Two intellectual heavyweights will go head-to-head at Durham Cathedral today over a question which has puzzled man since time immemorial... Here, for The Northern Echo, Rev Dr David Wilkinson and Sir Arnold Wolfendale outline their case, for and against.

The Reverend Dr David Wilkinson is a Christian theologian and astrophysicist.

Principal of St John’s College, he is a lecturer in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University. He has doctorates in both astrophysics and theology and is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

"I DO not think you can ever prove the existence of God. And I don’t think you can disprove the existence of God. But that doesn’t worry me too much.

My own experience as a scientist in astrophysics taught me that when we come to the really big questions in life, it is the weight of evidence that is crucial.

For the existence of God, in my view science does ask difficult questions but ultimately adds to the weight of evidence for God.

For any particular scientific theory, such as the Big Bang, there is evidence ‘for’ and evidence ‘against’. You then have to weigh the evidence and make a judgement on what is the most reasonable explanation for that evidence.

When it comes to the existence of God there is undoubtedly evidence against. Perhaps the most difficult question is why a good God doesn’t wipe out all of the innocent suffering in the world – that is what is often called the problem of evil.

But I also see that the evidence for the existence of a good God is very strong indeed. This consists in the widespread nature of spiritual experience, in particular of forgiveness, joy and love.

When it comes to science, I see a number of significant pointers in the universe, such as the beauty and intelligibility of the laws of physics, the extraordinary balances in law and circumstance which make possible carbon-based life and the sense of awe that we feel when we see the diversity and simplicity of the universe.

Now I don’t think these provide proofs of the existence of God, but for many - whether they have religious faith or not - they are pointers to a deeper story in the universe than just the scientific story.

However, the main evidence does not come from science. It comes from the evidence of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, which for me can only be explained by the Christian belief that here in Jesus was God himself walking in the space history of the universe.

This doesn’t prove to me the existence of God but it gives me enough evidence on the basis of which I can trust myself into a relationship with God where I experience God’s reality.

It is from this perspective that I can accept both the scientific description of the origin of the universe through perhaps the quantum fluctuation suggest by Stephen Hawking, alongside a theological description which says that the meaning, value and purpose of the universe is to be found in the belief in a Creator God."

Sir Arnold Wolfendale was the 14th Astronomer Royal, serving from 1991 to 1995. A Professor of Physics at Durham University from 1965, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1973 and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1977. He retired in 1992 and was knighted in 1995. A lecture theatre at Durham University’s Calman Learning Centre is named in his honour. An Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University, he continues to live in Durham.

"UNLIKE many who have converted from anti-God to God in later life, I have – in the past decade – gone the other way.

My worries about the existence of God are as follows: Inevitably the question involves: ‘What sort of “God” are we talking about?’ In the distant past there were many gods; indeed in some religions there still are.

However, for the Jews, Christians and Muslims we are down to one.

What are his properties? (We disregard powerful arguments that such a god should be feminine.) To me, and I imagine many, God is supposed to be: basically caring, responsive to prayer, responsible for morality, the originator of life, omnipresent and, in fact, responsible for everything – everywhere and always.

My examination of the evidence does not lead me to the conclusion that such a God exists and I think that the onus should be on those who believe to prove it.

All the above does not imply that organised religion is useless. I believe that it is all about PEN: Personal Emotional Need.

Some people have it and if it gives them solace and a purpose in life, fine.

But they must show tolerance to those who do not have this need, or whose religions differ from theirs."

■ Science and the Existence of God: A Cathedral Dialogue, Sir Arnold Wolfendale and Rev Dr David Wilkinson in conversation, will be held at Durham Cathedral on Thursday, October 28, at 7.30pm. It seeks, in light of recent books by Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins, to explore whether science disproved the existence of God and whether discussion between science and religion could be fruitful for belief in God. Admission is free.