humanity would have been better off without religion

RE-REBUTTAL "If we take away religion we would be violating people's religious rights.[8] Any discrimination of religion is against the current laws. Everyone should have access to the religious rights they are accustomed too. They should be treated with equal respect, regardless of their religion. Religion is a very personal choice and each religion has their own belief system.[10]" Did I say anything about making religion illegal? No, I did not. I simply stated that if religion didn't exist, the world would have been better off. Please stay to the topic, Con. "Most majority religions seek peace and moral goals." Well, let's examine the major religions then. Christianity: Exodus 12:29-30 29 "And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead." Is killing innocent children your idea of moral? Source: http://www.biblegateway.com... Samuel 15:2-3 2 "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." Genocide: the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group. I guess Christianity supports genocide. Source: http://www.biblegateway.com... http://www.merriam-webster.com... Ezekiel 9:5-7 5 "And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: 6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. 7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city." Wow! This God fellow makes Hitler look like an angel! Source: http://www.biblegateway.com... Islam: If you though the Christian God was bad, wait till you meet Allah. Surat At-Tawbah 9:73 "O Prophet, fight against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them. And their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination." Muslims obviously support religious conflict as shown in this quote. Source: http://quran.com... Surat Muĥammad 47:4 "So when you meet those who disbelieve [in battle], strike [their] necks until, when you have inflicted slaughter upon them, then secure their bonds, and either [confer] favor afterwards or ransom [them] until the war lays down its burdens. That [is the command]. And if Allah had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them [Himself], but [He ordered armed struggle] to test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the cause of Allah - never will He waste their deeds." As you can see, Muslims are not at all about peace. The Muslim that are peaceful are going against their religion unknowingly. Source: http://quran.com... Hinduism: Do you find the Caste System to be moral? You know I certainly don't. In 2008, hunger affected 1 in 6 people in India. If only they could chop up some cows and feed themselves. Oh wait, it is forbidden for a Hindu to eat a cow! The poor people are starving because of their religion! Source: http://www.deccanherald.com... Judaism: A lot of the same stuff as Christianity. I don't really think I need to argue this one too much. Buddhism: I will admit, Buddhism is a moral religion for the most part.(Although some forms of Buddhism are not considered religions but rather philosophies.) 1.Taiping Rebellion "My opponent failed to catch the point I was trying to make which was that if a person has a religion and is not doing what that religion commands then that person is not acting from a religious bases and but their own." I think you failed to catch my point, then I said they invented their own religion in the process of disobeying Christianity. 2.Inquisition "pro stated that he can deny that no good value came from the Inquisition. I think we all wish to hear the reasons why he denies this, what good came from the Inquisition?" I think you misunderstood me. I was denying the fact that the inquisition went against Christian and Islamic morals not whether they were bad. You ought to read my arguments carefully. "we should remember that Christians are compelled to follow the New Testament and not the Old." That is not universally agreed upon Christians and many still follow the old testament to some extent. On top of that, Judaism unquestionably follows the old testament.(You know we're not only debating Christianity.) 3.The Crusades: "The most important cause and effect of the Crusades was economic." I disagree, if the war was economic, they would fight for other cities that were wealthier than Jerusalem. 4.The Holocaust "My opponent makes the mistake of thinking Jews are only a religious group and not also a ethnic group. If religion did not exist there would still be Jews, there are Jews who are atheist." In order to be part of the ethnic group, you must be either practice Judaism or have descendants that practiced Judaism. In other words, you cannot be a Jew if Judaism didn't exist. Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com... "He also is attempting to blame the Jews for Hitler's actions and it kinda sounds like he has Hitler's views." When did I blame the Jews for Hitler actions? Now your just making stuff up! And, I assure you, I don't have Hitler's views as I am Slavic myself. "He then blames religion itself because people want to oppose it and strip the rights of people to believe in their religion." I blame religion because it was the Christians that exterminated the Jews not atheists. Many Christian Germans believed that they lost World War 1 because of their high population of Jews and that "God" was not on their side because of it. Source: http://www.sixmillioncrucifixions.com... "My opponent is content in suggesting that religion is not about peace but hasn't given us any real statistics to go by." 62% of the time, terrorist acts are committed to people of a different religion, but in a typical country, your chances of randomly selecting a person of a different religion(if the religion of the terrorist is the majority in the country the act is committed, which it usually is.) the chances of them being of a different religion is only 27%. Source:http://books.google.com... "Most physicians in the United States believe that religion and spirituality have a positive effect on patients" health." Well, of course most physicians believe that! Considering most physicians are religious themselves! You find me 1 atheist physician that says that and maybe I'll consider your claim. Otherwise, your data is biased. "Let's remember that my opponent took the BOP and made the initial claim and he must fulfill his BOP." I forfilled my BOP way back in round 2.