Evangelist Ray Comfort is known for producing documentaries that drum up a fair bit of controversy, while also drawing attention to common theological debates.
Comfort, who is the founder of Living Waters Publications, believes that his latest movie, "The Atheist Delusion," patently proves the existence of God "in a very simple, yet powerful way."
The film promises to "pull back the curtain and reveal what is going on in the mind of those who deny the obvious." The subjects of the film? Self-described atheists.
"The Atheist Delusion" comes on the heels of Comfort's other documentaries, including "Evolution vs. God" and "180," a film about abortion.
Comfort told Deseret News that, rather than setting out to strategically lay the groundwork for his new atheism documentary, the idea accidentally came about as he was filming an interview on a college campus.
Watch the trailer for "The Atheist Delusion" here.
"I went to a local college to produce a short clip for one of my publishers and asked an atheist one scientific question Id never asked atheists before," Comfort said. "Within minutes, he had changed his mind about the existence of God."
From there, Comfort said that he went to other universities and started asking that same question, finding himself absolutely amazed by the intriguing responses he received.
"In time, it evolved into a one-hour movie which brought us to tears," he said of his filmmaking team's reaction, going on to add that thousands of viewers have since purportedly reacted in the same exact way.
While Comfort believes that "The Atheist Delusion" offers proof of God's existence, some atheist critics have begun to respond with skepticism following the movie's recent digital release.
It's a critique that Comfort said he's more than acquainted with.
"They are understandably skeptical and of course, mocking, saying things like if I had real evidence for the existence of God I would be getting the Nobel prize," Comfort said.
As many people have lamented the increase of the "nones" a group of people who do not subscribe to a particular faith Comfort said he believes atheism is actually losing its footing in mainstream culture.
"Just a few years ago atheism was entering the promised land. Books by New Atheists such as Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris were topping the New York Times Best Seller list," he said.
To back his case, Comfort cited lower-than-expected turnout at atheists' much-anticipated "Reason Rally" gathering in Washington D.C., a massive event intended to gather tens of thousands of skeptics.
But while Comfort is declaring that "atheism is dead," it seems not everyone is so convinced. Prominent atheist blogger Hemant Mehta watched the film late last month and later posted a review on his "Friendly Atheist" blog.
"Ill admit I was curious what the movie would look like ... After all, the films tagline is 'Atheism destroyed with one scientific question,'" Mehta wrote. "Since atheism is still around, I figured this must be a new question no one has heard before!"
In the end, though, Mehta said that his atheism "wasn't even nicked," claiming that it was, in fact, strengthened after watching the film. The question that he claims Comfort asked respondents is where DNA came from.
"His subjects ... want to say DNA evolved, but they dont know the details, so they appear flummoxed when asked to explain where DNA came from," Mehta wrote. "Theres a reason for that. We dont know the exact process yet."
But the atheist blogger said that science is now forced to work off of theories that are based on the current evidence, and that there's isn't a definitive consensus.
"Much like Christianity, this film doesnt live up to the hype and leaves you wanting your money back," Mehta concluded. "And if anyones atheism is destroyed by watching it, it must not have been very strong to begin with."
Another atheist summarized the film in just one word: "embarrassing." Still, Comfort stands by the work, saying that he believes that the evidence for God is overwhelming for those willing to look clearly at the facts.
And he believes that "The Atheist Delusion" holds some key sway.
"If someone is seeking the truth, they will go where the evidence goes, even if they don't like the direction," he said. "But the most compelling of proofs will mean nothing to those who have a hidden agenda."
Comfort, who is the founder of Living Waters Publications, believes that his latest movie, "The Atheist Delusion," patently proves the existence of God "in a very simple, yet powerful way."
The film promises to "pull back the curtain and reveal what is going on in the mind of those who deny the obvious." The subjects of the film? Self-described atheists.
"The Atheist Delusion" comes on the heels of Comfort's other documentaries, including "Evolution vs. God" and "180," a film about abortion.
Comfort told Deseret News that, rather than setting out to strategically lay the groundwork for his new atheism documentary, the idea accidentally came about as he was filming an interview on a college campus.
Watch the trailer for "The Atheist Delusion" here.
"I went to a local college to produce a short clip for one of my publishers and asked an atheist one scientific question Id never asked atheists before," Comfort said. "Within minutes, he had changed his mind about the existence of God."
From there, Comfort said that he went to other universities and started asking that same question, finding himself absolutely amazed by the intriguing responses he received.
"In time, it evolved into a one-hour movie which brought us to tears," he said of his filmmaking team's reaction, going on to add that thousands of viewers have since purportedly reacted in the same exact way.
While Comfort believes that "The Atheist Delusion" offers proof of God's existence, some atheist critics have begun to respond with skepticism following the movie's recent digital release.
It's a critique that Comfort said he's more than acquainted with.
"They are understandably skeptical and of course, mocking, saying things like if I had real evidence for the existence of God I would be getting the Nobel prize," Comfort said.
As many people have lamented the increase of the "nones" a group of people who do not subscribe to a particular faith Comfort said he believes atheism is actually losing its footing in mainstream culture.
"Just a few years ago atheism was entering the promised land. Books by New Atheists such as Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris were topping the New York Times Best Seller list," he said.
To back his case, Comfort cited lower-than-expected turnout at atheists' much-anticipated "Reason Rally" gathering in Washington D.C., a massive event intended to gather tens of thousands of skeptics.
But while Comfort is declaring that "atheism is dead," it seems not everyone is so convinced. Prominent atheist blogger Hemant Mehta watched the film late last month and later posted a review on his "Friendly Atheist" blog.
"Ill admit I was curious what the movie would look like ... After all, the films tagline is 'Atheism destroyed with one scientific question,'" Mehta wrote. "Since atheism is still around, I figured this must be a new question no one has heard before!"
In the end, though, Mehta said that his atheism "wasn't even nicked," claiming that it was, in fact, strengthened after watching the film. The question that he claims Comfort asked respondents is where DNA came from.
"His subjects ... want to say DNA evolved, but they dont know the details, so they appear flummoxed when asked to explain where DNA came from," Mehta wrote. "Theres a reason for that. We dont know the exact process yet."
But the atheist blogger said that science is now forced to work off of theories that are based on the current evidence, and that there's isn't a definitive consensus.
"Much like Christianity, this film doesnt live up to the hype and leaves you wanting your money back," Mehta concluded. "And if anyones atheism is destroyed by watching it, it must not have been very strong to begin with."
Another atheist summarized the film in just one word: "embarrassing." Still, Comfort stands by the work, saying that he believes that the evidence for God is overwhelming for those willing to look clearly at the facts.
And he believes that "The Atheist Delusion" holds some key sway.
"If someone is seeking the truth, they will go where the evidence goes, even if they don't like the direction," he said. "But the most compelling of proofs will mean nothing to those who have a hidden agenda."