A public debate addressing the age-old theological debate regarding the existence of a Christian God brewed in Boston University’s School of Theology last night as approximately 30 attendees witnessed two college graduate students contest atheist and Christian beliefs.
Posing questions and proposing solutions, the two visiting students debated on several questions, including free will, the afterlife, predetermination and religion versus morality. Ultimately, the evening’s main question regarding whether the Christian God exists remained open-ended for future debates.
Doug Dobbins, a Masters of Divinity graduate student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Columbia-Greene Community College graduate student James Lazarus openly voiced their worldly views and acknowledged each other’s differing opinions.
Dobbins, who supported the Christian perspective, said, “religion, like many things most precious to us, can become very dangerous when abused.”
“[Religion is] something that goes down, deep so much,” he said before the debate. “To challenge it is often challenging our own worth.”
Lazarus, who voiced an atheist opinion, said he advocates “open-mindedness and critical thinking” but also acknowledged “all positions can be equally justified, depending on what approach you take.”
Host and moderator Kile Jones, a STH graduate student, said although a “religious debate” like last night’s can create high tension, it “should not deter us from debating this question.”
“We’re always told not to talk about religion or politics,” she said before the event. “So, I’m not supposed to talk about how I live and what the meaning of my life is? That’s hard to do.”
Opening the debate with an explanation on how the evening’s structure would unfold, Jones said each side would each present a 20-minute opening statement. Afterward, a 15-minute rebuttal would commence, followed by 10-minute cross-examinations and five-minute closing comments.
Dobbins said his main focus was to prove the “belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ is reasonable, and our faith is not a leap in the dark.”
During his opening statement, Dobbins said supernatural events are possible, including Christ’s physical resurrection. He said the Old Testament and Gospels are verifiable accounts of the Miracle, which he described as the cornerstone of the Christian faith, that will ultimately, eradicate the world of sin and suffering.
Lazarus’s main argument relied heavily on evidence he provided that supported a Christian God’s existence as insufficient. He argued the reliability of the Gospels is void, because the authors and sources used in those works are unknown. Miracles are extremely rare, and there is not enough evidence to prove that questionable events in the Bible actually happened, he said.
Lazarus brought up the conflict of evil, which he said supposedly coexists with an omnipotent, benevolent God. Concluding his opening statement, he asked, “What is the morally sufficient argument for why there is suffering in the world?”
Dobbins said apostles’ eyewitness accounts prove the resurrection of Christ happened and the possibility of humanity being saved. All but one of the apostles were martyrs, Dobbins said. He said the apostles’ accounts are factual, because they would not have died for a fabricated cause.
Masters of Divinity graduate student Caleb Ingersoll brought his “Thursday night guys group” to watch the debate. Ingersoll said he and his friends attend church together and are there for each other as “accountability” and spiritual guiders.
“I can’t say my own worldview was rocked or changed,” he said. “I’d say it was more food for thought. It was interesting hearing these points and wondering how I would articulate a response.”