Goriller

Christian talk-show host, Bob Enyart, is looking for an atheist to debate at the end of his, "Does God Exist?" seminar in Indianapolis, August 24th. Any takers on this forum?

If so, you can prepare yourself by listening to Mr. Enyart debate a couple of published atheist authors at <a href="http://www.kgov.com" target="_blank">http://www.kgov.com</a> and listen to the following shows: August 28, 2000; September 4, 2000; October 9, 2000; October 23, 2000; November 1, 2000; November 8, 2000; and March 5, 2001.

Further information about the seminar can be found at <a href="http://www.kgov.com/special-events.htm" target="_blank">http://www.kgov.com/special-events.htm</a>

B. H. Manners

You may want to ask Farrell Till about it.

sandlewood

Bob Enyart cracks me up. I’ve listened to him debating an atheist. I didn’t find the atheist to be that strong. I don’t think any decent debater would accept Bob’s invitation. As I remember, his two basic arguments are about the law of thermodynamics and the need for a first cause (or as he likes to put it, “a rock can’t create itself”).

RogerLeeCooke

Sounds like John Ankerberg's ilk. Ankerberg "anchors" himself to such principles as "the Gospels have to be true because they were contemporaneous with the events described, and everyone knows you can't fool the generation that was there and saw it happen." (I do wonder what planet he inhabits, or does he just live in a cave, that he has never heard of Uri Geller?)

Jobar

Let's move this to MRD.

Samhain

What always puzzles me about the "need for a creator" argument is that for many theists they find such an argument to hold true until someone tries to extend the argument to "God" then they revert back to the "goddidit" argument. "A rock can't create itself" well I think that that pretty much sums it up for about anything.

Further, I find it amusing that they cannot accept that natural occurances are just as likely as a creator, and more probable as it doesn't warrant the unnecessary complications of a "god". "Well it has to be an entity to create the universe, I mean, it's just so perfect and orderly to be just mere chance of nature". <img src="graemlins/banghead.gif" border="0" alt="[Bang Head]" /> It boggles the mind.

clark

Debates are as much about style as they are about substance. Many atheist debaters have fared poorly as they have one but not the other. For a public debate that is broadcast or heavily attended, an experienced debater is a must.

Here are some suggestions:

<a href="http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/dan_barker/index.shtml" target="_blank">Dan Barker</a> of the FFRF. Dan is based in Madison, WI and has been involved in many public debates. Dan is a former minister, and is very personable.

<a href="http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/massimo_pigliucci/index.shtml" target="_blank">Massimo Pigliucci</a>, an esteemed evolutionary biologist at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville. Massimo has debated many creationists, but has also debated William L. Craig on the god question. Massimo is also quite personable, and has an Italian accent that drives good little Christian girls crazy .

<a href="http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/doug_krueger/index.shtml" target="_blank">Doug Krueger</a> of Arkansas is an atheist philosopher with a few debates under his belt, one of which was with Enyart.

A few other suggestions, though I don't know if they would be feasible: Keith Parsons of Houston (probably the best all-around atheist debater around), Doug Jesseph of NC State, Delos McKown of Auburn Univ., and Eddie Tabash of Los Angeles.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but that's a good start. Be very careful about who is picked. There are some atheist debaters out there who frankly really aren't qualified.

THOUGHTfully Yours,
Clark Adams

[ July 19, 2002: Message edited by: clark ]</p>

braces_for_impact

Agreed. I live in Indianapolis, and though I love debate, especially on this topic, and I consider myself somewhat good at discussion, I wouldn't dream of trying it myself. I have no experience in a truly public forum with a large audience. It is something I wouldn't mind doing someday however, perhaps after further study on the subject matter and and some formal learning about public speaking. Hopefully, we'll find someone good, I would love to attend the debate. The Humanist Association of Indiana might have some connections that would be useful, they have put together debates before. I am a web member but haven't yet had any opportunities to attend anything in person, something which will soon be rectified.

Buffman

Tell him to go look in one of the earth's 1500 active volcanos and he will probably get a chance to see a rock being created. If he asks from whence the lava came, start rubbing two appropriate pieces of wood together fast enough and long enough and ask him where the fire came from. If he still demands to know where atoms are made, tell him the same place that made his God...the atoms found in the minds of humans.

braces_for_impact

Beware the composition of the audience who would attend the debate.

BibleBelted

Definitely. The audience will be primarily, if not completely, composed of people who have already shelled out $50 to attend Enyart's secret seminar where he proves the existence of god(s). In effect the audience has already laid a fat bet that Bob will reign triumphant. Don't expect any atheist to get a fair hearing here.

By the way, if Bob Enyart has information proving the existence of god, why won't he share it for free?


I've heard these debates. In fact these debates amount to my Damascus roadtrip to punting Jebus out of my life. (Incidentally, these are the debates that Goriller has listed)

Goriller surely thinks Enyart won these debates, but Goriller's critical thinking skills are suspect. Enyart had the louder microphone, the more pugnacious attitude, plus the god-given moral authority to put Doug Krueger on hold.
Enyart only proves what every stage performer already knows: Don't argue with a man holding a microphone!

These debates are really pretty interesting, but they move slowly because Enyart spends so much time trying to get Krueger to answer dumb questions, but they would make some good fodder for analysis by the infidels here. Lots of hilarious special pleading available.

I would like to do some myself, but that will have to wait for later.