In a TikTok video, psychologist and author Jordan Peterson debates evolutionary biologist and well-known atheist Richard Dawkins. The clip's appearance on Reddit drew debate about whether Peterson actually believes in Christianity's core factual claims.
The video was first posted by the TikTok account Atheist Front before being posted on Reddit's r/TikTokCringe by user xamo76. The 56-second clip is of an exchange in which Dawkins asks Peterson to address the factual basis for Christian claims about the birth of Jesus.
The exchange began with Peterson discussing the oppression of women and whether equality should be considered a moral rather than a factual question. He sees this as a moral issue. Dawkins then raised what he described as a factual question: whether Jesus had a biological father, pointing out that this is the way fathers are treated in "almost all mythological heroes."
Dawkins then asks whether Peterson is therefore saying that Jesus was not born of a virgin. But instead of giving a yes or no answer, Peterson says he does not know how to 'mediate the fact-value dichotomy' in this case, and he made a similar observation about the resurrection before Dawkins once again turns to the question of whether Mary had intercourse with a man and whether that resulted in Jesus. “It’s not a value question,” Dawkins replies. “You must understand what you’re being asked here.”
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The exchange took place in a 2024 episode of The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast. During it, Dawkins and the philosopher Alex O'Connor discussed biblical stories such as the virgin birth and the resurrection, as well as issues with mythology, symbolism, and factual claims.
The TikTok post in question then triggered a separate debate, as one participant asked, "Why didn't he just answer the question?" to which Atheist Front replied that giving a simple yes-or-no answer would contradict both Peterson's previous remarks regarding mythological heroes and his own religious beliefs.
One commenter joked that Peterson had, in effect, admitted that Jesus was mythical, while others defended or criticized both Peterson and Dawkins. The TikTok caption itself objected to the idea of the exchange being described as a 'battle', and that it was 'a genuine debate between adults'. It maintained that Peterson had not given a direct answer since doing so would have contradicted his previous statements.
On Reddit, too, a commenter questioned Peterson's statement, "You must understand what you’re being asked here?" Another commenter suggested Peterson retreats to semantic arguments when pressed for direct answers.
In the past, Peterson's view of Christianity has not been described simply as yes or no. He has on more than one occasion referred to himself as a Christian, even as he has used God in psychological, symbolic, and mythological approaches. His discussion of Christianity has typically focused on the meaning and symbolic function of religious stories rather than their factual claims.
At the same time, Dawkins is famous for his criticism of religious belief and for his stress on explanations based on evidence; his 2006 book "The God Delusion" became a foundational text of the modern atheist movement.
