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Sunday, December 6, 2009

Is America A Christian Nation? Atheist and Christian Debate in Columbia

Posted by Will Moredock on Sun, Dec 6, 2009 at 12:57 AM

On October 29, 2009, the Pastafarians of the University of South Carolina
sponsored a debate on the question: "Is America a Christian Nation"? In
god's corner was Chaplin E. Ray Moore of the Exodus Mandate Project.
(www.exodusmandate.org). Representing rational people of the world was
Dr. Herb Silverman of the College of Charleston and president of the Secular
Humanist Coalition of America (www.Secular.org).
I was not able to attend this debate, which was held in Columbia, so I will not
speculate as to who won and who lost, but I will leave you with this quote from
Rev. Moore, which can be found on the Christian website
http://www.americanvision.org/worldviewforum/viewtopic.php?f=53&p=17712&awt_.
Sounds like a concession speech to me.

Through this experience I learned several lessons: Never enter into a debate or forum against such a skillful debater as Dr. Herb Silverman without thorough preparation. Have real conviction on the topic of America’s Christian foundation. My purpose was to persuade Christians of the importance of this issue. A Christian people robbed of their heritage are easily manipulated by every wind of doctrine. Be prayerful and seek God’s assistance every step of the way.

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I didn't know you were an athiest Mr. Moredock, but you might be glad to know that i'm not too surprised. I would love to hear your explanation of the intricate, intelligent design that obviously surrounds us on Earth and in this great Universe that we are such a small part of. Saying the words "science" or "big bang" or "evolution" doesn't qualify as an explanation, as that is about as broad an explanation as you can get, that just begs many more questions. Can't wait to hear your 'rational' response. Peace.

Posted by GregoryScott on December 6, 2009 at 10:19 PM | Report this comment

Where does Mr. Moredock claim to be an atheist?
BTW, lets hear your explanation of where your god that is supposedly more intricate than the universe came from.

Posted by FCB on December 7, 2009 at 12:26 AM | Report this comment
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Mr. Scott demands the atheists' explanation for "the intricate, intelligent design that obviously surrounds us on Earth and in this great Universe that we are such a small part of", yet he expects to be given a complete pass on being asked to explain how his omnipotent, all-seeing, anthropomorphic God originated.

Furthermore, the "believers" make a huge leap of logic by taking the fact that we do not have a complete understanding of the origins of the universe and extrapolating this as an argument for the existence of a supreme being that is intimately involved in the day-to-day affairs of every single one of the billions of human beings on this planet (and presumably of any other living, sentient beings that might exist throughout the billions of galaxies of this vast universe).

Posted by DSTEWART on December 7, 2009 at 5:40 AM | Report this comment

FCB: and where, I ask, did I claim that i was a believer in God? However, in regards to your question: many believers call 'their' God the alpha and omega.

DStewart: I never expect a pass in any such discussion. Read above for a believer's viewpoint on 'God's origination'.

On a side note, just because human's don't completely understand something doesn't mean it can't be or isn't true.

Actually, I think it would be illogical to base your beliefs in a "supreme being that is intimately involved in the day-to-day affairs of every single one of the billions of human beings on this planet" on merely the fact that we don't have a complete understanding of the origins of the universe. That's where the idea of faith comes into play for believers.

Also let me be clear(as our Comm. and Chief would say), one thing I am a believer in is the separation of church and state.

I still very much look forward to Mr. Moredock's response. The fact that he headed the article with "Atheist and Christian Debate in Columbia" then pronouncing that representing the rational people of the world was Dr. Herb Silverman, who was obviously not "the Christian" of the 'duel', was taking it a little too far. Considering he (nor any other person) won't be able to explain, (using complete rational ideas/explanations) the origins of the universe, my opinion that he crossed the line seems to me to be unbiased. However, I would love to hear him try, hence my first post. If Mr. Moredock thinks he is a cosmic accident he doesn't have to imply that those who don't take that same viewpoint are not rational, which is basically what he has done.

Posted by GregoryScott on December 7, 2009 at 6:54 AM | Report this comment

Perhaps Mr. Moredock will update us on his positions on "god" and particularly organized religion in one of his future columns.
A good start might be to comment on how much less in taxes we would have to pay if the churches paid their fair share.

Posted by FCB on December 7, 2009 at 12:10 PM | Report this comment

FCB:"BTW, lets hear your explanation of where your god that is supposedly more intricate than the universe came from."

Could it be that God and the Universe are the same thing? Multidimensional and timeless? Big Bang is the current theory, but no one knows if a big collapse will ever occur. I kind of like Arthur C. Clarke's theory about God's origins in 2001: A Space Odyssey (the book).

Posted by I P Yuengling on December 8, 2009 at 3:47 PM | Report this comment

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