The Debates:

WHAT TO EXPECT: Debate Summaries

DEBATE 001: “Moral Foundations: Which makes more sense, Christianity or Atheism?”

(Buckner vs. Lucas)

Every thinking person has moral concerns and some sort of a value system. We think there are right ways and wrong ways to treat people or to be treated by them. How do we account for this? How do we understand the basic foundations of morality? Does Christianity or does Atheism make better sense of morality?

DEBATE 002: “Flight in birds and bats: Is evolution or creation the best guide?”

(Provine vs. McIntosh)

Birds and bats have very specialized characteristics that make the phenomena of flight possible. What is the ultimate source of those physical characteristics? Is naturalistic evolution the best guide for understanding flight, or does flight indicate the design of a Creator?

DEBATE 003: “Free Will: Does it exist? Does it matter?

(Provine vs. Sullivan)

This is NOT a debate about theological free will (an issue theologians raise when considering the effect of sin upon the human will). Human beings are complex organisms, but do we possess a free will or are our thoughts and choices governed by the laws of physics and biochemistry that control the processes of our brains? Does human free will exist or is it a myth? Does it matter? Dr. Provine states that free will is a myth and is “the fangs of religion”. Dr. Sullivan believes that “free will is a reflection of God’s volitional nature”.