Below is the complete schedule for the 2019 Fall Semester of "Who Created God?" As the year goes on, this page will be updated with links to discussion outlines for the topics. If possible, there will also be links to video recordings of the presentations as well.
Aug 28th - First Day of Class
Aug 29th - Wesley Fall Kickoff
Sep 5th - First Wesley Overflow
Aug 29th - Wesley Fall Kickoff
Sep 5th - First Wesley Overflow
Sep 10th
What's the point of asking deep questions?
Do in-depth discussions about the "meaning of life" have any real practical value, or is it all just a bunch of abstract mumbo-jumbo? Why does it even matter what we believe, so long as we live our life?
Outline | Recording
What's the point of asking deep questions?
Do in-depth discussions about the "meaning of life" have any real practical value, or is it all just a bunch of abstract mumbo-jumbo? Why does it even matter what we believe, so long as we live our life?
Outline | Recording
Sep 17th
Why should anyone need to have Faith?
Reality is like an immense puzzle... so can it ever be solved? Is it possible that we could someday gain a complete picture of everything? This week is an exploration of the tension between knowledge and belief, and whether it is possible for us to know anything for sure.
Outline | Recording
Why should anyone need to have Faith?
Reality is like an immense puzzle... so can it ever be solved? Is it possible that we could someday gain a complete picture of everything? This week is an exploration of the tension between knowledge and belief, and whether it is possible for us to know anything for sure.
Outline | Recording
Sep 24th
Does the Universe need a Creator?
With an established foundation, we can begin to ask questions about the origin of everything. Where did our Universe come from? (Did it come from anywhere at all?) Is there some kind of original force or creator, and if so... what motivated it to bring about this world?
Outline | Recording
Does the Universe need a Creator?
With an established foundation, we can begin to ask questions about the origin of everything. Where did our Universe come from? (Did it come from anywhere at all?) Is there some kind of original force or creator, and if so... what motivated it to bring about this world?
Outline | Recording
Oct 1st
Isn't it simpler to say that Nature is all that Exists?
Why can't the "creator" of everything just be the forces of nature? Wouldn't it be needlessly complicated to try and force gods and spirits into our view of the world? This attitude is known as Naturalism, and this week we'll break down how adopting it alters how we can think about our place in the cosmos.
Outline | Recording
Isn't it simpler to say that Nature is all that Exists?
Why can't the "creator" of everything just be the forces of nature? Wouldn't it be needlessly complicated to try and force gods and spirits into our view of the world? This attitude is known as Naturalism, and this week we'll break down how adopting it alters how we can think about our place in the cosmos.
Outline | Recording
Oct 8th
What if Life is Meaningless?
Everyone struggles with a lingering sense of uncertainty. How can we ever be sure if we've made the right choices or pursued the rights things? Can we ever really be fulfilled in a world of never ending questions? If the "true nature of reality" is so utterly beyond us, then has this all been for nothing?
Recording
What if Life is Meaningless?
Everyone struggles with a lingering sense of uncertainty. How can we ever be sure if we've made the right choices or pursued the rights things? Can we ever really be fulfilled in a world of never ending questions? If the "true nature of reality" is so utterly beyond us, then has this all been for nothing?
Recording
Oct 15th
Open Q&A
Open Q&A
Oct 22nd
How can I possibly choose one "True" religion?
Countless traditions across the ages have their own unique ideas about the origin of our reality - Gods and deities of all kinds - and rarely do they get along. How can you possibly sift through so many different competing beliefs to find just one that works for you?
Recording
How can I possibly choose one "True" religion?
Countless traditions across the ages have their own unique ideas about the origin of our reality - Gods and deities of all kinds - and rarely do they get along. How can you possibly sift through so many different competing beliefs to find just one that works for you?
Recording
Oct 29th
If God created Everything, then Who Created God?
As the culmination of this semester's discussion, this week will be tackling the question that started it all. No matter how you swing it, the idea of an untreated source of everything seems completely foreign to everything we've ever experienced in our world. Why should God get a free pass here? What is really stopping us from asking Who Created God?
Outline | Recording
If God created Everything, then Who Created God?
As the culmination of this semester's discussion, this week will be tackling the question that started it all. No matter how you swing it, the idea of an untreated source of everything seems completely foreign to everything we've ever experienced in our world. Why should God get a free pass here? What is really stopping us from asking Who Created God?
Outline | Recording
Nov 5th
How can we have Free Will if God knows the Future?
This week is an adventure through stories of time travel and psychic powers. If we are truly to free to act entirely of our own will, then is it possible for the future to be known for sure? These two realities seem to be at odds: Either we have free will and the future is yet-to-be written, or the future is written and we're fated to act in one specific way.
Outline | Recording
How can we have Free Will if God knows the Future?
This week is an adventure through stories of time travel and psychic powers. If we are truly to free to act entirely of our own will, then is it possible for the future to be known for sure? These two realities seem to be at odds: Either we have free will and the future is yet-to-be written, or the future is written and we're fated to act in one specific way.
Outline | Recording
Nov 12th
Why should God care how I live my Life?
What are Good and Evil, and why do we care about them so much? For our first week specifically addressing issues tied up in Christian beliefs, we'll be examining the unique way in which the Bible frames moral obligation. There is something far more interesting and subtle going on than just "being good" and "being bad."
Outline | Recording
Why should God care how I live my Life?
What are Good and Evil, and why do we care about them so much? For our first week specifically addressing issues tied up in Christian beliefs, we'll be examining the unique way in which the Bible frames moral obligation. There is something far more interesting and subtle going on than just "being good" and "being bad."
Outline | Recording
Nov 19th
What does it take to get into Heaven?
At the center of Christianity lie some fairly massive and concerning questions. What does Jesus' death even accomplish? If God was ever prepared to forgive us, why not just forgive us? And what about all those people who don't grow up with easy access to the this message?
Outline | Recording
What does it take to get into Heaven?
At the center of Christianity lie some fairly massive and concerning questions. What does Jesus' death even accomplish? If God was ever prepared to forgive us, why not just forgive us? And what about all those people who don't grow up with easy access to the this message?
Outline | Recording
Nov 26th - Thanksgiving Break
Dec 3rd
Open Q&A
Open Q&A
Dec 9th - Last Class Day
Dec 10th
End of Semester Party
End of Semester Party
Dec 11th through 20th - Final Exams