Jay Richards executive editor of The Stream recently debated atheist Dan Barker of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) at an event hosted by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute at Arizona State University. Barker is a former fundamentalist pastor who lost his faith and founded FFRF.
I dont pretend to have been an unbiased observer since Im a Christian and a senior editor for The Stream. But I did attend and took good notes. Heres a summary of the event from my perspective related as accurately as I am able.
Some elderly atheists and skeptic" organizations arrived early and took up all the seats in the first few rows clad mostly in the sort of t-shirts you might see at the local comic book store. Many of the rest of the audience were students teachers professors and assorted adults.
Barkers MO which Richards called him out on repeatedly was to cherry pick the worst atrocities in history that have been committed by Christians and religious people and then claim the Bible inspired most of them. Can you think of a single book that has caused more division than the Bible?" Barker asked. The teachings of Jesus were morally inferior" he declared at another point. We wouldnt want to live in the same neighborhood as Jesus. … Any one of us could have come up with a better moral system than the Bible."
Read the rest of the article at The Stream
Watch the first 12 minutes of the debate
Jay Richards executive editor of The Stream recently debated atheist Dan Barker of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) at an event hosted by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute at Arizona State University. Barker is a former fundamentalist pastor who lost his faith and founded FFRF.
I dont pretend to have been an unbiased observer since Im a Christian and a senior editor for The Stream. But I did attend and took good notes. Heres a summary of the event from my perspective related as accurately as I am able.
Some elderly atheists and skeptic" organizations arrived early and took up all the seats in the first few rows clad mostly in the sort of t-shirts you might see at the local comic book store. Many of the rest of the audience were students teachers professors and assorted adults.
Barkers MO which Richards called him out on repeatedly was to cherry pick the worst atrocities in history that have been committed by Christians and religious people and then claim the Bible inspired most of them. Can you think of a single book that has caused more division than the Bible?" Barker asked. The teachings of Jesus were morally inferior" he declared at another point. We wouldnt want to live in the same neighborhood as Jesus. … Any one of us could have come up with a better moral system than the Bible."
Read the rest of the article at The Stream
Watch the first 12 minutes of the debate