Hausam's arguments, in short, begin with First Cause, i.e. "Nothing comes from nothing. Without some kind of cause, you don't have anything just popping into existence from nowhere." And this First Cause would have certain characteristics that require it to be "unbounded by time and space." God, he will argue at the debate, is "a person, a mind." To explain human thought and love, he says, requires a First Cause that includes consciousness.

But to argue that the origin of consciousness must be God, Keller counters, "is based on a flawed notion of nature." Among the arguments he will put forth will be his assertion that "mentality and psychological properties as we know them are an intrinsic component of nature," that there are inherent properties in nature itself that are creative and self-organizing, and it's those properties that produce consciousness.

Neither Hausam nor Keller is looking for "converts." Hausam figures that the Forum for Questioning Minds will be a tough crowd, and if he just breaks down some barriers he'll be happy, he says. "I want them to see that theism isn't as crazily absurd as they think it is — to at least consider it."

The goal, says Chatterjee, is to get people to civilly discuss fundamental issues, to show that in America we can come together and talk things out. "The goal is not to have a clear victor," he says, but to get people to really think about their preconceived notions, whatever those might be.

To which Hausam looks up from his sandwich and deadpans: "I was going to say 'amen,' but I didn't know if it was appropriate."

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E-mail: jarvik@desnews.com