Not one seat was empty for the discussion on the existence of God.

The front, back and aisles of Lumpkin auditorium were soon filled up as faculty, students and community members kept coming through the door.

Many, like Mario Podeschi, were left standing in the back.

The Philosophy Forum, a group out of the philosophy department presented the question “Does God Exist?” to the campus. Between 250 to 275 came to the discussion, while the auditorium only seats 240.

Podeschi, an English graduate student, came to the forum because he had a philosophy minor and had been noticing signs advertising around Coleman Hall.

As an atheist, he said he naturally has a complicated relationship with the Christianity that embodies his home and his culture.

“So in the spirit of my education, I need to round out my understanding,” Podeschi said.

The forum featured guest speakers Richard Foley, assistant professor of the history of philosophy from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and Grant Sterling, assistant professor of philosophy from Eastern.

The idea for the discussion came out of a discussion the Philosophy Forum had and wanted to extend the forum to the entire campus.

“Philosophy is not just for philosophers,” said Jenna Smith, a senior philosophy major and a member of the forum.

She said often there is this misunderstanding of both parties on the argument if God exists.

Smith said the forum wanted to offer rational concepts to ground both sides.

Sterling addressed the affirmative to the question, while Foley presented the negative.

Sterling said there was not enough time to discuss every aspect on the topic of God’s existence so the discussion was limited to one aspect – the cosmological argument.

Cosmological argument is an argument for the existence of God. It does not try to prove anything about God, except merely to argue that such a cause must exist.

Sterling showed through his presentation that the belief in God is rational.

He argued that the existence of a being like God is necessary to explain the existence of the universe.

Sterling proved the existence of a necessary being, which is a being that must exist by its own nature, through seven steps and then said, “Let us call this being ‘God.'”

Foley is currently working on documenting the causal factors that lead people to believe in religions, despite the substantial rational objections to these very beliefs.

His presentation reflected this.

Foley argued the opposite view, using the cosmological argument to disprove Sterling’s case.

He said the cosmological argument shows a “first cause,” and he said nothing in the argument suggests something personal like a god.

The cosmological argument, Foley said, shows energy has been here and always will but not God.

Each presented their side for 15 to 20 minutes, which was followed by a general discussion. Audience members had the chance to ask both panelists questions for an academic discussion.

The audience posed questions such as: How does one explain intelligence coming from nothing?; If mankind disappears, then does God also disappear?; Is the belief in God unnecessary?; What would Foley need to prove God’s existence?

“Every human being has asked these questions,” Foley said.

He said that’s why the audience was there.

Sterling said the most important issue that both he and Foley agree on is the question whether reasons can be given for a belief.

He said people don’t often have the rational reasoning as to why they do or do not believe in something.

“People have lots of things they believe in,” Sterling said.

Emily Zulz can be reached at 581-7942 or at eazulz@eiu.edu.

Grant Sterling, associate professor of Philosophy, specializes in Medieval Rational Theory and Ethical Theory. (Bryce Peake/The Daily Eastern News)

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