INTERNATIONAL DEBATE ON THE SABBATH TOPIC
Edwin M. Cotto – Adventist Defense League VS Alvin Gitamondoc – Catholic Faith Defenders
TOPIC: Prove/Resolve that Saturday Sabbath is still normative for Christians according to the Bible.
INTRODUCTION
It is not my habit to look for debates. In fact, I try to avoid them unless I feel a critic is acting the part of a Goliath. Alvin however approached me and asked to debate the topic of the Sabbath, and I agreed.
MY ASSESSMENT
A few important details about this debate you should keep in mind:
1) ALVIN WENT OFF TOPIC
Our topic was in regards to whether Saturday Sabbath was still normative for Christians according to the Bible, of which I was in the affirmative. As you watch the debate, you will notice that Alvin did not address at least 95% of my initial affirmation. He went off on various other things, such as the origin of the Sabbath, among others.
2) ALVIN BROKE THE RULES OF DEBATE
Alvin took advantage that I allowed him to have the last final word (which, in the rules of the debate, was actually supposed to be me), and decided to surprise me with a few new arguments he knew I could not get to for lack of time. In debates, you DO NOT bring up “new” arguments at the end. That is cheating. Alvin saved Colossians 2:16 and others to the very end, and I was denied the opportunity to respond. Our original moderator, a Baptist, had to leave and the new moderator, a Catholic associate of Alvin’s, showed extreme bias towards the Catholic cause.
3) CANCELLED THE QUESTION AND ANSWER FORMAT
Since I was denied there possibility to respond to Alvin’s new arguments, I had called the audience to ask me the question on Colossians 2:14 to I can then answer it. Of course, Alvin and his moderator refused to do the question and answer time with the excuse that the debate went on long. That was no excuse. We planned for it.
4) ALVIN WAS RUDE
Alvin must think that raising your voice and name calling helps him win debates. Fellow ADL member Christopher Sernaque and I did two debate debriefs talking about these incidences and some other of Alvin’s awkward moments. See “Debate Debriefs” below.
HIGHLIGHT VIDEO
I created a video highlight of one of my favorite moments in the debate. I will be creating another one soon. Click on the image below:
THE POWERPOINT
As I mentioned above, Alvin did not address nearly anything I presented in my initial presentation. I am making my PowerPoint available for a donation of your choice for anyone interested. Click HERE to donate, and in the memo, type “please send the Sabbath debate PowerPoint to my email.” Be sure to put your email.
THE DEBATE
To watch the full debate, click the image below:
DEBATE DEBRIEFS
PART 1: Catholic vs Adventist: Debate Over Sabbath Issue | ft. Christopher Sernaque
PART 2: Catholic vs Adventist: Debate Over Sabbath Issue | ft. Christopher Sernaque
