America: From a Fallen Child Star to the Head of the University of the West

Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Grand Inquisitor

At 2 p.m. on the day of the debate, Sean's convoy drove into the Pepperdine University campus.

This private university, located near the coast of Malibu, is known for its conservative leanings and Christian background. Charlie Kirk's choice of this venue as a debate location was clearly deliberate; it was his home turf, and the student body here naturally sided with his position.

"Look at this scene," Matthew said, looking out the car window with a hint of worry in his voice.

A large crowd had already gathered at the campus entrance. There were young people waving "TPUSA" flags, media reporters carrying cameras, and protesters holding signs. Police were maintaining order in the crowd; the atmosphere was both noisy and tense.

Sean scanned the faces, numbers appearing in his field of vision.

Most are negative numbers or single digits close to zero. There are a few positive numbers occasionally, but they are not many.

This is the opponent's home turf.

"Pan," Vincent turned to him, "are you ready?"

"To be honest, I can't wait."

The motorcade bypassed the crowd and entered the campus through a side gate. There was a separate entrance at the back of the auditorium for guests and staff.

As Sean got out of the car, he saw another black SUV already parked there.

The car door opened, and Charlie Kirk stepped out.

This was the first time Sean had seen his opponent up close.

Charlie Kirk looked younger and shorter than he did on television. He wore a dark blue suit and a red tie, and his expression was confident, neither overly flamboyant nor feigning humility.

The number above his head is [-35].

Clearly, Charlie Kirk had no liking for Sean Penn. And Sean, seeing his face, inexplicably felt he was asking for a beating.

"Mr. Pan," Charlie Kirk approached with a smile, extending his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Sean grasped his hand with just the right amount of pressure. "Me too, Mr. Kirk."

In that instant, although both maintained polite smiles, Sean could sense a subtle hostility in the air. This wasn't a personal grudge; they had never truly clashed before, but their two fundamentally different worldviews were naturally at odds.

"I hope today's debate will be worthwhile for the audience," Charlie said.

"I believe it will," Sean replied.

After the handshake, the two walked off in different directions.

Meanwhile, final preparations are underway inside the auditorium.

Two podiums were placed on the stage, with the host's position in the middle. The backdrop featured the Pepperdine University emblem and the words "Clash of Ideas."

The stands were already full.

The front row was the media area, with cameras from major news organizations lined up, lenses pointed at the stage. The middle section was the student area, with approximately five hundred seats, which was already full. The back row was the invited guests area, occupied by figures from politics, business, and academia.

In a corner of the student area, a young girl wearing glasses was looking down at her phone.

Her name is Anne Sanchez, and she is a junior majoring in philosophy at Pepperdine University.

Unlike most students at the university, Anne is not a conservative. She comes from a Mexican-American family in East Los Angeles, both of whom are Catholic, but she gradually became an agnostic during her college years.

She came to the debate purely out of academic interest.

"Who do you think will win?" her roommate sitting next to her asked.

-

“It’s hard to say,” Anne shrugged. “Charlie Kirk is very experienced in debating, but that Sean Penn—I’ve seen some of his videos in Philadelphia, and he doesn’t seem to play by the rules.”

Whom do you support?

Anne thought for a moment, "I don't support anyone, I just want to hear how they debate."

The debate officially began at 3:00 PM.

The moderator was a middle-aged white woman named Catherine Bryan, a professor at Pepperdine University's School of Public Policy. She was known for her neutrality and professionalism, and was reportedly a suitable candidate for both sides.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to today's exchange of ideas." Catherine's voice resounded throughout the auditorium through the loudspeakers. "I am your host for today, Catherine Brian."

"First, let me introduce our two debaters today."

"To my right is Mr. Charlie Kirk, founder and executive director of Turning Point America, a renowned conservative commentator and speaker."

The applause rang out, mainly from the student area.

"To my left is Mr. Sean Penn, um—he's a presidential candidate and a social activist."

-

Don't talk about professions that only deserve to be on tombstones —

The applause became noticeably sparser, and a few boos were mixed in.

