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Debate Info

25
17
Yes. No.
Debate Score:42
Arguments:37
Total Votes:54
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 Yes. (17)
 
 No. (14)

Debate Creator

Stetson(39) pic



Does religion cause more harm than good?

Keep in mind that this encompasses all religions in existence or that have existed. In example; Christian, Hindu, Buddhism, Islam, Norse, Greek, Persian, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Scientology, etc.. Focus on how religions have molded and shaped society.

Yes.

Side Score: 25
VS.

No.

Side Score: 17
3 points

We created Religion to answer the unanswerable and it is the interpreters of its philosophy who have the potential to cause good or harm.

Fundamentally people need to decide whether atheism or theism lead to an overall balance of good or harm.

Religion may be identified with charitable ideals and stability inherent in a strong faith system that unites people, whilst on the other side there is the power to wield, and events such as the inquisition and crusades to question.

My stand would be that religion can be used as a tool for both sides of this debate and that the invention of religion has caused both harm and good.

Side: Yes.
2 points

Yes, but only because anyone who would believe the superstitious mumbo jumbo of the scriptures of all of the religions would have to be fundamentally psychologically disturbed. Their psychosis manifests itself in different ways but those with ''obsessive personalities'' become so consumed with their religion that they react violently to people of different faiths or even members of their own faith whom they consider to have fallen by the wayside. To a greater or lesser extent all those who reject the findings of science in favour of the teachings of books written one or two thousand years ago are crazy mixed up morons who are a real and immediate danger to themselves and the general public at large. The biggest threat to world peace at the moment is Islam.

Side: Yes.

Absolutely, religion is very ignorant. It not only incites violence and places wedges between different people but holds back social and scientific progression.

Side: Yes.

Whoever downvoted me without submitting an counterargument was a twat.

Side: Yes.
1 point

Says the guy who has proudly done exactly that before :P

Remember that time you down voted as many of my comments as you could? You didn't provide counterarguments to most of those.

Side: No.
1 point

You said it yourself that religion was "invented". I'll bet the religious fanatics would have a field day over the use of that term being connected to a God in any way. Haha.

Side: Yes.
1 point

in indian villages still widows suffer from injustice because of religion.religion was only the cause of ritual rights like sati etc

Side: Yes.
HARISH777(2) Disputed
1 point

Religion didn't say the women to do SATI. It's not in any of the vedas or any other holy books. In the starting, wives did it on their own becoz of the love on their husbands. As years went people started to accept that the wives doing sati were only the real loving persons. And then it became compulsory. Its not the fault of the religion.

Side: No.
1 point

I see people all the time who rely on God to solve their problems and don't help THEMSELVES - it's like " everybody just pray and all will be fixed!" BULL! Get out there and fix it yourself!

Side: Yes.

Yes very much so! Race and religion are the two major divides in this world, we divide ourselves in many ways from country, city, town, roads, housing estates, football teams etc.... humans are tribal and religion is just another form of being part of a tribe.

What religion predominantly does is give individuals justifications for there actions right or wrong! people who follow a religion are lazy minded people who choose not to question what there told or what they read, in many cases blindly follow a predominant figure within there own religion and hang on there every word! and as Islam is proving world wide religion can be interpreted and used as a tool to brainwash lazy minded people and make them act in a way which suits the main interpreter!

religion in its origin was used as a form of control to make people live a certain way and conform to an ideology.

All religions were formed in a time were answers were few and in a time where man ruled and women were sub servant that's why all religions are male dominated, all religions are outdated and non reflective of the modern world, the sooner religion fades away and plays a lesser role in this world the sooner there will be more peace not total peace but certainly less!

Side: Yes.

I answered "Yes" based on the wars throughout history that were fought in the name of Religion.

Side: Yes.
1 point

Well, most religions have had bad reputation in history like Islam and Christianity. So I'd say they cause more harm.

Side: Yes.
0 points

I am not saying that religion cause harm or good but till now i have seen people in my life who suddenly turn religious though i think they are satisfied by what they are doing but according to me they are giving pain to dear and love ones by doing these kind of things.

Side: Yes.
1 point

When you compare the billions of people throughout history who have drawn strength, comfort, unity and courage from their religious beliefs, to the probable tens of millions who have suffered or died because of religion, you might easily conclude religions have done more good than harm.

It can be reasoned that if religions served no greater good to the societies that adopt them, one might expect them to disappear.

Science has seemed to answer many questions that had previously only been well addressed by religious doctrine. As our perceptions and beliefs about the universe expand, we rely on religions less for some answers. For example few if any remain who worship the sun god. Again reason would conclude that religious beliefs can become obsolete.

The other important element of most larger religions currently existing today, is that they have adopted moral and ethical values which still benefit societies. This is the element of current religions that provide societies with a measure of social stability.

The future benefit -vs- harm ratio of current religions may in fact change the balance we now see.

Side: No.
Stetson(39) Disputed
0 points

I can agree with you that religion has offered people a moral handbook and comfort from their beliefs. But I think you underestimate the amount of people who have suffered from it. To give one major example, anyone that has existed since the founding of the Catholic church has suffered from the set back in scientific advancement.

As soon as the Roman Empire fell, Europe was left in chaos as barbarians raided village after village. The people needed some sort of social stability, but was organized religion the answer? Maybe it was suitable in the beginning to establish those comforts and hopes to the millions that were distraught. Then when the Catholic church came into widespread power; wars occurred in the name of their god, freethinkers were frowned upon and were persecuted, governments were dictated by it, and a few elite benefited from the power and wealth that they gained.

To list some specific atrocities that were caused by the Catholic church; execution of Galileo, the inquisition, the crusades, witch hunts, illiteracy, William Tyndale -an advocate of translating the bible into English and making it available to the public- was strangled then burned, and indulgences - paying money to the church to forgive sin-.

Now it is becoming normal to be moral without religion, and that is thanks to the ideals of democracy taking place in most countries. Therefore people don't necessarily need religion to hold moral and ethical values, the law and societal norms already sets that in place.

I would conclude that scientific advancement is invaluable to the human race, and the catholic church potentially set us back a few centuries. The scenarios that could be imagined with at least another three centuries of free thinking and widespread use of the scientific method are unimaginable.

On the other hand, the many other religions of the world, I can't say that I have a good understanding of their effects on society. Other than Islamic extremism, I would probably say most religions have done good, but maybe not enough to outweigh the damage the Catholic church has caused.

Side: Yes.
daver(1771) Clarified
0 points

Yes, but:

I did compare billions of benefited people to hundreds of millions who have suffered worldwide since the beginning, which I stand by, however you make a point in your Catholic example than negative effects can last for centuries.

Now it is becoming normal to be moral without religion

I agree. Not specifically due to democracy, but more as an effect of a deepening in the acceptance of moral and ethical values, culminating in the concept of "human rights".

IMO religions, with one notable exception, have evolved to fit society's moral evolution, to an extent that would preclude the atrocities of past centuries. Also the decline of religion in Europe for example, with the retention of morals has not been as devastating as feared. I could easily get some strong disagreement on that point however.

Side: Yes.

Religion is the belief we hold;we trust someone and his/her ancestry that's why we follow them;All religions preach the same virtues,same ideas in different languages so as to make us better;Some latest events though might have drawn a lot of speculation regarding this view but certainly misuse of any religion's preachings cannot be entwined with this topic.Religion itself does good but misuse and misunderstanding of any religion causes harm .

Side: No.

People created religion, right? So suppose we never did that, and we never had any religions.

This is going to sound negative, but I think we'd be brawling over race or culture or something else.

Side: No.
1 point

Religion is a defining word used to describe those that believe in something (God, Goddess etc.). Religion in and of itself does nothing.

People cause more harm than good! In fact, people have seemingly caused more harm than good for centuries. This question can be anything. Do politics cause more harm than good? Again, no! People corrupt politics and use it to do harm. Do cars cause the most deaths in the U.S.? Well car accidents do. Cars happened to be operated by people. So once again, people are the common denominator in causing harm.

Side: No.

religion takes center-stage when we relentlessly pursue to our ambition of seeking God and ultimate happiness,the process is painstaking but religion can definitely take us there

Side: No.
1 point

Well maybe the religion of secular humanism. But they are aligned withe the left, and the left has give us the purges in Russia, the holocaust, the purges in Africa.

Side: No.
Cuaroc(8829) Clarified
2 points

the left, and the left has give us the purges in Russia, the holocaust, the purges in Africa.

Still mixing up political parties.

Side: Yes.
Astac(242) Clarified
1 point

Nope, nailing what the left is all about. The left has an ideology that is evil and murderous

Side: Yes.

I do not believe so. It is kinda if a biased outlook on the matter. Region is a major part of a large number of peoples person lives, and is often related to a number of moral issues. There are of course many cases of people justifying immoral acts with religion, but without religion they would likely find another rallying cry to defend their actions (my money would be on eugenics being the next runner up).

Side: No.
0 points

Religions are there to regulate our path in our life. We cant point a single religion which is saying to do wrong things. All are telling us to love and be kind to all. But we are not following them correctly. It's not the fault of the religion. Our religions are having so many morals and science under their coat. But we misunderstood all of them. Knife can be used to cut both fruits and hand. It's not the fault of the knife when it cuts our hand. We are the responsible one.

Side: No.
minimurph83(194) Disputed
1 point

Like you pointed out with the knife, we are the responsible ones but if the knife wasn't there in the first place we couldn't use it to cut! religion is used as a justification for peoples actions, and how can we be regulated by a religion that was formed hundreds or thousands of years ago, what relevance do they hold! you also say they tell us to love and to be kind, you obviously haven't read the Quran?

Side: Yes.