’

Why is it ladies and gentlemen, they (atheists) so much want there not to be a God? Why would you want there not to be a God? Why would you want to live in a purposeless chaos in which none of your actions had any significance, in which there was no hope of justice, in which the lives of all those whom you loved ended abruptly at death and had no further significance? Why would you want, desire, actively wish to live in a universe as disgusting as that? You'd have to have a very good reason. And I think these gentlemen do have a very good reason, and it's what they never, ever wish to discuss. They don't want justice. They do want the dead to be dead. They do want the universe to be purposeless. They do not want their own individual actions to have any other significance than their immediate effect.

You'll have to discuss with them why they should be so keen on that proposition. But from our side of the argument, what we say is that if we desire justice for ourselves, we also desire it for other people. And likewise, if we desire it for other people, we require it for ourselves and we bring it upon ourselves. And on the basis of that, we can construct with some difficulty, with a certain amount of historical knowledge - in the case of some of us, with an enormous amount of scientific knowledge of the universe - we construct a belief which helps us to discover in so far as it is possible what it is we ought to do and how it is we ought to live in the belief that there is justice, that there is hope, that death is not the end, that our actions have a significance beyond what we immediately do.

That really is what we are discussing. Do you want it or do you not want it? If you don't want it, then you can simply turn with rally and badinage and mock the beliefs of others. I don't care to do that. I think atheists have a serious point of view. I understand why they seem so anxious to press it upon you. And I know, thanks to the general destruction and retreat of institutional Christianity in our society, that many people growing up feel under a great deal of conformist pressure because it is very fashionable to follow atheism at the moment. I also know that a number of people who are in the end, servants of power, are quite anxious to dispel from our society the enormous force of restraint upon power which Christian belief provides…

People like that don't, because God in our society stands very much against, and this is why I, after many, many years of not believing in God, came round to the view that I would choose to do so and act as if there is a God. God is the principle opposition in our society to the lawless ruthless power, to the bully, to the autocrat, to the despot, to the criminal, to the person who treats his neighbors like dirt. Fundamentally, once we have dispensed with that concept in our society, we are left with nothing. Now, the atheists don't wish to discuss this because they know exactly what I'm saying.

They're very well aware of the implications of what I'm saying. For society in general, they know perfectly well that if everybody didn't believe in God, the comfortable lives they live, in extremely agreeable suburbs where they can trust people not to cheat them and rob them and mug them and rape them, would come to an end. They want to keep the secrets to themselves. They want to have all the joys - not just now - all the joys and all the advantages provided by Christianity, but not pay the dues… and that is why when you challenge the atheist side on this very point, they run from it, refusing to discuss it. That is why nobody ever answers Thomas Nigel's question: why is it that they so much want there not to be a God? Well, I'll tell you exactly why. It's for precisely the same reasons as I very much want there to be one.”

Video link to the original speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnIH4gomOqc

*Founded in 1823, the Oxford Union is the world's most prestigious debating society with a tradition of hosting internationally prominent individuals across politics, academia, and popular culture.

“It is generally pointless to defend Christianity to the ardent atheist on the basis of logic, evidence and sound philosophical arguments, because their objections are rooted in their heart and not their minds.

Despite the atheists insistence that they are the rational ones, their denial of God is seldom for purely rational reasons but nearly always emotional. This is most clearly seen in their angry responses during simple discussions or debates, and demonstrated by how quickly they devolve to ad hominem attacks when they cannot defend their position.

The informed Christian can afford to be calm and collected because truth needs no defense - it exists regardless of any rhetoric, rationalization or denial. Lies, however, are fragile things that must constantly be defended lest they evaporate in the bright light of day.

Atheists, like every person in the world, have an inherent knowing deep inside that they are morally guilty. And in the repression and denial of that guilt they lash out in rage at whoever dares to point it out.

The bottom line is that atheists don't want there to be a God - they want to be their own god.”