Posted on 07/01/2007 1:31:54 PM PDT by SirLinksalot
"The God Delusion" Debate
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The Alys Stephens Center
Birmingham, Alabama
Remaining true to our goal of engaging secular culture on critical issues in a thoughtful, respectful manner, Fixed Point Foundation will sponsor a debate on what is arguably the most critical question of our time: the existence of God. The decision one makes regarding this question has implications that reverberate throughout eternity to be sure, but it also affects temporal existence from government policy to the individual. Historically, man’s belief in the transcendent has served as a restraint on his conduct and provided hope for his future. Now, it is argued, “God is dead”, and man can do very well without him.
The debate will feature Professor Richard Dawkins, Fellow of the Royal Society and Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University and Dr. John Lennox (MA, MA, Ph.D., D.Phil., D.Sc.), Reader in Mathematics and Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science, Green College, University of Oxford.
Dawkins, voted by Europe’s Prospect Magazine as one of the world’s most important intellectuals, is regarded by many as the spokesman for the “New Atheism.” BBC has labeled him “Darwin’s Rottweiler.” He has written numerous best-sellers, most notable among them, his recent book, The God Delusion. TGD has been on The New York Times List of Best-Sellers for over thirty weeks. It is a no-holds-barred assault on religious faith generally, and Christianity specifically. According to Dawkins, one can deduce atheism from scientific study; indeed, he argues that it is the only viable choice.
Lennox, a popular Christian apologist and scientist, travels widely speaking on the interface between science and religion. Like Dawkins, he has dedicated his career to science, but he has arrived at very different conclusions. "It is the very nature of science that leads me to belief in God," he says. Lennox possesses doctorates from Oxford, Cambridge, and the University of Wales. He has written a response to the notion that Science has exposed the Bible as obscurantist in a book titled God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried the Bible? The book will be published this fall.
The debate will center on Dawkins' views as expressed in his best-seller, The God Delusion and their validity over and against the Christian faith. This will be the first significant discussion on this issue in the "Bible Belt." Consequently, we believe that it will focus much public attention on this important issue.
For more information, contact us at info@fixed-point.org.
Thanks for the heads up!
Why doesn't the Atheist community target Mohammed's theocracy of the Empire of Islam as much as they take delight in bashing Christians?
If it is an "educated study in atheism" it should be neutral and deride all faiths, not target one faith that has been superseded by another faith that rewrote THAT faith's religious text.
Christians follow Christ. Muslims don't. Are muslims better "delusional" adherents to religion because they dismiss Jesus (and replace Him with Mohammed)?
Why not expose Scientology as a grand sci-fi tale cooked up by L. Ron Hubbard, noted Sci-Fi author?
Why do atheists hate Christianity so much, because of its power.
No other “religion” has any spiritual power.
They might have guns (Islam), they might have money (scientology), but they have no power over the human heart.
“one of the world’s most important intellectuals...”
boy, oh boy. those atheists are all brilliant intellectuals. they are so smart that they are smarter than they themselves are. they are so smart that they throw out invisible lightning bolts when the speak and they fill the minds of their opposites with impotence in the face of their limitless intelligence. when the ignorant, unintelligent, stupid, empty-headed believers come under their spell, and renounce their supposed gods, they will turn into super intelligent beings, just like all of the world’s important intellectuals. but, they will all fall short of the original, important, all-knowing, super intelligent intellectual marxists who now grace the world with their presence. (only additional evolution may bring them to the same level as the important intellectuals; let’s say about fifty generations of evolution might do it, if that.)
I saw the video of Dawkins interviewing Haggard, if my only choice were to believe “christians” like Haggard I’d be an atheist too.
http://www.vsocial.com/video/?d=9421
You have to admit - if you are honest - Dawkins has somewhat of a point in being skeptical when he tries to understand Haggard and the way he works people.
What takes the cake in the video is when Haggard tells Dawkins “please, don’t be arrogant” in a super arrogant tone of voice.
Your straw man argument doesn’t hold water.
“From an Athiests point of view what is the difference between Christianity and Islam?”
Why are there no curses in any language of Buddha, Mohammad, or any other gods or so called messengers of the gods?
You will however, hear atheists taking God the Creator and His Son’s names in vain.
It’s kind of a back handed compliment, showing that even atheists know Who’s listening.
There are no live atheists in muslim countries and very few Christians left for that matter.
“Why do atheists hate Christianity so much, because of its power.”
Most rational atheists don’t hate Christianity. They realize that it is a valuable contributor to society. That a large majority of the population is incapable of determining moral values for itself, and expects to have its moral values dictated by authority figures.
Christianity as it has evolved in the last two hundred years is perhaps the most benign and socially positive of the great religions.
Great Answer from the Judge
In Florida , an atheist became incensed over the preparation of Easter and Passover holidays. He decided to contact his lawyer about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays while atheists had no holiday to celebrate.
The case was brought before a wise judge. After listening to the long passionate presentation by the lawyer, the Judge banged his gavel and declared “Case dismissed!”
The lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said, “Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah... yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!”
The judge leaned forward in his chair and simply said, “Obviously your client is too confused to even know about, much less celebrate his own atheists’ holiday!”
The lawyer pompously said, “Your Honor, we are unaware of any such holiday for atheists. Just when might that holiday be, your Honor?”
The judge said, “Well it comes every year on exactly the same date - April 1st! Since our calendar sets April 1st as ‘April Fools’ Day’, consider that Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53 state, ‘The fool says in his heart, there is no God.’
Therefore, in my opinion, if your client says there is no God, then by scripture he is a fool, thus April 1st is his holiday!”
PRAY THAT SOME DAY OUR COURTS WILL BE FULL OF THESE KIND OF JUDGES...... MAYBE THEN, WE CAN PUT GOD BACK WHERE HE BELONGS - IN EVERYTHING WE DO...
Way to go, Judge!
How funny. You obviously don't know any Buddhists or Muslims do you?
atheism is short for autotheism
At least none that will admit it.
Read "The Universe in a Single Atom" by the Dalai Lama.
“Why doesn’t the Atheist community target Mohammed’s theocracy of the Empire of Islam as much as they take delight in bashing Christians?”
I would, if they were trying to install sharia law in the US.
” Why not expose Scientology as a grand sci-fi tale cooked up by L. Ron Hubbard, noted Sci-Fi author?”
Scientology is a grand sci-fi tale cooked up by L. Ron Hubbard.
I speak, of course, only for myself as a member of the atheist community, not its spokesman.
“It’s kind of a back handed compliment, showing that even atheists know Who’s listening.”
No, it’s cultural thing. Americans grow up using religious swear words, religious and atheist alike. It’s part of the language. When I was adult enough to reject religion, my language usage was too set to jettison. Sexual scatology, thankfully, remains heartfelt and sincere. ;)
If you are interested, here is John Lennox’s ( Dawkin’s opponent in this debate ) latest book :
TITLE : GOD’s UNDERTAKER : HAS SCIENCE BURIED GOD ?
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