CreateDebate is a social debate community built around ideas, discussion and democracy.
If this is your first time checking out a debate, here are some quick tips to help get you started:
Arguments with the highest score are displayed first.
Argument replies (both in favor and in opposition) are displayed below the original argument.
To follow along, you may find it helpful to show and hide the replies displayed below each argument.
To vote for an argument, use these icons:
You have the power to cast exactly one vote (either up or down) for each argument.
Once you vote, the icon will become grayed out and the argument's score will change.
Yes, you can change your vote.
Debate scores, side scores and tag scores are automatically calculated by an algorithm that primarily takes argument scores into account.
All scores are updated in real-time.
To learn more about the CreateDebate scoring system, check out the FAQ.
When you are ready to voice your opinion, use the Add Argument button to create an argument.
If you would like to address an existing argument, use the Support and Dispute link within that argument to create a new reply.
You can share this debate in three different ways:
#1
#2
#3
Paste this URL into an email or IM:
Click here to send this debate via your default email application.
Click here to login and CreateDebate will send an email for you.
RElGIONS VS SCIENCE, which one was more destructive to humanity?
All world Relgions versus all science.
We wanna know how many deaths and destruction can associated to religion and how many to science.
We understand there's some good things in religion and also in science in this debate lets discuss which was more destructive to the globe and humanity instead of the good things they brought to this world.
Please Try to be as logical as possible and better if you have some evidence of natural website article to back up your arguments instead of just manufacturing theories backed up by nothing.
Actually nobody has ever been killed "in the name of" science, as they have been "in the name of God."
The only way somebody can claim that "science has killed" anybody is if they twist the reasoning to say something like, "Well, science gave us the knowledge and the means to make weapons of destruction, like the nuclear bomb. So it is responsible for killing."
But of course this is flawed reasoning. The science did not kill. We killed.
Its the old "Guns don't kill people, people kill people" argument all over again, on a grander scale.
As far as wars waged in the name of Religion, I hate to admit the list is long and bloody. Here is a partial list...................
Well its like the arguments of "are video games dangerous" if I go and I kill forty people because I wanted to imitate a game, I would be convicted and possible charges can be brought to the games developers.
So you and religion would be to blame, because you committed the action but religion encouraged it. Comparatively while wars were fought for religion, debates were fought over science.
Technically speaking I'm more liking to die as a result of what religion encouraged.
When you are part of a religion then you tend to feel compelled to spread the teachings of that god and to convert the humans of the world. I'm not saying your particular sect of Islam is violent. They might be the most peaceful which is respectable and good. but there are obviously sects that are violent. The Jewish even have there own radicals called Zionists and Christians have military groups in the world devoted to god.
But there are peaceful believers. but there is a reason why religion is a very uneasy topic to talk on. it shouldn't be if it was just peaceful debate. Someone's belief can make them hate you and forsake you for as something as simple as a belief (which ive seen time and time again) if all religion was so peaceful, then it should be a popular small talk topic, but its not.
That means religion hasn't killed anyone as well, because it was people, not any religion. So, they both can't be destructive. Unless you mean motivation to kill, religion can motivate others to kill, but science doesn't. Science and religion have both contributed to destruction in humanity.
you don't think some president are influenced by science available giving him the idea he'll be able to conquer because of scientific tools available to massively wipe people.
During the holocaust, Nazis used Jews for experimentation yielding results that have been useful for science to this day. This twisted example is an anomaly in science as is any other example of human experimentation.
Religion is regularly used as a reason to kill. Always has been.
Science was more destructive to humanlity. For example, people damaged because of nuclear weapons or atomic bomb. Japan actually got casualties more than 70000.
actually many of them were Christians. Lutherans, to be exact. the Lutheran church is very big in Germany, since that is where Martin Luther is from, and where he began the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.
What exactly is your point? I said the Nazis weren't atheist and you disputed me to point out that the Nazis did in fact believe in God. Were you just trying to help?
Become an Ordained Atheist Minister ... Becoming ordained is easy, just fill in the fields below and we'll get a new account set up for you in no time.
Based on the past tense verb "was" I will say religion was more destructive. We've had centuries of religion with wars and sacrifices, and the window of science is much shorter. Plus not everything science might be blamed for (like the weaponry used to kill) was discovered through the scientific method. Gunpowder, metal working, etc, all existed before what we call science today.
If the debate was future tense then it's harder to answer. Science keeps creating grander and grander ways to die or infect or poison.
One irony with a debate question like this is it really comes down to whom wields technology. Blaming technology itself for a deadly situation is comparable to blaming guns for murders instead of blaming the murderers themselves, and the double irony with that is so many of the gun nuts are also religious nuts who like to use that latter argument to defend having their guns but then they'll turn around and blame science as being the true enemy of mankind.
The debate is just focusing on the bad things so to clarify this isn't a weighted approach determining overall effects of religion or science. For instance the bad in science would not be weighed against the good like vaccines. But a problem arises in the comparison because science is just a tool and its use depends on whose hands it is in.
To look at the bad things that science has produced and to attribute the negatives to it rather than the user is akin to blaming guns and not the ones who wield the gun.
You can try to blame guns, bombs etc on science because they were made by mans knowledge but then you may as well start blaming the swords and maces etc. during the Crusades instead of noting it was a holy war. Its not the tool its the user.
It is Religion that makes good people do bad things and Religion has quite a head start on Science in doing this. WHat we would recognize as science has only been around since the 1500's long after religion has had its hayday. If someone actually has something that they attribute to science that thing would have plenty of catching up to do to suprass Religions destructive side.
It is no contest that Religion has been more destructive to humanity than science.
Spoken like a true moron. Maybe the reason people don't like to debate with you is because.... in a battle of wits, they don't like to fight an unarmed person.
Science has been destructive because of the nuclear bomb and other weapons of mass destructive. People have killed in the name of their religion. The catholic church burned people, radical muslims have commited acts of terrorism. However, neither of them are dangerous in themselves. Since religions are focused on being good to others, they usually are not dangerous. Many dangerous things have been invented, but most of science isn't "dangerous" to us.
you forgot one more thing associatable with science: AIDS almost 71 million people have been infected with the HIV virus about 34 million people have died of HIV.
AIDS is spread when Muslims line up with their heads behind the desert stinking butt in front of them shooting the moon at the Jews while praying toward Mecca, and they blow big Muslim fart bombs to hit as many people as they can with biological terror weapons like AIDS from Muhammed's butt to yours.
Trinity spagheti monster, is making you devilish mental. compounded with your paganistic cross. a pagan believing in that cross shit, you are better off if you believe in my poop
Who cares if the Spaghetti Monster is real? I do not care. Who cares if God loves you? You care, because you hate God and want Him dead. Nobody cares about the Spaghetti Monster, fool.
Oh, aren't you the Muslim? Why do you follow a religion that wants to kill everybody who will not bow to Allah and will not believe Mohammed was more than a dirty rotten thief liar?
excuse me I am a christian mentally disabled, pls excuse me don't know how to use logic, nor give facts or evidence to support a claim due to my mental disability and erroneous book full of contradictions, I will only use labels and assertions in a form of question to accuse. why are you following "a dirty rotten thief liar?
It seems like your genes are controlled by the gene Dawkins wrote a book about, called "The Stupid Gene". You seem to be pretty much incapable of entering a discussion with respect for the creator of the discussion to focus on the OP, so I'll probably be ignoring you as your screenname requests and banning you without reading your posts.........and then maybe I'll respond after you are stopped from disrupting because I don't like to leave the comments of stupid people unanswered when their stupidity should disqualify them from being visible.
You aren't educated enough to make that judgement call. Maybe the reason people don't like to debate with you is because.... in a battle of wits, they don't like to fight an unarmed person.
It seems like your genes are controlled by the gene Dawkins wrote a book about, called "The Stupid Gene". You seem to be pretty much incapable of entering a discussion with respect for the creator of the discussion to focus on the OP, so I'll probably be ignoring you as your screenname requests and banning you without reading your posts.........and then maybe I'll respond after you are stopped from disrupting because I don't like to leave the comments of stupid people unanswered when their stupidity should disqualify them from being visible.
It seems like your genes are controlled by the gene Dawkins wrote a book about, called "The Stupid Gene". You seem to be pretty much incapable of entering a discussion with respect for the creator of the discussion to focus on the OP, so I'll probably be ignoring you as your screenname requests and banning you without reading your posts.........and then maybe I'll respond after you are stopped from disrupting because I don't like to leave the comments of stupid people unanswered when their stupidity should disqualify them from being visible.
Your mother died. Your brother died. What does that say about them? You should feel sorry for them. They thought they had the right to exist outside of Hell but then they got a rude awakening. Maybe your dad's next ;)
God loves you and wants you to be saved from Hell. I feel sorry for you, really. I don't want to fight with you. You can go find somebody else to fight against God with. You will end up in Hell if you will not repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. God does not want that for you, I don't want that for you, but you are asking for it and I'm moving on toward heaven.
I am not burning in hell right now because I don't deserve it. Because my God doesn't throw people in hell. Hell does not exist. Hell is a made up human construct.
What makes you think your relatives are not burning in hell as I type? For all you know they are roasting on an open fire, like chestnuts ;)
I am sorry that my dogma pissed all over your karma.
Yeah, well, I am not sure that God loves you. Just think about what a miserable son of a bitch you are. Your life sucks and you thus go around trying to make other people miserable. Then, when you fail to make other people miserable, you feel even more miserable and double your efforts. It is a vicious cycle.
So you admit you do not have the right to live and having no right to live proves you do not have the right to exist outside of Hell as a sinner. Good. All you need to do now is believe Jesus is God who died for you, paid your price, so you can be forgiven by Him in His resurrection, receive Him as your Savior, and have eternal life. Then you will know God's love and stop being a jerk against His saints.
Your not a saint. You are just some ass hole on a debate site.
Tell me, did your mother repent before she died? Did she believe that the late JC is God and that He died on the cross for her? Did xhe receive Him as her saviour and is now enjoying eternal life? Did she ever stop being a total bitch to you? How about your brother?
Btw, I just realizec that as a "saint" you have to take my shit. It is your job to never stop trying to convert me. I see that you are flawed. You sometimes waiver and you thus ban people in order to recharge your batteries. But you can't ban me here ;)
John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
24 For John was not yet cast into prison.
25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.
27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
24 For John was not yet cast into prison.
25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.
27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Well now, lost your leverage haven't you? Now you are on tilt. Did you ask a Jew yet? They will tell you the deal if they are honest. According to those aforementioned assholes, when their Messiah comes all non-jews will be so impressed that they will WILLINGLY become servants to them. They don't see Jesus as the Messiah. Evangelical Christians around the world support them though. That probably includes you. You can't wait to be a bootlicker.
My leverage against you is keeping you here, where you can't ban me and people can see that you don't have an original thought outside the brain washing you have received. Maybe your mother dropped you on your head when you were little. Or maybe your brother kicked you in the head once too many times before becoming street pizza ;)
Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
So, I would imagine that with this thread I would be punished in no time. And yet, nothing of the sort. Tell me, why haven't I been punished? Maybe punishment is a dish best served called ;)
Oh, wait, that's revenge. Does your God practice revenge?
You are the one who is pissed off because you can't ban me here ;)
You have to deal with me in real time. You can't wait and respond at your leisure. Dealing with you here shows how stupid you are. You can't think on your feet so you just copy and paste. You are out of your comfort zone when you have to use logic instead of just repeating the same old talking points, "Do you think you have a right to live outside of hell" ;)
Nothing original there. And when someone goes outside your talking points, Ban!!!
