A Debate between an Anti-Religious Skeptic & a Practicing Catholic Christian
P
eter White is an anti-organized religion skeptic who wanted to pick a bone with a practicing Christian Catholic, Mirella Ionta, in late January 2015. In a debate that lasted thirty minutes, the two with very opposing views decided to meet in a coffee shop on Montreal’s most exciting boulevard, Saint Laurent. Ionta, at one corner of the ring, showed up in a “I could be the sister of Donnie Brasco” outfit, that is a brown corduroy pantsand-blazer suit with a matching brown corduroy Fedora hat. From her neck hung a pendant of an enormous St. Benedict Olive Wood Crucifix. White appeared dressed in casual jeans, black t-shirt, and a Vancouver Canucks cap. It was clear from the get-go that this meeting was not set up for the mere purpose of mindless blah-blah or even conscious blah-blah. The two bought their coffees separately and sat facing each other, one glaring into the other’s eyes suspiciously. The debate began with words of fire as White was quick to lash out on Ionta’s religious beliefs. Ionta seemed to keep composed, even egging White on with “let’s spill coffee and turn the table on him” kind of questions. From violence in the Bible to the Crusades to Hitler and atheism to homosexuality to New Age Spirituality to human evolution and science, White addressed many controversial subjects and Ionta, as usual, took the tension with stride. The following is the entire dialogue that resulted from that meeting:
