'Debating' Atheists

Quite a few evangelicals think that they have what it takes to debate atheists, skeptics, and other nonbelievers. Is there a school out there for debating atheists? If there is, it isn't doing a good job at turning out debaters.

The Penn State Collegian reports on an appearance by Gary Cattell at the first meeting of the Penn State Atheist/Agnostic Association:

After Cattell's opening remarks, he opened up the forum for questions. "I'd much rather debate than speak about myself," he said, and with that, sparks flew.

Cattell said that while he could understand someone being agnostic he did not understand atheism. "Atheism is foolish," he said. "How do you know without at a doubt that there is no God?"

So, this is what passes for "debating" atheists? I recognizing that real debating isn't an easy skill and it's not something that I can claim to do well, but I wouldn't dream of "debating" by getting up and telling my prospective audience that they are all foolish. Cattell is the foolish one: foolish for deigning to talk about things he obviously knows nothing about and foolish for coping an attitude like that.

Read More:

• Atheism 101
• Agnosticism 101
• Defining Atheism
• Questions About Atheism
• Myths About Atheism
• Atheism in Society
• News About Atheism and Atheists
• Rebuttals to Attacks on Atheism