FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Great God Debate at the University of Illinois: Dinesh D'Souza vs. John W. Loftus
Below is the Press Release for this debate. Hope to see some of my readers there.
Authors Dinesh D’Souza and John W. Loftus to Tackle Questions of Faith and Reason.[Edit: I thank every single person who contributed to my out of pocket expenses--thanks so very much!]
CHAMPAIGN,IL (January 12, 2010) - On February 9, 2010 at 7:00pm on the University of Illinois campus, authors Dinesh D’Souza and John W. Loftus will debate the question “Does the Christian God exist?” The event will be held in Foellinger Auditorium on the south end of the main Quad and is open to the public. After the formal portion of the debate, D’Souza and Loftus will field questions from the audience.
Mr. D’Souza will be responding in the affirmative. He is the author of What’s So Great About Christianity? and has appeared on a number of popular news programs. He has previously debated Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, Peter Singer, and a number of others.
Mr. Loftus will be responding in the negative. He is a former Christian minister and the author of the recently published Why I Became an Atheist, which has been acclaimed as one of the most effective defenses of atheism in recent times. Mr. Loftus is also a contributing author of the forthcoming The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails.
Moderating the debate will be Kenneth J. Howell, the director of the Institute of Catholic Thought at St. John’s Catholic Newman Center on the Illinois campus. “This debate should be a great opportunity for different worldviews to have a healthy exchange of ideas, which is the essence of what a university is about,” said Prof. Howell. “D’Souza and Loftus are both articulate spokespersons for their worldviews and their presence promises an enlightening evening.”
The event is being co-sponsored by the Champaign-Urbana Freethinkers, the Atheists, Agnostics, and Freethinkers student organization, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, and the St. John Institute of Catholic Thought.
Link
41 comments:
Knock 'em dead, John. Wish I could be there.
Good luck, John! If you can put up a video, I'll be sure to review it at my blog.
yes, PLEASE get a video for this one...
Break a leg, John. I hope your thoughts are articulated as clearly as ever. You deserve a great showing with all the work you pour into this!
I just spoke with David Hazen, one of the coordinators of the event.
David Hazen
Director of Communications,
(217) 255.6659
He informed me that it's a free event and that seating is first-come first-serve. They take no reservations. He also told me that one could almost be guaranteed a seat if they were in line by 6:30.
The site has about 1650 seats and he let me know that the last speaker they had in that venue was an exorcist, who packed the house by the start time and they locked he doors.
I hope to make the event though D'Souza makes me sick.
I hope to see some of you other commenters, too. It might be nice to meet for dinner beforehand or to get a drink and blab afterwards.
I would hate to be D'Sousa. There are various well-known arguments, based on logic, for a first-cause god, but what logic or evidence supports the conclusion that the firt-cause god and the god of Christianity are one and the same. Logic? I see none. The Bible? You got to be kidding me. John, the deck is stacked in your favor.
Good luck John. I hope he doesn't make funny voices when imitating atheist. It is super annoying and takes away from his content.
I think I'll actually be able to make it.
Russ, I'd be interested in grabbing dinner beforehand. If anyone else is interested, let me know.
I attended Dinesh's debate with Dennett at Tufts, and all I can say is that he is not to be underestimated. I was watching the crowd as much as I was watching the debate itself, and I can tell you that by the end of the debate Dinesh had much of the pro-Dennett crowd (we were at Tufts, after all) cheering for him. Sure, some people will come to the event with a ready made dislike for D'souza (see some of the comments above), *but most won't*, and Dinesh is articulate and charming in person. This is going to be one heck of a challenge. (If you doubt Dinesh's debating skills, consider this: Hitchens has said that it was a debate he had with Dinesh that played a major role in disabusing him of his Trotskyism. Now, that's not something that can be done with rhetoric and debate tricks!)
Anyway, good luck, John! I hope audio of the debate will be made available soon after the event; I look forward to listening to it.
@Russ:
I think dinner or a drink afterwards sounds like a lot of fun.
To those of you wanting to get together with me before and/or after the debate, I have to check first to see what the organizers have planned for me. I'll let you know when I find out. But I'd like to do it.
