Unbelievable? Classic: Can Atheism Deliver a Better World? Matt Dillahunty vs Glen Scrivener
Oct 21, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Matt Dillahunty, an influential atheist activist, debates with Glen Scrivener, a passionate Christian evangelist. They dive into the foundations of morality, questioning whether secular humanism can truly replace the moral grounding provided by Christianity. Topics include cancel culture, the psychological benefits of community, and the impact of religion on social progress like abolition. They explore whether objective moral truths need God and whether atheism can deliver a better world, leaving listeners with thought-provoking insights.
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Religion Correlates With Societal Benefits (Contested)
- Intrinsic religiosity correlates with many positive measures like charity, longevity, and community involvement in studies cited by Glen.
- Matt disputes study methodologies and cautions about self-reporting and confounding factors.
Use The Function, Not The Fiction
- Recognise functional elements like prayer that aid wellbeing via calming rather than supernatural intervention.
- Use secular equivalents (meditation, community) deliberately when their effects are psychological, not metaphysical.
Shared Ethics, Different Foundations
- Both agree 'take the best ideas wherever you find them' while disagreeing whether moral values require a God foundation.
- Matt stresses humanism anchors caring for humans; Glen argues Christianity uniquely grounds universal human dignity.
