Furkan Aydiner - Theist vs Atheist: The Breathtaking Debate Between Two PhDs on the Existence of God

Praise for Theist vs Atheist

During the past few months it has been my pleasure to hold discussions about religion and philosophy with Furkan Aydiner. For at least two hours, nearly every Saturday, in a beautiful park in a major city in Florida of the USA, Furkan and I have explored the mysteries of the universe. In these meetings East has met West in a peaceful way. In many ways, Furkan and I are quite different. I am an American man in his mid-50s, whereas Furkan is a Turkish man in his early 30s. My education culminated with a Ph.D. in Psychology, whereas Furkan has two degrees, including a doctorate in Economics. My entire work history has been in the practice of clinical psychology, helping people overcome various mental health problems. Furkan is a man of many skills and has worked as a nurse, a teacher, and a researcher. Furkan is a devout Muslim, and it could be said that I am a devout Secular Humanist. He has a strong belief in the existence of Allah, but I do not. He believes that Allahs existence is 100% probable, or nearly so, whereas I believe that his existence is less than 1% probable. Although we come from very different backgrounds and worldviews, we have nevertheless been able to discuss our different beliefs and debate many serious issues with tolerance and without animosity. The ties that bring us together are intellectual curiosity and a love of reason. We only wish that others with religious and philosophical differences could copy our model and talk to one another in a civil and respectful way. I cannot say for sure whether Furkan has accurately represented my views in this book, but I am confident that he has done his best to do so. Furthermore, I do disagree with most of Furkans current religious worldview, but nevertheless I admire his ability to articulate his beliefs and willingness to debate them in the marketplace of ideas. Only through open and full discussion and through tolerance can we all come to better understand each other in the world today.

My God! Having nothing except You, I feel pity for those having everything but You!

W hen I first came to the United States, I held a strong prejudice against churches. My first visit to a church, which came after a long while, completely changed my view about churches. People were searching for God in churches as a result of their primordial nature. However, Christianity has failed to answer many questions raised since the Enlightenment. According to some, as a result of the effect of the Greek and the Roman philosophy, Christianity has become a worldly religion instead of being a celestial one. However, the fact that it has survived for two thousand years means that it includes some truth in it.

Although the Trinity was subsequently included in Christianity after serious debates, it is now widely adopted by many Christians. The Trinity is one of the most essential pillars of faith in Christianity. Despite this, rejecting this belief doesnt make a Christian an apostate. Especially many Christians who have secular education and learned critical thinking accept that it is logically difficult to comprehend The Trinity. Some of them deny the existence of God by thinking that The Trinity is not rationally acceptable, while some disregard theological discussions and perceive three elements in The Trinity as a sole Creator. Even in some church communities, where The Trinity is strictly adopted, one can come across certain individuals who accept the absolute unity of God.