Matt Dillahunty vs. Mark Allison NOVEMBER 17

On November 17, The Gainesville State College Secular Student Alliance hosted a debate between Matt Dillahunty and Mark Allison with a focus on whether or not people can be good without God. Allison, a teacher at Covenant Connections Church in Flowery Branch, GA, picked a tough opponent for his first formal debate. Matt Dillahunty is a well known atheist who hosts The Atheist Experience, a very popular cable access program out of Austin, Texas. He is also an experienced debater, and a former Southern Baptist seminarian.

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[Chris63084]

I think we need to have a technology drive for "The Gainesville State College Secular Student Alliance", Send any cameras made after 1994.

Jesus. Seriously.

[ChristopherHitchslap]

@Chris63084  Haha NICE!

[zeldaofarel]

I always thought what a dysfunctional relationship Christians had with their god. He's a guy, who loves you, who makes you suffer eternally if you don't love him back, who demands that you love him unconditionally and do everything the way he tells you to. Who says that you can do whatever you want, but if it's not what he tells you to, again, you suffer. Battered wife syndrome. If he was my boyfriend, I'd throw him out.

[JJPHILLYLG]

Do theists ever actually answer a fucking question?

[natepcbfl]

OK great to listen to the debate but, with it being taped from within the audience and the mic is picking up from the audience. The applause about made me deaf since you have to turn it up so far to hear the speakers. Sorry to complain but a little forethought about this debate would have been a good idea.

[JJPHILLYLG]

@BenTheUtubeN00b Only to a particular type of believer would my comments seem ridiculous. There are believers who disagree with William Lane Craig’s arguments. Mark Allison concluded that an atheist can be as moral and in some cases more moral than a believer. Many believers say that God can do whatever he wants no matter how horrific the action. There are also believers who will admit that their belief in God is irrational but they believe out of comfort and or fear.

[JJPHILLYLG]

@BenTheUtubeN00b Do theists ever actually answer a fucking question was not a representation of the entire debate.

[BenTheUtubeN00b]

@Skillionaire9 I think the reason for this is; The god christians actually worship and hold so dear is the private personal one they created for themselves in the deepest part of their subconscious. That one guides, protects and understands them in every way possible. Here's the catch; in their mind, he fits so perfectly that they cannot connect the dots when we point out the contradictions of where he surely doesn't fit in the rest of the world therefor invent stories to fill in gaps

[BenTheUtubeN00b]

@zeldaofarel Sorry to say but you really don't paint an accurate picture of the relationship christians share with their god. What you described sounds closer to how rebel teens view their parents. So just to give you something to think about, if it is true those parents have unconditional love and enough patience and forsight to know their child can someday mature and know this for himself, would it they stop loving their little rebel simply cause he wanted to "throw them out"?

[BenTheUtubeN00b]

@JJPHILLYLG So in the Superbowl, during the coin toss, when teamA admits that teamB can beat them, the game is really over. Yet they play it anyways just to get stats and collect there cheques. They don't really care what their loving loyal fans think, they are only scared that the fans wont pay to watch them anymore if they stop after the coin toss. (I know what I just said sounds ridiculous to you, but do you know how ridiculous what you just said sounds to a believer?)

[BenTheUtubeN00b]

@JJPHILLYLG That is probably true in many cases (for there are many different types of christians, and like Matt said; "I don't decide which are real or not"). But for the one's that claim they have a "close, intimate, personal relationship" with god, I suspect "heaven" is much less important to them than you'd think...Best comparison i can say to help you grasp this is...replace "christians"with"grandkids", "god"with"grandpa"and "heaven"with"inheritance", read and see if u still agree.

[BenTheUtubeN00b]

@JJPHILLYLG  Seems like i'm a month late for the conversation. lol! If you truly want to have a better understanding of how believers think, I'll answer your questions. I'm no longer a thiest but I remember very clearly what I believed and why. Keep in mind that having experienced both sides of the fence, I would not seek to argue very much, but mearly to explain. If you really want to know that is. (but why would you? thats the real question! Seems like you already made up your mind.