Now this sounds interesting. It seems a Harvard professor has been teaching a course for a long time now that examines the topic of God’s existence through a fictional debate between Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis. The professor has turned that course into a book and now PBS will turn that book into a series to be aired this fall called The Question of God.

Mercury News | 01/17/2004 | Great minds square off in virtual debate over God

For more than 25 years, Dr. Armand Nicholi has taught a popular course at Harvard University in which students deconstruct the lives and arguments of Freud, one of the 20th century’s chief spokesmen for atheism, and Lewis, who came to faith at age 31.

Nicholi’s research led to a surprisingly successful book, “The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life” (Free Press, $15). More than 75,000 copies have been printed, and it is the basis of a PBS series that will air this fall.

“Everybody is preoccupied with this issue at some level,” Nicholi says. “People often don’t allow themselves to think about it unless they wake up at 3 a.m. and they think about the meaning of their lives.”

There is no evidence that Freud and Lewis ever met, Nicholi says. But, he adds, had such a meeting occurred, “I think they would have really had a great relationship. They would have respected each other’s minds.”

I’ve read a fair amount of the writings on this subject from both authors and I think a well-done series of this nature could offer up some good food for thought for both sides of the debate. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one as the air date approaches.