So thank you for providing me the opportunity to show the readers what a moron you are ;)
I was just thinking about the number of months I have not put a smilie on one of my posts and since I started debating with you, my smiles have come back ;)
That which you resist, persists. Btw, I meant to thank you earlier. It feels good to have someone around for me to unload all of my days frustrations on. I look forward to your next post.
Muhammed was a thief, murderer, and child molesting liar. God's name is not Allah, Allah is a false god. Allah is Satan pretending to be God. Islam is a road to Hell where Muhammed is burning now and can't help the Muslims get out of Hell.
Muhammed was a thief, murderer, and child molesting liar. God's name is not Allah, Allah is a false god. Allah is Satan pretending to be God. Islam is a road to Hell where Muhammed is burning now and can't help the Muslims get out of Hell.
Go to Iran and publish this, pass it around, sing them some songs, and see how long you keep your head on your shoulders with the people of the religion of peace. Maybe they will peacefully put a suicide murder vest on you and send you shopping.
I have to agree with your second part. Islam is much more hostile than any other religion. The reason is most likely geographic luck, but the Koran has some nasty verses. They encourage deception and war to convert people.
Still, those who follow Islam peacefully and do good things for God are god people.
Ishwar Allah tere naam, sab ko sanmati de bhagwan -Mahatma Gandhi
There is none good, no not one. All are sinners, all deserve to die and burn in Hell. Doing good things cannot change the fact that you are a sinner. Hinduism is evil, Islam is evil. Hinduism leads to Hell's fire the same as Islam.
Argument with him is useless. Reason falls on deaf ears. He is a scratched record stuck on a loop. He is so full of anger and frustration that he damns Gods works. He doesn't believe in Gods omnipresents or omnipotence despite it being in his own bible. Your world views are too disparate for communication.
We have all broken God's law and all are unfit to be in His presence, our sin separates us from Him. We are under death penalty, dying, it's justice and Hell fire is justice for sinners. No matter how much positive you contribute, you are still guilty and deserve to die, you can't buy your way out of it by doing positive things. Hell is permanent death with no hope of being saved. In temporary death now, as you are dying, your time being counted down to zero, you can be saved now. You are trying to save yourself and it is not possible to save yourself. Hinduism teaches you save your self. You can't. You can't earn your way out of justice. You are sold out to sin, and you can't change that. God Himself became a man to pay your price of death, to buy you out of it in His bodily resurrection. He gave Himself as the ransom for you, to buy you back from your sin by paying it's price in death, and since death could not hold Him in the ground, He lives to save all who trust in Him. Believe on Him, receive Him as your Savior, and you will be saved from dying in Hell.
So you don't have the right to live outside of hell? Maybe the reason people don't like to debate with you is because.... in a battle of wits, they don't like to fight an unarmed person.
The only people who can be held to be innocent are those who do not have the mental capacity to understand their guilt and God's punishment nor His taking that punishment on Himself before rising from the dead to forgive all who believe on Him and receive Him as their Savior.........that would be babies and severely
mentally handicapped. Babies are held by God to be innocent, and they go to heaven if they die young. You and I have done evil, and you are doing it now by claiming to have the right as a sinner to exist outside of Hell.
So does that mean that your brother is in hell? He was a sinner. Maybe the reason people don't like to debate with you is because.... in a battle of wits, they don't like to fight an unarmed person.
I would not be surprised if you found your mother sucking cock in hell. Maybe the reason people don't like to debate with you is because.... in a battle of wits, they don't like to fight an unarmed person.
Did your mother molest you as a child? Maybe the reason people don't like to debate with you is because.... in a battle of wits, they don't like to fight an unarmed person.
you are truly brainwashed by a devilsh priest, even though I think you yourself is deaf, dumb, and blind devil, I'll nevertheless try to clarify something for you, arabic trinitarian christians lost sheeps like you also call their God, allah, but the deceptive teacher who taught you built a very bigdelusional bubble you'll never escape from. nevertheless.
Muhammed was a thief, murderer, and child molesting liar. God's name is not Allah, Allah is a false god. Allah is Satan pretending to be God. Islam is a road to Hell where Muhammed is burning now and can't help the Muslims get out of Hell.
