Clip 3: Does science make belief in God obsolete? (Templeton Foundation)

To read the short essays that accompany this video, with contributions by Christopher Hitchens, Steven Pinker, Kenneth Miller, Christoph Cardinal Schonborn, Jerome Groopman, and others, visit http://www.templeton.org/belief

This is the third in a series of conversations among leading scientists, scholars, and public figures about the "Big Questions." For previous Big Questions conversations sponsored by the Templeton Foundation, visit http://www.templeton.org/bigquestions

At a lunch event in New York City on September 22, 2008, Christopher Hitchens and the Catholic theologian Lorenzo Albacete squared off over the Big Question: "Does science make belief in God obsolete?" The event was jointly sponsored by the Templeton Foundation and On Faith, the online religion forum of the Washington Post and Newsweek. The discussion was moderated by Jon Meacham, the editor of Newsweek, and Sally Quinn of the Washington Post.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• templeton
• templeton foundation
• christopher hitchens
• big questions
• God
• science
• jon meacham
• sally quinn
• washington post

[mainman9000]

Very thoughtful, kind old man who wishes religion to remain as a source for life meaning and consolation. I can't knock him for that emotional appeal, and to some extent I hate that science has given him no other choice but to discard such beliefs. However, though the truth may not seem appealing at times, it is nonetheless true. The evidence points to a nonexistent deity and no afterlife for such a sincere elderly gentleman...

[sylviabombs15]

Look at the body language from 00:00:18 - 00:00:21

00:00:18 Hitchens runs his hands through his golden locks...

00:00:21 The old menapausal chick responds by trying to do a hair flick of her own with whatever grey hair she has left.

hitchens FTW

[jaggy723]

@mainman9000 read his book and see what you think

[jaggy723]

Ha! He's not agnostic! Read his book God at the Ritz

[AnotherMasterMind]

hmm. All the smart priests tend to be agnostic. interesting.

[rationalsalvation]

An agnostic priest. It speaks volumes.

[shepshepshep]

By 'god' i assme you mean 'sky fairy'

[1tabligh]

No religious book is believed by *all* people, and no prophet is universally recognized. Therefore, it would be *futile* to rely on an authoritative statement of a prophet or a holy book when dealing with a duped *atheist* who disclaims all heavenly revelations and denies the *whole* concept of God.

[1tabligh]

Our belief in a holy book, such as the Qur'an, or in a holy prophet, such as Mohammad, must be preceded by our belief in God. A religious book is holy because it is introduced by a man whom we consider a prophet. Prophethood is conceivable only if there is God, because a prophet is a messenger of God. Our belief in God, therefore, must come before our belief in a religious book or a prophet, not vice versa.

[1tabligh]

but you base your life on a book ...

_____

And where did you pull that from?

I am not a Christian!

I am a Shiite Muslim!

Islam demands from its followers to believe in God, the Creator of the Universe, but it does not advise them to base such a belief on the statement of any religious book or any authoritative words, not even the word of the Holy Qur'an or of the holy Prophet.

[1tabligh]

God and Empirical Logic.

One of the most destructive and misleading factors in thoughts concerning God is to restrict one's thought to the "logic" of the empirical sciences and to *fail* to recognize the *limits* and boundaries of that "logic".

Is that which is necessary in essence and which is considered the first source of existence matter itself or something else beyond the limits of matter?

[1tabligh]

@shepshepshep Before he enters the realm of science and knowledge with all its concerns, man is able to perceive certain truths by means of these innate perceptions. But after entering the sphere of science and philosophy and filling his *brain* with various proofs and deductions, he may forget his natural and innate perceptions or begin to doubt them. It is for this reason that when man moves beyond his innate nature to delineate a belief, differences begin to appear. ...