Christianity is a force for good in the world.

On balance, Christianity has done far more harm than good in the modern world. Its human rights record is disgraceful and the negative impacts of its dogmas have reverberated throughout history and even into the present day. As though this wasn't bad enough it also impoverishes the human condition by distracting people from their real happiness with illusory preachments of an afterlife. And despite the good intentions of many decent people it is still one of the prime sources of a considerable amount of hatred, intolerance, and needless suffering. ::The Antitheist's Manifesto:: Contention 1: Religion misrepresents reality. Magic, religion, and all forms of reality distortion blight humanity by obscuring our pursuit for knowledge. To take just one example, the Bible fundamentally mischaracterizes the origins of both the cosmos and our species with its creation story. [1] In reality, our actual universe is approximately 14 billion years old and has been continually developing throughout this time-span. [2] Similarly, it is a scientific fact that humans and all other animals exist on an evolutionary continuum with the rest of the animal kingdom. [3] The evidence for this is overwhelming and is thus sufficient to indict the Bible as being the likely product of misguided human intelligence. Furthermore, biblical teachings fundamentally distort humanity's moral purview. God, in his infinite compassion and wisdom, had ample room in the Bible to instruct us on how to kill people, keep slaves [4], and sacrifice a wide consortium of different animals. On numerous occasions he even advocates that we kill people for imaginary crimes like witchcraft. [5] In fact, the Bible, if followed word for word, provides for a system of ethics that would make Mullah Omar of the Taliban look like Lyndon B. Johnson in comparison. Those who doubt this claim need only spend a few hours actually reading the Christian scriptures. Look anywhere you want for the warrant for slavery, for the subjugation of women, for the burning and flogging of homosexuals, for the abuse of animals, for the torture and slaughter of apostates, for ethnic cleansing, and racism: you don't need to look any farther than the Bible. Contention 2: The dogmas of Christianity are harmful to society. Christian beliefs may console some, but they ultimately harm humanity by distracting people from actual problems by pacifying them with dubious promises of an afterlife. [6] Whether an afterlife is real or not, notions of an afterlife lead people to devalue this life and to be content with their misery. For instance, in the United States approximately 44 percent of the population actually believes that Jesus will return to Earth sometime in the near future and orchestrate the end of the world with his magic powers. [7] These types of delusions are perfectly maladaptive for giving people an incentive to help build a sustainable future for new generations. Consequently, notions of an afterlife and apocalypse only hurt society by causing people to fixate on matters that don't involve earthly concerns. Moreover, there are good reasons to doubt whether Christian religiosity is beneficial to society. Among other things, religious adherence is positively correlated with many key aspects of societal and psychological dysfunction. [8] Countries with high levels of religious belief are unusually plagued by high levels of crime, low infant mortality rates, disease and social turmoil. There are, of course, other aspects of Christianity specifically that are equally as troublesome. Christianity's role in fomenting sectarian conflict [9], opposing scientific research [10], opposing scientific education [11], and resisting social progress [12] are similarly disgraceful in many aspects. Given these facts, the claim that religion is especially useful to society begins to look ever more doubtful. As it turns out, some of the most functional, healthy, literate, generous, and advanced societies on Earth are also some of the least religious. Nations with high levels of organic atheism consistently rank among the very best societies by virtually any criteria one chooses to value. [13] According to the United Nations' Human Development Report (2005), countries with high levels of atheism such as Norway, Iceland, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom rank as world leaders in terms of life expectancy, adult literacy, per-capita income, educational attainment, gender equality, homicide rate, and infant mortality. [14] [UNHDR 2005 (15)] These data are unequivocal: religious adherence is not essential—and probably detrimental—to the ever-difficult project of maintaining a civil society. Contention 3: Christianity promotes intolerance and supports oppression. Misogyny has been thoroughly championed over the ages and into the present day under the aegis of Christianity. [16] Given the contents of the Bible, this history makes perfect sense. Women, in the Old Testament, are portrayed as the inept bunglers that foiled God's original plan. After all, Eve allegedly ruined paradise for the rest of us by conversing with a rhetorically gifted snake and eating cursed fruit. [17] Consequently, many Christians throughout history have often invoked scripture to justify the mistreatment of women. In other words, Christianity isn't just man made; its also male made. In addition, homophobia and anti-Semitism are also part and parcel with Christianity, even in its modern variations. In the Bible gays are constantly lumped in with witches, idolaters, and other rabble that are to be despised. [18] Similarly, much of the hatred against Jews can be traced to the scriptures. In the New Testament Jews are blamed as being the murderers of Christ and are said to have ordered that the blood of Christ be on their heads to the remotest generations. [19] The Bible simply accuses them of being collectively responsible for the death of Jesus. As a result, verses from the New Testament were consistently used to whip up anti-Semitism wherever Christianity had spread to. This inevitably led to numerous anti Jewish pogroms that went on for hundreds of years in Europe, Russia, and elsewhere. [20] Needless to say, these events only further demonstrate how Christianity has been a force for evil throughout the ages. Like intolerance, oppression is also a key facet of the Christian faith. Historically, the scriptures have often provided people with an excuse to conduct themselves in the most vulgar of manners. [21] In the modern era, however, this coercion usually manifests itself in the religious desire to regulate people's private affairs. For example, it is simply no accident that people of the Christian faith often want to curtail the private freedom of others with social policies regarding euthanasia, gay marriage, prostitution, and drugs. If God is indeed all knowing and omnipresent then there is no such thing as a private action. [22] Given certain beliefs, even private actions carry with them a kind of social significance. Therefore, it should not be surprising that many Christians in our society often wish to control other people's lives. ::Conclusion:: Christianity is most certainly not good for our developing world. It spreads intolerance, distorts reality, and it impoverishes the human condition with parochial superstitions. These consequences, both great and small, have kept disparate groups of people muddling over nonsensical beliefs while simultaneously encouraging them to despise, oppress, and subjugate others that muddle differently. While it may be tempting to attribute these actions to human nature it is quite clear that many of them draw considerable support from the Bible. In light of this evidence, it is justifiable to dispose of the unwarranted position that Christianity is good for the world. ---Definitions + References--- http://www.debate.org...