Religion

Atheism vs. Theism Debates

An index.

These debates (116 so far, newest at the bottom) concern the existence of God unless otherwise noted. I list only debates for which there is audio, video, or a transcript (summaries-only are not listed).

I rated the debates by the value of the points raised on both sides. Atheists debaters listed first.

Please tell me of other debates I could list.

Inevitably, some links will be broken.

Decent debates

Michael Martin vs. Phil Fernandes
[transcript]

Keith Parsons vs. William Lane Craig
[audio 1 2] More detailed than most debates.

Walter Sinnott-Armstrong vs. William Lane Craig
[book]

Austin Dacey vs. William Lane Craig
[audio]

Richard Carrier vs. Michael Licona
[audio, video 1 2, dvd]

Meh debates

Hector Avalos vs. William Lane Craig
[audio] On the resurrection, with more detail than most debates. Craig wins.

Theodore Drange vs. William Lane Craig
[audio]

Frank Zindler vs. William Lane Craig
[audio, video 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15] Craig gives classic arguments for God’s existence. Zindler rebuts them, and gives a rant on the absurdity of religious ideas.

Bart Ehrman vs. William Lane Craig
[transcript] On the resurrection of Jesus.

Richard Dawkins vs. John Lennox
[audio 1 2 3, comments]

Brian Edwards vs. William Lane Craig
[audio 1 2]

Gordon Stein vs. Greg Bahnsen
[audio, video 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14] Mostly a debate about the nature of logic. Bahnsen uses the transcendental argument for God’s existence, which caught Stein off-guard. Bahnsen wins.

Bertrand Russell vs. Frederick Copleston
[transcript] A classic radio debate from 1948. Dated and pretty technical.

Eric Dayton vs. William Lane Craig
[audio]

Emery vs. Norton & others
[podcast] As a podcast with dozens of shows, the debators have time to go into more detail than in most debates. Norton debates several people, some of which are more articulate than others.

John Dominic Crossan vs. William Lane Craig
[audio, book] On the historical Jesus.

Bad debates

Dan Barker vs. Todd Friel
[audio 1 2 3 4 5] Barker is an accessible talker, showing his preacher’s roots. Friel’s points are horrible.

Antony Flew vs. Gary Habermas
[video 1 2 3 4 5] On the resurrection.

Kenneth Miller & others vs. Phillip Johnson & others
[audio, pdf transcript, transcript] One of the biggest public debates between evolution and creationism.

Richard Dawkins & others vs. Edgar Andrews & others
[audio 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9] An Oxford Union debate about creation + evolution vs. naturalism + evolution.

Eddie Tabash vs. William Lane Craig
[audio, video]

George Smith vs. Greg Bahnsen
[audio 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12, video 1 2 3 4 5 6]

Eddie Tabash vs. Greg Bahnsen
[audio 1 2 3]

Christopher Hitchens vs. Dennis Prager
[audio]

Christopher Hitchens vs. Mark Roberts
[audio 1 2 3]

Christopher Hitchens vs. Edd Doerr
[audio] Two non-Christians debate the merits and faults of religion. I tend to agree more with Doerr.

Richard Dawkins vs. George Gilder
[audio] Dawkins against intelligent design.

Farrell Till vs. Douglas Wilson
[transcript] Very short debate.

Michael Shermer vs. Dinesh D’Souza
[video 1 2] Shermer makes clear, fair points. D’Souza makes evase, irrelevant points.

David Helfand vs. Alister McGrath
[audio, video]

Gerd Ludemann vs. William Lane Craig
[audio, book] Craig is a better debater.

Dan Barker vs. Phil Fernandes
[audio 1 2 3 4] Fernandes is empty noise, Barker is clear and simple.

Ray Bradley vs. William Lane Craig
[audio, transcript] A debate about hell and the problem of evil. Gets very technical.

Sue Blackmore vs. Alister McGrath
[audio] Neither debator ever raises a compelling argument.

P.Z. Meyers vs. Geoffrey Simmons
[audio] Radio debate: Are Darwin’s theories fact or faith issues? Myers destroys Simmons, who never even raises an argument.

Terrible debates

Daniel Dennett vs. Dinesh D’Souza
[video 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15, my comments]

Christopher Hitchens vs. Dinesh D’Souza
[video] A bumbling dialogue that gets nowhere.

Massimo Pigliucci vs. Kent Hovind
[audio] Hovind is among the most anti-rational debators alive. How do you even debate someone who denies all the evidence?

William Moore vs. Kent Hovind
[video] On creationism.

John Callahan vs. Kent Hovind
[audio] On creationism.

Garrett Hardin vs. William Lane Craig
[video] Craig thoroughly dominates Hardin, who barely even makes an argument.

Christopher Hitchens vs. Shmuley Boteach
[video] Debating Boteach is like debating a 5-year-old.

Gordon Mathews & David Nicholls vs. Mark Swallow
[audio (skip 36:00] Very few issues are brought up during this short debate.

