The God Question

MORE THAN 400 PEOPLE turned out in April to hear philosophy professor Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and conservative icon Dinesh D'Souza '83 debate the existence of God. Posing the question "Does Morality Require a Religious Foundation?" the event pitted the popular Hardy Professor of Legal Studies—an atheist—against the author of the recently released What's So Great About Christianity.

Sinnott-Armstrong started the evening by rejecting the claim that we cannot be good without God. "What makes an action immoral is the harm it causes," Sinnott-Armstrong said, emphasizing his argument with Powerpoint slides. "This account does not depend on God or religion." Highlighting Bible verses he had distributed among the audience as the event began—including verses endorsing slavery, the killing of non-believers and the subservience of women-Sinnott-Armstrong explained that we must use our already present moral judgment to decide which tenets to accept and which to reject.

D'Souza drew upon historical details to assert that these morals arose in Christian societies. "Christianity is responsible for values even secular people hold dear," he said, pointing to justice, democracy and the importance of all human life.

The tone of the 90-minute discussion, although punctuated with attempts at humor—mainly by D'Souza, who at one point commented, "I feel as if I'm at a rodeo: a point here and a point there, but a lot of hull in between"-was heated. The doors to Alumni Hall were propped open with fans to accommodate not only the unseasonably warm night but also the buzzing crowd.

Post debate, neither participant claimed victory but both agreed on one thing. "The goal was education," says Sinnott-Armstrong. And D'Souza? "This was a high-level debate, and I think ultimately it was the students who came out the winners."