Page
      ee
      March
      4,
      2009
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘No
      God’
      debate
      brings
      in
      packed
      house,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Jarrod
      Yeo
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Panther
      Post
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Does
      God
      exist?
      The
      ques-
     
     
      tion
      mankind
      has
      grappled
     
     
      with
      since
      the
      earliest
      of
     
     
      times
      took
      centre
      stage
      as
     
     
      UPEI
      professors
      Joe
      Ve-
     
     
      laidum
      and
      Malcolm
      Murray
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CAMPUS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      engaged
      in
      an
      hour-long
      de-
     
     
      bate
      before
      a
      packed
      house
     
     
      at
      McMillan
      Hall
      Feb.
      27.
     
     
      The
      highly
      anticipated
      de-
     
     
      bate,
      organized
      by
      UPEI’s
     
     
      political
      studies
      society,
      pit-
     
     
      ted
      Velaidum,
      UPEI’s
      reli-
     
     
      gious.
      studies
      buff
      against
     
     
      Malcolm,
      an
      atheist
      and
      phi-
     
     
      losopher
      .
      Each
      candidate
      de-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Wave..
      .from
      front
      page
     
    
   
   
    
     
      He
      said
      his
      strictness
      was
     
     
      something
      his
      co-workers
     
     
      didn’t
      respect.
     
    

    
     
      “They
      started
      noticing
      I
     
     
      wasn’t
      hiring
      their
      friends,
      I
     
     
      wouldn’t
      let
      them
      get
      drunk
     
     
      on
      the
      job,
      I
      wouldn’t
      iet
     
     
      their
      underage
      friends
      in
      and
     
     
      I
      didn’t
      favour
      members
      of
     
     
      sports
      teams.”
     
    

    
     
      MacDonald
      claims
      the
     
     
      problem
      is
      that
      staff
      mem-
     
     
      bers
      generally
      form
      a
      clique,
     
     
      and
      often
      colluded
      to
      over-
     
     
      ride
      his
      decisions.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      needed
      time
      off
      once
      due
     
     
      to
      an
      injury.
      By
      the
      time
      I
     
     
      got
      back,
      I
      noticed
      the
      guy
     
     
      who
      had
      replaced
      me
      had
      re-
     
     
      moved
      all
      of
      his
      friends
      off
     
     
      my
      barred
      list.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      barred
      list
      became
      a
     
     
      contentious
      issue
      for
      Mac-
     
     
      Donald.
      |
     
     
      One
      night,
      he
      said
      he
      barred
     
     
      a
      “hockey
      player”
      for
      as-
     
     
      saulting
      one
      of
      his
      co-work-
     
     
      ers,
      and
      wanted
      to
      bar
      him
     
     
      for
      life.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “TI
      wanted
      to
      bar
      him
      for.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      good,
      but
      my
      _
      supervisor
     
     
      [Kirk]
      Dingwell,
      to
      bar
      him
     
     
      for
      a
      month
      because
      of
      fa-
     
     
      vours
      he
      had
      done
      for
      him.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Tf
      they
      were
      good
      for
      busi-
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ness,
      profits
      came
      before
     
     
      regulations.”
     
    

    
     
      MacDonald
      was
      eventually
     
     
      let
      go
      as
      tensions
      grew
      be-
     
     
      tween
      him
      and
      co-workers,
     
     
      after
      he
      allegedly
      roughed
     
     
      up
      a
      patron.
     
    

    
     
      So
      why
      does
      this
      problem
     
     
      exist
      in
      the
      first
      place?
      Mac-
     
     
      Donald
      think
      it’s
      because
     
     
      UPEI’s
      campus
      is
      too
      small
     
     
      and
      there
      are
      too
      few.
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      applying
      for
      the
      jobs.
     
    

    
     
      “There
      is
      a
      constant
      flow
     
     
      of
      students
      coming
      in
      and
     
     
      out
      so
      they
      cannot
      be
      prop-
     
     
      erly
      trained.
      The
      jobs
      are
     
     
      poorly
      advertised
      so.
      it
      usu-
     
     
      ally
      means
      the
      only
      people
     
    
   
   
    
     
      who
      hear
      about
      the
      jobs
      are
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      friends
      of
      people
      who
      work
     
     
      there.
      Then
      there
      are
      issues
     
     
      with
      the
      hiring
      board.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      livered
      an
      opening
      statement
     
     
      and
      wrangled
      a
      few
      surprise
     
     
      questions
      submitted
      by
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      and
      faculty
      members.
     
     
      Velaidum
      said
      while
      the
     
     
      idea
      of
      God
      as
      an
      “old
      man
     
     
      with
      a
      gray
      beard”
      is
      out-
     
     
      dated
      and
      not
      accepted
      by
     
     
      Christian
      theologist
      but
      that
     
     
      we
      owe
      it
      to
      ourselves
      to
      un-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      order
      to
      work
      for
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      union,
      one
      policy
      states
     
     
      you
      must
      be
      a
      full-time
      stu-
     
     
      dent.
     
    

    
     
      That
      is
      something
      the
      hir-
     
     
      ing
      board
      works
      very
      hard
      to
     
     
      ensure,
      Douglas
      said.
     