Sean smiled slightly and nodded to the audience. Most of the people in the audience had numbers hovering between -20 and 10 above their heads.

"Today's debate will revolve around three themes," Catherine continued. "First, can atheists possess objective moral standards? Second, is secular humanitarianism sufficient to support a healthy society? Third, what role should faith play in public life?"

"Each side will have ten minutes to present on each topic, followed by five minutes of free debate. Finally, each side will have three minutes to conclude their statements."

"The debate begins. The first topic: Can atheists possess objective moral standards? Mr. Charlie Kirk, please begin."

Charlie Kirk walked to the front of the stage. "Thank you, Professor Catherine, thank you, Pepperdine University, thank you everyone here."

His voice was loud and confident, and every word was pronounced clearly and forcefully.

"The first question we'll discuss today is an ancient and fundamental one: What is the foundation of morality?"

"As a Christian, my answer is simple: the foundation of morality is God. God is the source of good and the ultimate judge of right and wrong. The Bible tells us what is right and what is wrong, and we, as God's creations, have an obligation to follow His will."

"But for atheists, this becomes a very tricky problem."

He looked at Sean: "If there is no God, where does morality come from? Did humans invent it themselves? If so, what makes you say that the morality you invented is more correct than the morality I invented? What makes you say that the morality of a democratic society is superior to the morality of a dictatorial society?"

"If there is no God, everything is permissible." This statement aptly summarizes the moral dilemma of atheism.

"Without an objective standard that transcends humanity, morality can only be relative and subjective. Today you say killing is wrong, but tomorrow, under a different regime, they might say killing is right."

"History has proven this." Charlie Kirk's voice became deliberately heavy. "The greatest humanitarian disaster of the twentieth century occurred precisely under those regimes that rejected God—these atheistic or anti-religious regimes that killed hundreds of millions of innocent lives."

Clearly, these words angered Kelly, a leftist, but he still watched Charlie Kirk's performance with amusement.

"Why? Because when you deny the existence of God, you deny the divinity of humanity. Humans are no longer created in God's image; humans are merely a random combination of atoms, a product of evolution, and a tool that can be used."

"This is the inevitable result of an atheistic moral view."

He paused.

"So my conclusion is: no, atheists cannot have truly objective moral standards. They can be moral and do good deeds, but their morality has no foundation, like a house built on sand, which can be washed away at any time."

Then applause erupted, this time even more enthusiastic than at the beginning.

Charlie Kirk bowed slightly to the audience before returning to his seat.

Catherine nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Kirk. Now, Mr. Pan will make his statement."

Sean stood up and walked to the podium. "Thank you, host. And thank you, Mr. Kirk, for your excellent presentation."

Before I answer, I'd like to tell you a story.

Compared to his Charlie Kirk, his voice was much softer, lacking the aggressive force with which he used to kick people out of campaign offices, but equally clear and powerful.

"Last winter, I met a homeless old man in Los Angeles. He was huddled in a cardboard box, covered with several layers of newspapers, shivering from the cold."

"I went over to him and gave him some money and food. We chatted for a while, and he told me his name was George, that he was a Vietnam War veteran, and that he had ended up on the streets for various reasons."

"During our conversation, I noticed he was wearing a cross around his neck. I asked him: Do you believe in God?"

""

He smiled and said, "I used to believe. But now, I don't know. If God exists, why did He let me end up like this?"

Then he asked me: "What about you? Do you believe in God?"

I said: I don't believe it.

He looked at me, remained silent for a moment, and then said something I'll never forget. He said, "Then why did you help me?"

Charlie Kirk squinted, wanting to see what kind of ivory Sean could spew from his dog mouth.

“Yes, why?” Sean continued, “According to Mr. Kirk’s logic, a person who doesn’t believe in God cannot have objective moral standards. So why should I help an old stranger? Why should I share the money in my pocket with him? Why should I stop in the cold wind to listen to his story?”

The answer is simple: because I am a person.