The Eternal Debate
by Steven Mahone
I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I must confess
that the recent "Does God Exist?" debate (held in Colorado Springs on August
6, 2000) was the first time I ever really heard both sides of the "God"
issue discussed on equal ground. Not surprisingly, it didn't take long
until the proceedings turned into a "Does the Christian God Exist?" debate,
but to be honest, that question is probably even more relevant and it's
just as interesting.
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The venue was the quaint, turn of the century All
Souls Unitarian Church that had a maximum capacity of two hundred or so
that seemed appropriate for the intimate topic about to be tackled. It
would have been very difficult to just crawl up into the woodwork and observe
the events that were about to unfold - everyone there was quite aware of what the implications
were and everyone there was going to be affected. When things finally kicked off (about 15 minutes
late), the crowd was close to being equally "divided": my estimate was 60% freethinkers and 40%
theists (the labels, of course, are not nearly as important as the varied philosophies that go with them).
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The participants were Pastor Larry Siekawitch of The
Vinyard Christian Fellowship, and (former pastor) Dan Barker, spokesperson
for the Freedom From Religion Foundation. A score sheet, or even an analysis
of who "won" may be interesting in itself, but it is also completely irrelevant.
Any "final scores" that may have been awarded would offer no aid to understanding
what either Dan or Larry said , but it would tell you much about the person
issuing the tally. Most of the people who were there probably didn't expect
a revelation from either side nor did they anticipate hearing something
that they hadn't already considered. Most were there to think about themselves
- what we believe and what we don't believe never seems to be fully appreciated
by someone else.
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Larry had the first 25 minutes and he spent fifteen of
those on a decent and coherent job of invoking intelligent design theory
as one case for a deity. His final ten minutes were a bit more perplexing
and obscure. He had the audience close their eyes while he played a song
that was intended to evoke an "emotional state" that would aid the listener
in their quest to "know" that there is a deity out there who cares. It
didn't do much for me, personally, but then again, it could have been the
less than stellar sound system from circa 1981. Larry is a competent orator
and his apologetics would have been better served without essentially forfeiting
ten minutes of precious speaking time.
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Dan has done this before and it showed from the start.
His case was refined and succinct: How do you define God and how do you
define the conditions necessary to know if he doesn't exist (a falsifiable
hypothesis)? How can the concept of freewill be reconciled with the existence
of an omnipotent and omniscient God? How do you resolve the incompatible
dilemma of both perfect justice and perfect mercy emanating from an infinite
deity? It's not that Larry didn't try to provide answers, it's that Larry
CAN'T answer these questions. Neither can Dan. Neither can you. Nevertheless,
the attempt is usually a decent and worthwhile endeavor.
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The closing remarks were sincere. Larry spoke of miracles
while Dan offered the observation that a surgeon's scalpel is no less compelling.
Larry appealed to the emotional attraction of a deity and how it has changed
his life, whereas Dan appealed to the logical consequences that a deity
adds to an already complex "human condition." Larry, of course, has no
proof. Dan, on the other hand, has proof but offers no certainty. The choice
as to whether the atheist or the theist has the better argument is evident.
What is not so easy for most, is making a choice at all. But perhaps that
is not really as important as most of us have been led to believe.
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The most fascinating portion of the evening was after
the debate was over. The evangelists began mingling with those who have
no interest in such things. There were arguments, counter-arguments, some
talked passionately about what they thought, and some appeared to even
be listening. It was encouraging to see a lot of handshaking going on.
I guess that every event of this stature has a bit of irony associated
with it. Just before the debate was to begin, the evening sun broke through
the fifteen-foot high stained glass windows from behind the pulpit. It
caused a distracting glare for nearly everyone in the audience. We all
watched patiently as the attendants used poles and footstools to try and
untangle the blinds that were above the windows without success. Then,
a man came rushing down the aisle with a ladder in hand when someone in
the audience shouted, "No need to pray folks, they found a ladder!" It
drew a chuckle from even the most serious minded in the audience and it
seemed to provide the appropriate metaphors needed to set the mood for
the remainder of the night. A prayer and a ladder, indeed.
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I spent three hours in church that Sunday. That's something
I haven't done for quite a while and I would be willing to wager that it's
one of the few times that I've attended a "service" where no one was in
danger of nodding off. After the dust started to settle at the end of the
evening, I started to wonder if Dan and Larry share what is essentially
the same faith after all. There is no doubt that the details of what they
believe has little in common, but when you get down to the essence of it,
don't they both expect "justice" and "redemption" to prevail in the end?
For Dan, it happens to be self-fulfilling; For Larry, a deity will take
care of the details.
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The question of whether there is or isn't a God will
remain with us in perpetuity. Regardless of the correct answer to such
a ubiquitous question, I suspect that what is precious and what is beautiful
to each of us here and now, will pretty much remain unchanged either way.
Like the song says, "Ten miles behind me, and ten thousand more to go."
The nice thing is that none of us has to make the journey alone.
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