Are religious institutions/doctrine restricting our advancement as a species?
This is not an attack on theists, I have no issue with someone believing in God and practicing worship. This is a debate on whether religious institutions, such as the Catholic church, and doctrine, like the Bible, are hindering mankinds advancements in science, medicine, education and human rights (e.g. teaching creationism as scientific theory in schools, opposition to stem cell research, preaching inequality for homosexuals etc.)
Yes
Side Score: 2
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No
Side Score: 1
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It's hard to say about today, but Historically speaking... no. The Catholic Church, through their crusades, expanded much culture and civilization across the globe. Of course, is this considered "good"? Well, were any of the Imperial nations "good"? It seems to me that what we see as "advancement" is a result of blood-shed, slavery, and imperialism. The religious institutions (like the Catholic Church) are apart of this. But we can see it through other Imperial efforts, such as the United States, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Much progress has come from their destructive tendencies. Today, there are many efforts from the Catholic Church to find God through science, and have actually been very adaptive to new science. Now, are they hindering, helping, nothing? I don't know. I will say, however, that progress and advancement should just be cherished and accepted at all times. Corporatism in the United States is responsible for much advancement, including the Internet and the Interstate System; yet is Corporatism acceptable? Side: No
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