I've always wondered how effective these public debates really are... and debating Dinesh seems like an exercise in futility.
However, I'm still interested in seeing it. Will someone put in on YouTube afterward?
Destroy him Mr. Loftus! Wish I could meet you in person.
Make sure this debate is recorded!! Believe me John, you will be glad later on if you record this and post it online.
Of course William Lane Craig refused to go where Dinesh is going.
Did the organisers say if God is going to this debate?
Can we get Him a ticket?
I bet He doesn't show up.
He's too busy in Haiti, passing by on the other side.
While I am a big fan of Christopher Hitchens, I thought he made a poor showing at his debate with D'Souza at Kings College in New York City a few years ago. I'm hoping Loftus will decimate D'Sousa's eloquent rubbish.
I'd love to hear a recording of this one.
@John
Could you let us know with a post if / when / where you'd like to meet up?
Looks like we have 3 so far.
Good luck, John.
I know it's easy to underestimate D'Sousa, especially since he has he mannerisms of Carleton Banks from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, but don't do it!
Although he lacks logic, reason and evidence, he more than makes up for it with charm and sophistry.
Be on guard!
Champaign isn't too far from me. I'm going to try to be there to see the debate. It would also be fun to meet John and the rest of you in person.
Good luck! And may the Force be with you. Or something less religious.
I'm sure you are well-prepped for this. But a couple of observations:
He has some pretty awful arguments about how big bang cosmology is presaged in the bible. You should be able to knock him flat on all those points since you have it well covered in your book.
Make sure you keep him on the debate topic. Don't let him ramble on about the great social effects of Christianity. If he does so, challenge him to formulate that into an argument in favour of the existence of a Christian God such that it is differentiated from the social effects of other religions.
Another easy victory for Dinesh and the Christian worldview...Of this I am confident...I'll be there John and hope to talk to you then.
"Don't let him ramble on about the great social effects of Christianity."
Completely agreed. John, freakin' hammer him hard on this with a few short sweet sentences showing how silly this argument is.
My recommendation:
Begin a satirical rant about how Roman culture and morality was held together by their belief in a pantheon of God's and the reason their culture fell apart was because they abandoned their belief in these gods... so without Roman gods there can be no morality... and the fall of Rome is evidence of this.
Just my 0.02. Looking forward to the debate.
Josh, Richard, Bud, and John
Let's talk about pre or post event arrangements.
Josh and I have already touched bases and we're leaning toward a pancake venue. For any of you without contact information linked to this site, contact us through John or Josh's web page or email me at completematerialist@yahoo.com
It'll be good to put a face with some of the names.
Thanks Russ! After the debate there will be questions and they're whisking us both off to a nearby local bookstore for book signings, so it'll have to be before. But I would really like to hook up before. I haven't heard if they have any plans before the debate though, but my wife and I will make a way.
It would be great getting together, especially to meet this guy they call the District Supt. Harvey Burnett who is sometimes a burr in our sides! ;-)
You're taking on D'Souza, d'master of d'nonsequitor? Heck, even Hitchens can't shut that man up although I actually suspect he lets D'Souza off lightly in order to keep him coming back for more paid "debate" appearances. Call me a cynic.
I've been away from the site for a while for various personal reasons (nice redesign, BTW) but I haven't stopped fighting for logic and reason.
Yeah go get him John! I don't like debates because they're not about finding out truths, but since you're in one don't let him get away with so much, this guy is sneaky!
Have a good one!
I'm always up for pancakes. I'll shoot you an email Russ.
Can't wait to review it, John. Text me.
(JH)
"Another easy victory for Dinesh and the Christian worldview."
But I thought Dinesh was a Roman Catholic.
To all those interested in getting together before the debate:
I've made some calls to restaurants in Champaign near campus from a list provided by Joshua Jung, and the IHOP seems to be the most accommodating, and is conveniently located less than a couple miles from Foellinger Auditorium.
