Unbelievable? Classic: Christianity or Atheism: Which best explains who we are? Bishop Robert Barron vs Alex O’Connor
Oct 28, 2025
Bishop Robert Barron, the Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles known for his engaging teaching, faces off with Alex O'Connor, philosopher and popular atheist communicator from Cosmic Skeptic. They explore profound questions about the nature of existence, debating whether Christianity or atheism better explains humanity's purpose. The duo discusses their contrasting journeys from Catholic upbringing to differing worldviews, tackles the problem of suffering, and challenges each other's philosophical claims on contingency and faith, providing a thought-provoking dialogue.
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Aquinas Moment That Changed A Life
- Robert Barron recounts a Dominican friar introducing Aquinas at age 14 which triggered his lifelong theological pursuit.
- That moment shifted him from sports to study, leading eventually to the priesthood and online ministry.
From Rosary On The Bus To Deconversion
- Alex O'Connor describes praying a rosary on a school bus and being bullied, marking the start of his deconversion.
- He explains his loss of faith came from realizing his reasons for belief were baseless, not from a single crisis.
God As Answer To Contingency And Longing
- Barron frames classical arguments (Aquinas' paths) as ways pointing toward an unconditioned ground for contingency and the human drive to the unconditioned.
- He argues God best explains both contingent existence and the human longing for truth and goodness.
