Reasonably Unskeptical – Skepticism Week at NMBU
Reasonably Unskeptical
– Skepticism Week at NMBU
Last week, Skepsis Week took place, organized by Ås Christian Student Association, better known simply as “Laget.” Several events took place between March 3rd and 6th, all tied together by a common thread of faith and doubt. The week seemed to go off without a hitch, but how did Laget themselves feel about it?
Journalists: Laura Wanvik and Eirik Vistnes
Translator: Bora Gulersen Sezgin
Photographer: Jonas Lund Hagen
“Attendance has been steady overall, so it seems like we’re managing to spark some curiosity and get people thinking a bit, which is kind of the whole idea behind Skepsis Week,” member Jarle Systad tells us. Sitting beside him is leader Tor Martin Stople, who some may recognize as one of the three Christians from “Grill a Christian,” one of the events during Skepsis Week.
“Our goal isn’t necessarily to provide perfect answers, but to spark interest and curiosity about faith in people’s own lives,” he elaborates.
Laget has 80 members in its register. With Skepsis Week, they aimed to reach both Christians and non-Christians, believers, doubters, and those who are unsure. They didn’t take it for granted that they would only be planning for their own members, so they organized events featuring debates, history, and open questioning—asking questions that were relevant to both theists and atheists.
“Those of us who have been at the stands have noticed that people are curious and have lots of questions. For example, we had a whiteboard where we wrote: ‘Does God exist?’, ‘Does He not exist?’, ‘Is He good?’, or ‘Is He evil?’. And just that simple question of whether something greater than oneself exists got people thinking. And that’s really what we want with Skepsis Week—that people think a little, and then make up their own minds. There isn’t necessarily a definitive answer,” says Jarle.
We at Tuntréet ask them about prejudices and how Skepsis Week has been received by non-Christians. Jarle and Tor Martin tell us that their experiences with the event have been entirely positive so far.
“We just wanted to spark some curiosity—we really haven’t faced much resistance,” says Jarle.
Jarle and Tor Martin estimate that about as many people from outside Laget’s membership attended as those from within, which they find exciting. We ask them if there are other activities people can join if they found Skepsis Week interesting.
“Absolutely! Laget’s core activity is probably our Thursday meetings, where we gather for teaching and discussions about faith—along with coffee and cake, of course,” Tor Martin replies.
“And after Skepsis Week, we’ve planned something new called 50/50 groups, where the goal is for Christians and non-Christians to talk together and discuss big topics, ideally with Christians in the minority.”
“That is, assuming people want to join us in the project,” he adds with a smile.
Events
Speaking of faith and doubt—Skepsis Week kicked off with a debate. Christian Lomsdalen from the Human-Ethical Association met Espen Ottesen from the Christian newspaper Dagen to debate the very foundation of Christian belief: the existence of God.
The following day, there were faith testimonies at Johannes, where Cecilie Marie Røinås and Jon Romuld Håversen shared their journeys to Christian faith. We’ve expanded a bit on the next two events—Grill a Christian and Is It Possible to Believe in the Resurrection in 2025?—which both took place on the same day. After these, Skepsis Week concluded with an open Thursday meeting at Bikuben, Laget’s core activity throughout the year.
Grill a Christian
The title is somewhat misleading there weren’t just one, but three Christians ready to be “grilled.” Not with skewers, but with questions.
“Is there free will if God is omniscient?”
“If God is good, why are people born into poverty and suffering?”
“Shouldn’t we celebrate funerals?”
“And why aren’t we all inbred if Adam and Eve are the ancestors of all humans?”
Some of the questions came in as messages, while others were asked directly from the audience. The trio handled all the questions on the spot and answered as best they could—always truthfully.
If any event could be considered the essence of what Skepsis Week is about, it would have to be Grill a Christian—though the author unfortunately missed the debate between the Christian and the atheist. It’s simply a fantastic opportunity for the curious to get answers to their questions about Christianity and for Christians to be challenged in their faith.
Is It Possible to Believe in the Resurrection in 2025?
Thor Haavik, known from Farmen and Forræder, came to Ås to discuss whether Jesus’ death and resurrection actually happened as described in the Bible. Haavik, a pastor himself, has written a master’s thesis on the subject, where he examines why he believes the historical testimonies of Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and—most importantly—resurrection are historically credible.
The Bergen native dazzles with his communication skills and comes across as someone who has thoroughly studied what is often called “history’s greatest cold case”, or, as he puts it, “a really good Easter crime story.”
What happened? Who are the witnesses? Are they trustworthy? Like in a courtroom, the lawyer lays out the evidence and argues that the resurrection is beyond reasonable doubt. Though Haavik has no opposing counsel in this courtroom, he concludes by urging the jury—his audience—to examine the evidence for themselves and reach their own conclusions.
Dialogue, skepticism, and openness are values we often forget—but also values we can’t afford to ignore. Debate and democracy are built on them—there’s no point in running an election campaign if no one is willing to change their minds, and there’s no reason to participate in Debatten if the viewers are already steadfast in their positions.
That’s why it’s great that Laget is leading the way for a healthier debate culture—because it benefits everyone involved.
