(Untitled)

[the__lord]

Debate #8

Home: somnambulisa

Away: cargill

Topic: Merits of Religion in Society

Comments

[somnambulisa]

Any merits that religion can be said to have in society are far outweighed by its demerits, and furthermore can be obtained without religion.

Rebuttal pt 1

[cargill]

Your argument is short, to the point and lyrical. Sadly, like a snake eating it's tail, your argument consumes itself with it's own failure of logic. Certainly it is easy to argue that many of the merits of religion could be duplicated without it - but just as easily so could all of it's demerits. All of the ills that many attribute solely to religion are products of what men do when they choose to pervert ideas to their own agendas. It is when man mixes religion and government that the worst atrocities occur. But to claim the excesses of man require the abolition of religion in society is ludicrous. Quite contrary to your initial unsubstantiated claim, religion gives far more than can be measured by body counts or brutal regimes

Re: Rebuttal pt 2

[cargill]

Now make no mistake: I am in no way saying that these ideas sprung from the divine itself - some otherworldly force that has whispered these ideas and inventions into the ears of their creators - but rather that it was men inspired by the idea of the divine who created such things in their quest to either discover the nature of the divine or to praise it's name. It's certainly easy to say that these ideas could been obtained without religion - yet the burden of proof remains with the Atheist who has only conjecture with which to base such an opinion. And it is certainly hard if not impossible to refute the level to which Religion in society has created such beautiful and splendid ideas that has enriched our culture and that of every culture around the world

Re: Rebuttal pt 3

[cargill]

Religion plays an important part in society, every society. That’s why there isn’t a society on earth free of it, that isn't founded upon it, structured around it or privy to it. Even those states that would quash it cannot destroy it. It has existed in all places at all times and will continue long after religions present incarnations are relegated to myth. It is part of the human existence, part of our history and part of our culture. It is inseparable from us in every way. And it most certainly cannot be duplicated within a hypothetical society that lacks it entirely.

Re: Rebuttal pt 3

[somnambulisa]

You've lost the point, here. You don't have to prove that religion permeates society; that's a given. The question isn't even whether it's a merit to society, it's whether its merit outweighs its demerits (which there's also no question of). Also, the question isn't wether or not religion can be duplicated in a hypothetical society that lacks religion. The question is whether any of the merits of religion are unique to it, and cannot be duplicated by other means.

Please focus on the point. I don't have time to read gibberish.

It is finished!

[somnambulisa]

lol