Religion and science butted heads at UF on Tuesday night as two scholars argued whether religion, particularly Christianity, deserves the blame for many of society’s problems.
Michael Shermer, the founding publisher of Skeptic Magazine and adjunct professor at Claremont Graduate University, took the stage during the debate at University Auditorium to argue that religion is the root of many problems and is unnecessary.
Dinesh D’Souza, president of The King’s College in New York City and former policy analyst in the Reagan White House, presented the case for religion and its benefits.
Shermer, an atheist, said people have an innate sense of morality and do not require religion to act upon their morals. He said many of the world’s greatest atrocities had been committed in the name of religion or by adherents of a religion.
“In the name of God, you can get people to do things they would not do in the name of anything else,” Shermer said during the debate.
D’Souza, however, argued that many atheists commit violent acts as well. He acknowledged that religion has been a root motivation for conflicts in the past, but atheism has been equally at fault for a multitude of crimes committed by its adherents.
“Atheism has produced an ocean of blood and a mountain of bodies,” D’Souza said.
While the debaters clashed on many issues, they both agreed in the importance of separating church and state.
When asked by an audience member what he thought of the “wall” separating government and religion, Shermer replied, “Make it as high and thick as you can.”
D’Souza also argued that in a society of competing religions, no particular religion should have control of government issues. He did not, however, believe religion should be silenced. If atheists can talk about their nonbelief, Christians and followers of other religions, he said, should not be scorned for speaking up about their own beliefs as well.
While Shermer is now an atheist, he was once a religious believer. He eventually discarded his evangelism after a string of experiences convinced him that religion was not the right path.
A pivotal moment that led him to atheism was when a girlfriend of his became paralyzed after a traffic accident. He said he took a knee in the hospital emergency room to give religion and God one last try, but the woman remains paralyzed today.
He wondered why God couldn’t help her.
Shermer said in an interview after the event that he and D’Souza, who have debated against each other before, are trying to reach the “undecided voter” — the people who haven’t heard these ideas before and who haven’t made up their minds about the religion-versus-atheism debate.
Chris Poirier, a UF junior who attended the event, said D’Souza was the stronger debater but thought his speaking talent gave him the advantage of being able to say some controversial and potentially wrong ideas without Shermer attacking them.
Joey Young, a UF sophomore, said the debate overall was more superficial than he would have liked, focusing on information that was shallow and sometimes repetitive rather than cutting deeper into the issue.
