On November 20, 2009 I was part of a three-person panel debating the question, “Does God Exist?” against three atheists, two of which are part of the nationally-known circuit of militant naturalists campaigning against religion in general and Christianity in particular. My teammates were Dr. Zachary Manis, a brilliant young philosopher and Dr. Greg Ojakangas, an astrophysicist and neuroscientist. We were opposed by Dr. Richard Carrier, a historian and prolific writer and Dr. Victor Stenger, physicist and author of several books “proving” God does not exist. The third atheist was J.T. Eberhard, a leading young local atheist organizer.

As I prepare for a civil and lively debate with atheist scholars this week, I am struck by the number of paradoxes thoughtful folks live with all the time. As a celebration of being human, let’s ponder the following:

We almost have a Health Care Reform Bill – a massive missive of almost 2000 indecipherable pages that few of our elected officials will even read.

Today I noticed an item online that signaled another subversion of the moral framework necessary for a free and well-ordered society. Apparently, some new marriage certificates are being issued with the category, “Opposite-Sex Marriage.”

I am tired.