Have you ever debated an atheist?

Question

Either face-to-face or online?

What was the outcome?

Answer 1

Yes but I'm a non-theist. But as far as someone who actually does believe without doubt there's nothing to debate. I was on a 9 hour flight next to a Russian Orthodox priest and we had a great time. He wasn't trying to prop up his own belief with questions like "why do you atheists always..." or "If evolution is true then how come monkeys..."

I'm starting to think I should give a star to anyone who spells the word correctly and doesn't capitalize the 'a'.

Answer 2

A very good friend of mine is a professed atheist, or humanist, or Jedi-Knight, depending on his mood that day. I have debated him many times and have won some and lost some; however, none of our debates are over religion. Religion is something to be discussed and not debated because there is no possible way to prove or disprove the existence of God. Some people use science to try to disprove God, but I always find this method ludicrous. The Theory of Evolution , Big Bang Theory, etc and God are not mutually exclusive and therefore both can be true at the same time. Further, using the Bible to prove God's existence is equally ludicrous, if you don't believe the book holds no value other than as folklore.

Answer 3

Yes. Exactly two, when I was a minister in an inter-denominational church.

One was there only to harass me; after a while I realized that he wasn't interested in hearing my take on things, just giving me HIS take on things and then ridiculing everything I said without giving any of it serious thought. So it's almost like he doesn't count.

The 2nd was a woman who was able to listen as well as speak. Outcome: we heard each other out, realized that lots of our beliefs weren't as far apart as we thought -- such as salvation for people who were never taught the gospel, and the primacy of love in Jesus's teachings -- and for the rest, we agreed to disagree.

I'm sure she's still an athiest and I know I'm still a believer, but we had a good discussion that day and learned something about each other.

Answer 4

yes,
face to face, and often from 1975 to about 2005, not so much in 2006 and not really at all in this year

it would be called a draw. Unlike Pangel, I know big words also, but I try not to use them as most here do not know them.

I also know a bit about philosophy and a huge amount of science.

but as one said, both theism and atheism are beliefs and even if I prove the existance of God to them, unless God decides to take them in, they can not believe.

God is having a party, but only some can attend.

Answer 5

many cases, and they are in a lot of cases really knowledgeable. The smart ones have studied the holy books and base their arguments on some easy principals of technological know-how. Their universal weak spot, and no human being I really have debated or study which includes Dawkin's recent (and one in all his oldest, the Blind Watchmaker) have an answer about how all of it began. they commence with a mass of capacity and communicate about the tremendous bang or they commence with Darwin's concept of evolution. In different words, like the believers say it changed into created by technique of God and He changed into continuously there; they say the mass of capacity changed into continuously there. They, can not, in different words, clarify the position the raw substance of existence got here from. i have self assurance in evolution and don't have issues reconciling my faith with it.

Answer 6

I often debate myself in the mirror. So yes, I have.
The outcome was that my mirror self won the debate by a landslide, but I had the last laugh, since I punched the mirror, shattering it to glittering shards. Now I know why religious people use violence so often!

Answer 7

Yes, but as both Christianity and atheism are belief systems it usually ends up in stale mate. I never try to convince anyone; just tell them what the Bible says.
I enjoy debates over evolution/creation because most people have never really studied the facts. Creation wins hands down.

Answer 8

yes, online and in person (my brother) but it was more of a conversation and less of a debate and the outcome was that I learned alot about history in the pre-christian era when emperor constantine forced christianity on the people and i couldn't tell you what he learned but it was a good talk....we still hold our beliefs and i'm looking forward to the next chat

Answer 9

I respect everyone opinion even atheists. They have their reasons why not believe. A lot of Christians have been bad examples. I have atheist friends and I would not like to lose them because of difference. An Atheist person does not make them a bad person. A christian person does not make them not sinners or perfect.

Answer 10

Yes, but being an atheist myself, it's usually about where we should go out to eat or something. The outcome is usually that I loose and have to eat at McDonald's.