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"Religious debate could attract thousands to discuss atheism"
Source: The Exponent (IN)
Date: March 22, 2004
Author: Kristen Sutherland
Editor: Charise Pettit
The existence of God will be debated from 7 to 9 tonight in the
Elliott Hall of Music.
Dr. Austin Dacey, director of the Center for Inquiry in New York
City and co-author of the book on Secular Humanism, "A Case for
Humanism: An Introduction," will be representing the atheist point
of view.
"Basically, my theory is that in light of evidence, atheism is more
reasonable than theism," said Dacey. "I look forward to debating not
only whether we ought to believe in God, but also whether we could
have a loving relationship with Him. Given the amount of pointless
suffering in the world, and God's silence in the face of it, I don't
see how we can."
Formerly a religious believer, Dacey says he is now a "professional
skeptic working as a philosopher with a think-tank that specializes
in critical thinking and the scientific outlook."
Dr. William Lane Craig, a top philosopher of religion who often
speaks on and debates topics related to philosophy and religion,
will be representing the Christian point of view.
"I plan on arguing that there are good reasons for Christianity to
exist and that there are not comparable reasons for the existence of
atheism," said Craig. "I feel that a wide range of topics — science,
philosophy, history and ethics — contribute to the strength of
Christianity's believability."
John Engberg of the Christian Faculty/Staff Network at Purdue, the
group sponsoring this debate, says he's hoping at least 3,000 people
attend this free event.
"This is a unique event," said Engberg. "Here at the Christian
Faculty/Staff
Network, we have come to understand that the most important question
in life is the question of God's existence. We want to encourage
public discussion about this topic. Many people are skeptical and
think religion is a topic you don't give reasons for, you just
believe it. We hope this event will demonstrate that there are
reasonable explanations for God's existence."
The debate will be very formal with each speaker presenting their
case for 20, 12, eight and five minutes each, followed by 20 to 30
minutes of questions and answers with the audience.
Both Dacey and Craig said they are looking forward to being a part
of this event.
"I always enjoy returning to the Midwest," said Dacey. "I anticipate
a lively discussion with Purdue's students."
Craig said, "My last visit to Purdue was really great. I had a great
dialogue with the students and there were good interactions. I'm
really looking forward to being there."
Engberg said, "We expect this event to be intellectually
stimulating, challenging, fun, entertaining, and for those with an
open heart and mind, life-changing.
"For the students who are interested in getting answers to the most
important question in life in a very lively, intellectually engaging
setting, this is an event they will not want to miss."
This article was retrieved from:
http://www.purdueexponent.org/interface/bebop/showstory.php?date=2004/03/22§ion=campus&storyid=doesgodexist
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