Monday, October 27, 2008

Faith and Freedom at the Belfast Festival

A conversation that veered from empty pulpits and lecterns in Catholic churches across Ireland, to the apparition at Knock, to whether hell exists, to Dawkins and secular atheism.

William Crawley, Ann Marie Hourihane, Malachi O'Doherty and Rev Lesley Carroll at the Belfast Festival Faith and Freedom discussion

The following quotes are from tonight's Belfast Festival Faith and Freedom discussion in the Elmwood Hall, hosted by William Crawley, the panel consisted of Ann Marie Hourihane, Malachi O'Doherty and Rev Lesley Carroll.

"Are revivals the Protestant equivalent of Roman Catholic apparitions?"

"I want to be up to my neck in the world - as a religious person - and not separate."

"... conversation not confrontation ..."

"The God Delusion is the Da Vinci Code of atheism"

"Atheism has become the default position for the frustrated, disappointed and down right lazy"

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Atheism is lazy? That's an interesting viewpoint!

Is there any footage up online of these talks? Sounds interesting!

Alan in Belfast (Alan Meban) said...

Don't think the Belfast Festival were recording them. And no mention of the guests planning to recreate any of the conversation on Sunday Sequence.

A one-off live event!

Anonymous said...

"Atheism has become the default position for the frustrated, disappointed and down right lazy"

Hey! I'll have them know I worked very hard at mine!

I'm afraid I haven't been to anything at the Festival this year. Not much appealed to me, even when I did finally manage to sit down with the programme. I do feel that there has been a definite drop in quality the last ten years. I remember one year - 97? 98? - there was a wondrous range of internationally renowned speakers and performers, from Philip Glass to Gore Vidal to Martin Amis. There doesn't seem to have been anyone of that calibre lately.

Anonymous said...

Does "the God Delusion is the Da Vinci code of atheism" mean anything?

Anonymous said...

I always wonder why athiests spend so much time and energy trying to persuade everybody else that they are right and everyone else is wrong? I think it is fine not to believe in God, just try not to be so bloody evangelical about it!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh sure, as long as you arnt gay, dont want to play football on a Suday, and don't mind your children learning creationism instead of evolution,you can just keep you mouth shut.