Do you think posting the same responses to everyone even when the responses are completely irrelevant and banning everyone without any actual response makes your position look strong or weak??
Are you really just an atheist who is out to parody crazy religious nuts to make them look bad?
Obviously religion wins this one. Nothing on this planet is more destructive than religion. Nuclear weapons are a close second but the after effects don't last as long as religious fallout.
Obviously science wins this one. Nothing on this planet is more destructive than science. atheists are a close second but the after effects don't last as long as science fallout.
I think you should use some numbers or evidence instead of cheap generalization.
Both have caused massive harm and and massive good, though i would say the good science has caused far outweighs its bad. And the good religion has caused is negligible compared to the bad its caused. It leads people into delusions and wars with opposing faiths which use the weapons science has made. Religion is more of a root of human conflict, science just merely crafted the tools.
The Manhattan Project. Big Oil funding scientists to pump out false misleading studies to push the narrative that climate change isnt happening. There are ways science has given rise to harm. The pursuit of science cant really do harm because science is just a process. However that process has been used to inflict harm
Religion is far more destructive then science. People are starting wars over their religious views. There is a simpel reason for that, and the reason is that they are blinded by their view. If their god tells them to kill other that dont follow him, then they would do it without hesitation, without any form for mercy. That is why science is far better than religion, because science can sitt down and talk over their disputes. Religion on the other hand, well lets just say they have very different way of settling disputes.
I tend to think religion is used more as a scapegoat then anything else. Most wars are fought for land, money, power....and more times then not, in my opinion, religion is just a convenient blinder to get people to follow.
i feel that religion and science go hand in hand. if the whole world was atheist, there wouldnt be much humanity and compassion left. religion tends to bring people closer. where i come from (india) we have a constitution that states that all people of the nation have religious independence and look where my nation is now. we have had just 67 years and we've developed so much. and we still are a very religious country. if there the world only consisted of atheists then everyone would mostly be power hungry and not care about others' lives. in simpler terms what i mean to say is, majority of atheists are quite selfish (by personal experience)
They both can be. Honestly humanity doesn't need much to find an "excuse" for destructive behavior. During Hitler's reign scientists would experiment on living people, often subjecting them to unspeakable torture in the name of science. Terrible things have been done in both names. Some people will use any means necessary, any excuse necessary, to further their goals or just plain do what they want to.
That said. Both religion and science are capable of so much good as well. Medicines, technological advances, communities helping others out in crisis situations and charities that actually do good (and aren't just a front to get money for the corrupt) are some great things driven by people of either scientific belief or religious belief. What's destructive to humanity are the humans who cause destruction.
Both have been equally destructive, and there are two ways to view this:
1. Terrorists kill in the name of religion (though that does not make the religion bad - it makes the terrorists bad people who misinterpreted or used fallacious facets of their religion. Also, all religions have terrorists). Wars have been fought over religion. Innocent people have been killed over religion. On the other hand, science gave us the power to make weapons, bombs, and also exposed scientists to the more dangerous parts of science. In addition, science vs religion has also been destructive.
2. Neither have been destructive. It is the humans who have been destructive. Even if some religion promotes murder and cruelty, it is the person who does the killing and commits the cruelty who is at fault. Even if science unveiled the potential for bombs, it is humans who have used them.
Both have been equally destructive, and there are two ways to view this:
1. Terrorists kill in the name of religion (though that does not make the religion bad - it makes the terrorists bad people who misinterpreted or used fallacious facets of their religion. Also, all religions have terrorists). Wars have been fought over religion. Innocent people have been killed over religion. On the other hand, science gave us the power to make weapons, bombs, and also exposed scientists to the more dangerous parts of science. In addition, science vs religion has also been destructive.
2. Neither have been destructive. It is the humans who have been destructive. Even if some religion promotes murder and cruelty, it is the person who does the killing and commits the cruelty who is at fault. Even if science unveiled the potential for bombs, it is humans who have used them.
