Debate, Religion is a positive force in humans lives.

J

Jeremy

Imagine
Registered Senior Member
Try this method, if it does not work - next time we can change it. If you like the concept, but not the thread, copy and past the rules below and choose your own.



*****rules*****
Black posts are for anyone, or for comments not directly related to the debate.

The first four red posters will be supporting the thread.
The first four blue posters will be arguing against the thread.
After each color has had ten posts each, the debate will be judged.

Judges will be made up of the first five posters to post in yellow - first come first serve basis. A judge will post a '1' for the color they feel has 'won', along with any comments as to why they feel this way. A yellow poster (judge) must have had at least 100 posts to be a judge, and cannot be a blue or red team poster.

Thread starter may not be on either team, nor be a judge - but is the referee of the thread. Thread starter to post comments, thread etc. in green. Be honest.
*****rules*****




Religion helps people deal with an uncertain world. It gives them peace in their lives. Religion helps explain the ways of God and is the word of God.
 


Fafnir665

Geese, if this was a pot luck supper - I'd be starvin'

I guess no one is interested. At least I tried Fafnir. Maybe people are afraid of being judged. Who knows. I thought you at the very least would be interested. Strange.

Party on dude.
 
Religions have had a positive influence in the absence of other organizing forces.

But I'd like to think that if religions hadn't manifested themselves then life would have been much ebtter.

I chose purple since it is a mixture of red and blue, i.e. I can argue for and against.
 
I too am unsure. There is no doubt that religion has been a negative force in the history of mankind, but if not for religion, people would find other ways to discriminate. Perhaps those methods wouldn't be able to stay around as long as religion has, however, because it would be hard to match the level of absoluteness that theists (and some atheists) have about God's (non)existence. I can say that religion promotes very unhealthy thoughts, including "i'm right and you're wrong" and " this is what God told me to do". It also says that people should put faith before reason, which i think is a bad policy...most especially in science. But people who have found religion coast through life, never having to question. I would say that this is blind niavete, but it would lead to a care-free lifestyle that maybe we as humans need. Who knows? Remember though that no religion is a religion in itself.
 
Religion causes imbecility.

*ducks out lest he get done for being the wrong color*

Racists! lol
 
Originally posted by Redoubtable
I can't read the yellow, unless I high-light it.
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I agree, lets forget yellow. Maybe orange would be a better color for judge? - yes much better. It looks like yellow, but is easier to see. As ref. for this thread we have our first judge "everneo".

I can't see any reason for not allowing more than two teams. I recognize purple (cris) and silver(zero) as individual(?) combatants.

This is all part of the learning curve.



Nachos need more salsa......got to go get some....
 
Natman:

As you had some valid arguments, do you want a color? Blue for team against, or maybe a different solo-color? - or stay on the side lines? It's up to you of course.
 
OK.
Let me see if I have this right...

So, supporters are supposed to post in RED, right?

Originally posted by Jeremy
Nachos need more salsa
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I agree.
Nachos DO need more salsa.
Restaraunts so often skimp on the salsa.
If they gave more salsa, and you didn't want it all, you could just leave it on the table.
However, if they don't give enough, and you finish your portion, you have to wait for your server to bring you more.

That sucks.

I can see how someone might argue that the cost saving of not wasting the salsa left at the bottom of the bigger bowls could keep the price of the foods down, but I am willing to pay an extra 45 cents for my tacos.
Salsa isn't that expensive.
It's not like it will make a $2 taco sky-rocket to $7, is it?

Besides...
I used to run restaraunts, I know the value of pleasing your customers.
It is more important and more profitable to have happy customers coming back to spend more and tell & bring their friends, than the minor cost savings of skimping on salsa.
PLUS you have the added benefit of economy of effort.
Less trips back and forth for the food servers mean they can spend more effort and time tending to the customer's desires.

Who's with me??
 
Yup, sounds good to me - but red is for supporting the thread. As a closet anarchist, I see no reason not to acknowledge you as a participant - even if your points have nothing to do with the thread at hand. I will let the judge(s) sort out who has the more valid points. Maybe you should use a different color though?

