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Warren-Flew Debate - Does God Exist?
This four-night debate between Thomas Warren (of the
Church of Christ) and Anthony Flew (Atheist).
This debate occurred in
Denton, TX at North Texas State University on September 20-23, 1976. Both Warren and Flew
possessed doctorates and were trained in philosophy and the utilization of logic. The
exchange is monumental for several reasons, but for one it meets the assertion that
Christianity does not make logical or rational sense. In this debate, Thomas Warren uses the
same tools of logic and rationality employed by atheists and agnostics to respond to and
defeat their attacks against Christianity.
It would be good for one to know that Flew
had signed a debate proposition that was unique among atheists which reflected his atheism and his
conviction for it. Flew affirmed in the debate that “I Know That God Does Not Exist”. This is
different than other atheist debates who attempt to shift the burden of proof to those who are
theist—they must prove God exists or atheists win by default. In the debate, they both were
supposed to argue their points of view in the affirmative; i.e., in the second half of the debate
Warren affirmed “I Know That God Does Exist” and Flew denied in the negative.
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