Dr. John L. Perkins (Atheist) and Matthew Scheffer (Christian) will be debating the topic "Religion is a delusion".
Details
7:00 - 9:00pm
Tuesday, 31st of July
Banquet Room, Monash Uni Clayton Campus (See Map)
Free entry. Supper is provided.
The debate is hosted by the Monash Christian Union and the "soon to be formed" Monash University Secular Society.
Everyone is welcome, including students and staff from other campuses and also the general public.
Dr. John L. Perkins
Dr. John L Perkins, an an economist, mathematical modeller, software developer part-time inventor and author. He has qualifications from Monash and London universities, and is a member of the Humanist Society of Victoria, the Rationalist Society of Australia, is a Public Relations team member of the Atheist Foundation of Australia, and is a founding member and President of the Secular Party of Australia.
Why I think that this debate is worth having
The debate is worth having because if religion is a delusion then a large number of people are spending a lot of time and effort in pursuit of a pointless mirage. Worse than that, the sense of moral righteousness that religion gives to people can lead them to want to impose their beliefs on others to an extent that is quite unwarranted. This can lead, as we frequently see, to all kinds of wars, civil strife and terrorism, caused by and conducted in the name of various religions.
Atheists, with the greatest respect, would like to assert that religion is merely a product of the imagination, passed down through our cultural heritage. As John Lennon said: "Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do, nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too." Would we be better off without religion? Yes we would.
Matthew Scheffer
Matt Scheffer is 23 years old and studied Arts at Latrobe University, Bundoora. While at university Matt was involved in the Christian Union on campus and in 2006 Matt worked in the United States for the Open Door ministry, explaining the Christian message to university students.
He currently works fulltime for a small business in the Melbourne Markets industry and next year plans to study at Ridley Bible College.
He is passionate about inviting non-believers to explore and investigate the claims of the Christian faith. Like Peter and John, I too "can not but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20)
Why I think that this debate is worth having
Recent best-selling author and outspoken atheist, Richard Dawkins said: "Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence."
Christians have a lot to answer for. A debate like this presents a great opportunity for Christians and non-Christians alike to ask their questions, put their worldviews to the test and investigate the evidence.
Is Christianity credible? Or is it just a "cop- out"?
"For we did not follow cunningly devised fables..." (2 peter 1:16)
You decide.
How do I get to the Banquet Room?