Reggie Finley vs. Matt Slick
[audio] Pointless quibbling over things like the definition of atheism.

Not rated so far

Dan Barker & Richard Carrier vs. Hassanain Rajabali & Michael Corey
[video 1 2, dvd]

Antony Flew vs. William Lane Craig
[book]

Kai Nielsen vs. J.P. Moreland
[book]

Antony Flew vs. Terry L. Miethe
[book]

Woolsey Teller vs. James D. Bales
[book]

J.J.C. Smart vs. John Haldane
[book]

Peter Atkins vs. William Lane Craig
[audio, videotape]

Arif Ahmed vs. William Lane Craig
[audio 1 2]

Quentin Smith vs. William Lane Craig (2)
[transcript]

Quentin Smith vs. William Lane Craig
[transcript]

Edwin Curley vs. William Lane Craig
[transcript]

Kai Nielsen vs. William Lane Craig
[transcript]

Massimo Pigliucci vs. William Lane Craig
[transcript]

Corey G. Washington vs. William Lane Craig
[transcript]

Douglas M. Jesseph vs. William Lane Craig
[transcript]

Michael Tooley vs. William Lane Craig
[transcript]

Richard Taylor vs. William Lane Craig
[transcript]

Peter John vs. Phil Fernandes
[audio 1 2]

Jeffery Jay Lowder vs. Phil Fernandes
[audio 1 2 3 4]

Eddie Tabash vs. Jason Gastrich
[dvd]

Dan Barker vs. Jason Gastrich
[audio]

Doug Krueger vs. Jason Gastrich
[transcript]

Keith Augustine vs. Gary Habermas
[audio 1 2 3]

Skeptics vs. Gary Habermas
[audio 1 2]

Michael Newdow vs. Cliffe Knechtle
[audio, video 1 2 3 4 5]

Dan Barker vs. Peter Payne
[audio 1 2]

Doug Krueger vs. Shandon Guthrie
[audio]

Frank Zindler vs. Duane Gish
[transcript] On the scientific merits of creationism.

Alan Hale vs. Anonymous
[emails] An email debate with an anonymous creationist.

Ken Saladin vs. Duane Gish
[transcript] A debate on creationism.

Frank Zindler vs. John Morris
[transcript] A debate on Noah’s flood.

Paul Draper & others vs. Alvin Plantinga & others
[transcript] An ongoing, epic, online debate.

Dan Barker vs. Michael Horner
[transcript] On the resurrection.

Steven Carr (7 debates)
[transcripts] Transcripts from many different debates argued by atheist Steven Carr.

Farrell Till vs. Norman Geisler
[transcript] On the resurrection.

Farrell Till vs. Michael Horner
[transcript] On the resurrection.

Robert Price vs. John Rankin
[transcript] On the historicity of Jesus.

Irwin Tessman vs. William Harris
[transcript] On the efficacy of prayer.

Jim Foley vs. Richard Milton
[transcript] On evolution.

Theodore Drange vs. Douglas Wilson
[transcript]

Keith Parsons & Michael Martin vs. Douglas Jones
[transcript]

Michael Martin vs. John Frame
[transcript]

Frank Zindler vs. John Koster
[transcript]

Richard Carrier vs. Tom Wanchick
[transcript]

Bill Cooke vs. Imran Aijaz
[transcript]

Doug Krueger vs. Christopher McHugh
[transcript]

Ron Barrier vs. Ray Comfort
[audio]

Eugenie Scott vs. Ken Ham
[audio]

Eugenie Scott & others vs. William Dembinski & others
[transcript] On intelligent design.

Phillip Johnson vs. Kenneth Miller
[transcript]

Tim Callahan vs. Gary Habermas
[video 1 2]

Clancy Martin vs. J.P. Moreland
[video]

Richard Dawkins vs. David Quinn
[transcript]

Johnny Skeptic vs. Jason Gastrich
[transcript] Does God have poor character?

Johnny Skeptic vs. Jason Gastrich (2)
[transcript] On the resurrection.

Jon Promnitz vs. Jason Gastrich
[transcript] When did Christ say he would return?

Francois Tremblay vs. Jason Gastrich
[transcript] On objective morality and atheism.

Sean McHugh vs. Jason Gastrich
[transcript] On the resurrection.

Farrell Till vs. Jason Gastrich
[transcript] On prophecies of the promised land.

Jeffrey Shallit vs. Kirk Durston
[video] Should a 21st Century Scientist believe in God?

Sam Harris vs. David Wolpe
[video] Really more of a conversation.

Peter Atkins vs. Alister McGrath
[video] Should we rid the mind of God?

Kenneth Humphreys vs. Gary Habermas
[video] A debate on the historicity of the resurrection.

Sam Harris vs. Reza Aslan
[video 1 2 3 4 5]

Christopher Hitchens vs. Marvin Olasky
[video 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8]

Christopher Hitchens vs. Alister McGrath
[video 1 2 3 4]

Christopher Hitchens vs. Peter Hitchens
[video 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14] Brother vs. brother. Only part of the debate is on religion.