Here's a link to google maps for the IHOP. Foellinger is between S. Wright St. and S. Matthews Ave. a few blocks east and a few blocks south of the IHOP.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&source=hp&q=IHOP%20308%20East%20Green%20Street%2C%20Champaign%2C%20IL%E2%80%8E&oq=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl
I've talked to the IHOP manager and was told it was fine for us to be there for the afternoon, and we're welcome to stay during their dinner hour as long as we eat. I'm going to try to be there around 2:00, but I'm coming from Lansing, MI in winter. They took a reservation for "Russ."
Hope to meet some of you there.
2:00 pm
IHOP
Reservation for RUSS
308 East Green Street, Champaign, IL
(217) 351-6972
hey, a lot of you guys have been wondering if there will be video of this, and we're assured there will be. A couple days after the event, it will go up on the main sponsor's, Saint John's Catholic Newman Center's, youtube channel. Link here:
http://www.youtube.com/uiucnewman
Hope to see you all there! I'm looking forward to a great atheist crowd.
Question
What is more important a debate on whether the "Christian God exists" or the "freedom from religion" or the "separation of church and state"?
It seems the later is more important when a Christian agrees that I have a right not to practice any faith, I pack up my stuff and go home. A Christian can argue all night long about God, but in the end it doesn't matter. Christianity has been neutered as far as I am concerned when it lost its power to forcibly convert people or force its will on the non-religious public.
"Christianity has been neutered as far as I am concerned when it lost its power to forcibly convert people or force its will on the non-religious public."
Jonathan trouble is they havent really lost power to coerce have they,dishonesty has allowed this abusive force to be re classed as "rights to freedom of faith".
That way fear of shunning by family or threats of hell,can be legally used on both child and adult alike to coerce and force faith.Which i supposed in and of its self talks away the very freedom of faith, by actually removing rights of all humans including children to choose not to abide by faith or be subjected to psychological abusive thoughts of some unproven hell etc.
Personally i agree with you this area of debate needs to be explored much further,because how things are ordered at present i personally cant see how the faithful can even really claim they HONESTLY do TRUTHFULLY follow any real type of golden rule?.
There golden rule written in their bible remains but a figurine stuck up on the mantelpiece.It looks good,but is totally worthless! and only a plastic reproduction fit for show purpose.
We non believers wishing for more world peace,need to exploit this blatant dishonesty of faith and show it up as the utter disgraceful lie that it honestly is !.
I agree.I really have no problem with anyones faith,so long as it doesnt allow for freedom to abuse etc.
So far ive noticed by a very very large majority, faithful folks most often do all tend to go very quiet when faced with this subject, and simply dont want to discuss this much.Even our friend Brad suddenly quietly loses his tounge!,handwaving frantically instead over you-tube videos put up by John about roundworm gods kindly provided us.Crying foul call,and suggesting non believers are getting to picky.
I do think things they seem to DISLIKE discussing the most!,most likely do hold very good reason why non believers should probably press them a lot harder! to hurry up and be prepared to come to the party and atleast start being a little honest and start discussing such matters more !.
We cant let them keep getting away with pulling the Dinesh D`Souza on us,quickly change the subject when suits.
Yep in my opinion you are correct,this area of debate needs exploring.We know history tells us faith is like a cancer it doesnt really remove itself.
We need a cure.And the golden rule could maybe help alot to do the trick.
Russ, Dinesh and I are being treated to dinner before the debate and afterwards we're going to be signing books. But if you're going to be around at 2 PM so will I.
Hey all,
I was planning on coming to Russ' reservation but then I just saw John's comment and now I'm confused. Are we meeting before the event at IHOP or is there a separate dinner with Russ, Dinesh, John, and others? I don't want to drive up in the snow to get there at 2:00pm to find out separate plans have been made.
If anyone with information sees this comment before noon CST, please respond. Thanks!
Due to work I won't be in Champaign until some time after 5. Due to snow it might be more like 5:30. If anyone wants to say hi, I'll be the guy in the black coat with the shaved head and goatee who looks confused. :)
Sorry for not updating the thread, but I can't make the debate today.
I'm disappointed that I can't make it, but I hope John's readers are still able to meet one another.
Russ
Ben and Mike want me to announce that they are at the IHOP right now, if anyone still wants to join them.
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