Actually, you banged the nail on the head - About more trips for the server to the table. Personally, I can't stand waiting on waiters. really the customers should be called the waiters. No that would be to confusing.
 
Originally posted by Jeremy


Religion helps explain the ways of God and is the word of God.
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[color=bb0044]
I don't much see the point of this bit. It's kind of a definition, isn't it? For some religions, at least.

In the U.S., many of the charities you see are Christian. (perhaps it is because it is a unifying element, brings people together, synthesis sort of thing? allows them to do their stuff.) When compared to the average non-religious person, a devout religous person will generally have higher morals and be "nicer." (then again, maybe my perspective as a teenager => lots of teenagers are losers :: is skewed. (I mean, lots of people I would know would be losers.)) So I would argue that religion does have a positive influence.

But I am not coherent enough, and too wary, to want to be one of the "debaters." Too many () parenthesis.[/color]
 
I guess I will post in blue in the end. Religion has done so many negative things for society, and it is hard to call it a positive force, seeing as the benefits, as I see them, are few. I feel that in order to be productive members of the world community, a degree of tolerance is required that religion frowns upon.
I know that this is not true of all theists, but it seems that the more religious you are the less tolerant you become. And I'm using the definition of "religious" that Jeremy implied, that is belief in some form of God. Religion promotes a simple good and evil approach to the world, and it is my belief that these forces truly don't exist, except in comic books. What is "good" and what is "evil" differs so greatly between different monotheistic nations and even between different Theists themselves that it would be impossible to come up with a single, unifying definition.
Anyone can read anything out of the Bible and justify their actions by their reading, and many have. It was Adolf Hitler who once said
Therefore, I am convinced that I am acting as the agent of our Creator. By fighting off the Jews, I am doing the Lord's work.
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This is so truly frightening, that a person can justify the killing of millions with the Bible, that I personally will never have anything to do with it. Another interesting quote, that is along the same lines, was made my Susan B. Anthony:
I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires
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And this I have found to be very true. People use God to add authority to their decisions, and justification to their actions. Theists call such interpretations of the Bible "twisting", but I have also found that for many theists, "interpreting" is a take on the Bible they agree with, and "twisting" is one they do not. With such an ambiguous piece of literature guiding the actions of a large portion of the world, it is no surprise that so many nations are fighting so continuously. There are disputes not related to religion, I do admit. But if you go to this website: http://www.religioustolerance.org/curr_war.htm, and look at all of the countries who are fighting for religious reasons, it all boils down to an "I'm right, and ill be willing to kill for it" or "you're wrong, and I'm willing to kill YOU for it" scenario. Look at them all! That entire box in the center of the page.
And these are only those conflicts with SIGNIFICANT religious influence. No doubt many other conflicts are caused by some degree of religious intolerance. And note also that these are current conflicts. In the past, people have used religion to justify the forced spread of Islam, the Christian Crusades against Islam, the wars between Protestantism and Catholicism, in the Netherlands, Ireland, England and elsewhere, etc. Not to mention, there have been various social problems caused by religion. Again, religioustolerance.org is a good source for this: http://www.religioustolerance.org/past_mor.htm. And then there is the “justified” segregation of many different people, including the Jews, the Blacks, WOMEN, Communists, and Muslims (even right now), that has occurred throughout the history of the United States.
There are those that would say that it is only the religious fanatics who cause these conflicts, but where does one draw the line between keeping the faith and fanaticism? Just my thoughts.
 
I like the idea of having different colors to signify support or refute of an idea, but I think that two colors may be somewhat too limiting. Some people's opinions may neither support nor oppose the general idea in the thread so then what happens?

As far as religion goes, I think the things you mentioned have been important aspects of religion in the past. However, as there is less uncertainty in life these days, I think that this is not a driving force. I think many people (parents in particular) may choose religion as a way of getting something positive in their lives and the lives of their children, when there is so much negativity in the world.
 
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