    

    
     
      “If
      there
      are
      staff
      [who
     
     
      aren’t]
      they’d
      fall
      under
      an
     
     
      exceptional
      category
      that
     
     
      there
      is
      work
      that
      needs
      to
      be
     
     
      filled.
      Certainly,
      if
      comes
      to
     
     
      the
      process
      where
      we
      have
     
     
      enough
      applications
      to
      fill
      all
     
     
      the
      jobs
      with
      full-time
      stu-
     
     
      dents,
      the
      full-time
      student
     
     
      will
      always
      be
      hired
      ahead
     
     
      of
      the
      non-student.”
     
    

    
     
      Douglas
      prefers
      to
      let
      the
     
     
      record
      speak
      for
      itself.
     
    

    
     
      “Given
      our
      ability
      to
      have
     
    
   
   
    
     
      wet/dry
      events
      with
      700
     
    
   
   
    
     
      people,
      when
      there’s
      alcohol
     
     
      involved,
      things
      will
      happen,
     
     
      just
      like
      any
      other
      bar.
     
    

    
     
      “But
      I
      think
      the
      PEILCC
      re-
     
     
      cords
      have
      only
      been
      glow-
     
     
      ing
      and
      they
      speak
      for
      them-
     
     
      selves.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      derstand
      we
      are
      not
      merely
      a
     
     
      product
      of
      evolution.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      are
      not
      solely
      a
      prod-
     
     
      uct
      of
      slime
      that
      crawled
      out
     
     
      of
      the
      water.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      are
      endowed
      with
      the
     
     
      capacity
      for
      sacrificial
      love
     
     
      that
      goes
      well
      beyond
      our
     
     
      biological
      necessities.”
     
    

    
     
      Murray’s
      argument
      com-
     
     
      pared
      proving
      the
      existence
     
     
      of
      God
      to
      the
      challenge
     
     
      courts
      face
      when
      prosecut-
     
     
      ing
      someone.
     
    

    
     
      “People
      are
      generally
      con-
     
     
      sidered
      innocent
      until
      prov-
     
     
      en
      guilty.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “The
      challenge
      is
      to
      prove
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      guilt.
      Absent
      that,
      the
      default
     
    
   
   
    
     
      position
      is
      innocent.
      Ditto
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      belief
      in
      any
      kind
      of
      ex-
     
     
      istence.”
      :
     
    

    
     
      One
      predetermined
      ques-
     
     
      tion,
      frequently
      posed
      in
      the
     
     
      God
      debate,
      asked
      how
      evo-
     
     
      lution
      could
      possibly
      explain
     
     
      incredibly
      complex
      organic
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘structures
      such
      as
      the
      eye,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      flagellum
      .and
      human
      brain
     
     
      without
      the
      help
      of
      a
      design-
     
     
      er.
      Murray
      said
      evolution
     
     
      easily
      debunked
      the
      design
     
     
      argument.
     
    

    
     
      “What
      we
      know
      is
      that
      99
     
     
      per
      cent
      known
      fossils
      are
     
    
   
   
    
     
      extinct.
      Just
      think
      of
      that
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      terms
      of
      the
      probabilities,
     
     
      so
      evolution
      explains
      that
     
     
      lack
      of
      very
      well,
      it’s
      exactly
     
     
      what
      we
      predicted:
      Things
     
     
      that
      don’t
      fit
      die
      off.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PANTHER
      POST
     
    
   
   
    
     
      questions
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      submitted
      question
      from
     
     
      UPEI
      philosophy
      professor
     
     
      Neb
      Kujundzic
      asked
      both
     
     
      men
      to
      define
      their
      idea
      of
     
     
      existence,
      resulting
      in
      two
     
     
      very
      different
      answers.
     
    

    
     
      Malcolm
      compared
      the
      ex-
     
     
      istence
      of
      God
      to
      the
      concept
     
     
      of
      a
      unicorn.
      .
     
    

    
     
      “The
      question
      is
      whether
     
     
      or
      not
      anything
      satisfies
      that
     
     
      concept
      in
      the
      world.
      Ditto
     
     
      with
      God.
      There’s
      nothing
     
     
      that
      actually
      satisfies
      the
     
     
      concept
      of
      a
      unicorn,
      but
      the
     
     
      concept
      exists
      which
      is
      per-
     
     
      fectly
      fine.”
     
    

    
     
      Velaidum
      was
      critical
      of
     
     
      Murray’s
      answer,
      saying
      he
     
     
      missed
      the
      point
      he
      made
     
     
      earlier
      in
      the
      debate
      about
     
     
      God
      not
      being
      an
      old
      man
     
     
      with
      a
      gray
      beard
     
    

    
     
      “The
      very
      first
      thing
      I
      said
     
     
      when
      I
      got
      up
      here
      is
      God
     
     
      does
      not
      exist
      like
      other
      ob-
     
     
      jects
      exist.
      It’s
      as
      simple
      as
     
     
      that.
     
    

    
     
      “A
      unicorn
      is
      something
     
     
      you
      can
      kind
      of
      picture.
      I
     
     
      don’t
      know
      what
      God
      looks
     
     
      like,
      nobody
      knows
      what_
     
     
      God
      looks
      like.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “There’s
      a
      fundamental
      dif-
     
     
      ference
      between
      that
      and
      try-
     
     
      ing
      to
      prove
      the
      existence
      of
     
     
      something
      that
      doesn’t
      have
     
     
      existence
      because
      existence
     
     
      only
      exists
      for
      things
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      space
      and
      time.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
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