I attended a rather lackluster debate on Wednesday night between former NY Times Middle East correspondent Chris Hedges–who was promoting his new book I Don’t Believe In Atheists–and writer/communist Sunsara Taylor–who was representing Communist party leader Bob Avakian and his book Away With All Gods!–on the provocative topic of “Atheism, God and Morality in a Time of Imperialism and Rising Fundamentalism.”

The event started off strong with Hedges comparing the Christian Right–something he calls the most dangerous force in American history–with the new Atheist movement–led by the likes of writers Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. The similarity, he believes, is that both groups are fundamentalists that engage in the same sloganeering, such as calling for the eradication or conversion of those who do not share their beliefs. In conclusion, Hedges argued that the world’s problems stem from the evil that exists within every person, not religion.

Unfortunately, Taylor’s rebuttal was not as well prepared. She offered only cursory observations in defense of atheism–essentially that the Bible says bad things–and never addressed Hedges’s core argument of its similarity to Christian fundamentalism. Furthermore, her incessant plugging of Communism and refusal to disown its violent past stood in the way of any real solid point she could have made.

While my own convictions are pretty similar to those of Chris Hedges and I was heartened to see him bolster those convictions with such convincing and well-thought arguments, it’s still disappointing that his counterpart couldn’t offer any jabs of opposing wisdom. In the end, a good debate is not about one person dominating the other, but rather a duet in which the participants push each other to reach heightened states of truth and knowledge.

For a sampling of what Chris Hedges spoke about, check out this short video produced by The Nation to promote his new book: