The God Debate
A Dialogue on Atheism and Theism
In the grand intellectual theatre of human history, no question has commanded more attention than the question of God. Is the universe a product of purposeless matter and chance, or the deliberate creation of a conscious Creator? Today, we convene a historic summit of the mind, pitting the most formidable arguments of modern atheism against the sophisticated reasoning of classical Islamic philosophy.
Representing the Atheist Position:
- Bertrand Russell: Demanding empirical evidence for all claims.
- Richard Dawkins: Arguing for natural selection as a complete explanation for life's complexity.
- Christopher Hitchens: Putting religion itself on trial for its historical harms.
- Sam Harris: Contending that morality must be grounded in science, not divine command.
- Friedrich Nietzsche: Announcing the "death of God" as a cultural event forcing humanity to create its own meaning.
Representing the Theist Position (from Islamic Philosophy):
- Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna): Arguing for God as the 'Necessary Existent'—the uncaused cause of all things.
- Al-Ghazālī: Championing the limits of pure reason and the necessity of divine revelation.
- Ibn Rushd (Averroes): Defending the harmony between philosophical truth and religious truth.
- Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī: Synthesizing theology and logic into a comprehensive rational defense of faith.
This debate matters because it addresses the central anxiety of the modern age: Are we living in a meaningless, material universe, or a purposeful, created one? Join us as we explore arguments on the problem of evil, the basis of morality, and the very foundation of reality. The court is reason. The evidence is logic.