A few months ago, something extraordinary happened. A Christian decided he would debate a non-believer (what Christians call people who do not believe in Jesus as their saviour) on whether or not god exists.
Actually, this debate had been going on for sometime on the Malaysian Atheists, Freethinkers and Agnostics and Their Friends (MAFA)Facebook page. Arguments and points were discussed online by both sides. I guess someone was bound to suggest a face-to-face debate about the matter sooner or later.
Thus, a debate entitled ‘Atheism vs. Christian Theism’ was born. The affirmative was represented by Samuel Nesan, a young minister who is currently pursuing his Masters in Theology. For the negative, Dr. Kok Sen Wai had to almost beg for someone to represent the atheists! In the end, he managed to convince Willie Poh, a lecturer from a local university.
As both debaters prepared their arguments, the anticipation began to heat up on the Facebook event page. Seating was limited and people were warned that some would be turned away. I decided to make my chances of being chosen for a seat better by using the old ‘make-yourself-useful’ ploy — I volunteered to video the event.
On the day of the debate, expectations were high. Guests who arrived early chatted among themselves as to what the two debaters would present. Some Christians came all the way from Klang. Some members of my church also turned up, much to my delight. Atheists also turned up from far corners of the Klang Valley. Everyone was excited because this is the first time such a debate has been held in our country, as far as I know.
The moderator, Yoshua, opened the debate with the rules and a rundown of the programme. He looked like a no nonsense guy which was a good thing after watching the fiasco of the debates between Lim Guan Eng and Chua Soi Lek.
Samuel started off by offering four points to support his belief in God. Willie countered by telling the story of how he came out of Christianity to become an atheist. I won’t say too much so you can judge the debate for yourself. A video of the debate will be out soon. The debate ended with Samuel and Willie asking each other direct questions about theism and atheism.
After the debate, I congratulated Samuel because I thought he defended his position well. Willie also did well, getting his points across to the audience. Hopefully, this debate will lead to a series of talks and open discussions about theism and atheism.
There are a few things worth mentioning about this debate. It was heartening to see some Christians willing to engage atheists in public. Despite being turned down by a few churches for a venue, one small church opened its doors to the debate. The debate drew many atheists out to meet one another in, of all places, a church! Christians and atheists cordially mingled with each other instead of trying to cram their philosophies down each others’ throats. And, JAIS did not raid the church.
You can buy an APOSL T-shirt to show your geekiness as Willie did during the debate.
