I will be taking part in two debates this week, one organised by the Literary and Debating Society at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and the other hosted by the Philosophical Society in University College Dublin.
The Galway debate is ‘Is Islam a religion of Peace?’ and it starts at 7pm on Thursday 9 October (at the Kirwan, NUI, Galway).
The Dublin debate is ‘Does a god exist?’ and it starts at 7pm on Friday 10 October (in FitzGerald Chamber, Student Centre, UCD).
Both debates will involve speakers from outside the traditional Irish Christian consensus, including Islam, Hinduism and atheism, and should provide useful new perspectives for anybody attending.
The speakers at the NUI Galway debate are:
- Shaykh Dr Umar al-Qadri of the Al-Mustafa Islamic Cultural Centre
- Dr Oliver Scharbrodt, Prof of Islamic Studies at the University of Chester
- Abdullah al Andalusi, co-founder of the Muslim Debate Initiative
- Mr Michael Nugent, Chairman of Atheist Ireland
- Mr Ian O’Doherty, journalist at the Irish Independent
- Dr Mark Humphrys, lecturer at Dublin College University (DCU) and writer on religion and politics
The speakers for the UCD Dublin debate are:
- Swami Purnananda, of the Dublin City Interfaith Forum (who is a Hindu)
- Michael Nugent, Chairman of Atheist Ireland
Sounds interesting. I haven’t seen a debate on the existence of god between an atheist and a hindu.
The first debate is sadly in the news every single day.
No and no.
Good question to ask a hindu: How many arms does your god have?
Yes, it should be interesting. Friday will be my first time debating with a Hindu.
I’m sure you’re busy memorising the names of all the Hindu gods. Good luck with the debate. Will it be recorded and shared in some way?
Hey Michael, here is an interesting article that might help you against Islam apologists.
Guest Post @FriendlyAtheist: Reza Aslan is Wrong About Islam and This is Why
Good luck!