Religion is overall beneficial on the human race.

~" This helps my side, the fact that there are more religious adults proves that there is a high chance that they are religious. I do not completely understand the point above this." =What I am saying is that the proportionality of criminals being religions to the amount of religious people in this country is not corresponding. In other words, if you were to bring up that there were more religious criminals, I would already have a knock-down. This obstacle for your case is the fact that a very small minority of the U.S. is atheist, therefore saying that most criminals in this country have to be religious. My point of this contention is that religion does not stir up more crime. ~ "The bible never states this, but the Church believed it and they brainwashed people to believing it too. Please note we are not just talking about the bible." = Note that this kind of teaching was mostly around Galileo's time, not present-day. Can you name any president of the United States who is or was blinded to science? Can you name any important figure that was besides leaders of Churches? ~ "A classic statement. Saying "God created the counter-argument". What my opponent states is a fool proof system that refutes science by saying "god created science". = If according to Catholicism God created people, and people created science, then technically God created the source of science. If you ask "Why did God create science," then are you asking, "Why did God create the world?" ~ "\\\..ONE LEGIT SOURCE that states that Muslims bomb... in hopes of going to paradise./// You want proof? See above video:" = Sure, it's a video of someone bombing themselves. However, how does this prove that a) he did it in a hope of going to paradise and b) he did it for his religion? Bombings can happen anywhere. Look at the Columbine shooting and self-bombing, for example. Were they Muslim? No. Did they do it in hopes of going to paradise? No. Were they doing it for any religion whatsoever? No. Rockylightning has failed to give a reasonable source or evidence that religion causes people to commit extreme suicide in hopes of going to paradise. His point of this is supported with no evidence. With reasoning, if killing yourself took you to paradise, those people practicing that religion would have long since died out. ~ "Think about it, the wolf has claws, turtle has shell, rabbit has large ears, humans have large brains? Why? To think, to invent, to innovate. Believing in religion and wasting time every day to give thanks is limiting our minds by framing our thinking... Brain images have proved long ago that people who do not believe in a higher power have much more brain activity than people who do. If things had gone the way the church planned, we wouldn't have landed on the moon." = Please give a source, and then I will agree to continue to refute this argument. Also, I already refuted it last round; where do you think the Renaissance came from? It came from the rebirth of Green and Roman texts, some of which were religious. The Renaissance was when art and writing and culture flourished; how can you call it a waste of time? During this time, Italy did think, they did invent, and they did innovate. There is something called separation of Church and State – If things had gone the way the Church planned, we still would have landed on the moon. ~ "Without religions, the world would have less things to argue about, and less excuses to start wars. Accept people as who they are. That's the biggest lie of this debate. Religions encourage segregation, think about it, how many times have you heard a kid at school call someone a "jew" or "terrorist" because of their religion?" = Rockylightning, considering that we attend the same school, I'm sure you're not the only one who has heard someone get called a name like that. However, there is still the factor of race. Asians get a stereotype, Caucasians get a stereotype, African Americans get a stereotype – where does it end? If you have a different opinion on politics than others, then you'll still be picked on at school. Maybe you'll still be pushed around as an adult. But in truth, religious differences are another reason why people should try to accept people for who they are. ~ "Please explain. Last time I checked, religion was the thing that flew planes into the twin towers. Religion was the thing that imprisoned Galileo, Religion was the thing that burned new thinkers at the stake." = Instead of giving me a frightening video of planes crashing into the Twin Towers to try to give an impact on your case, what part of that video shows that this has anything to do with religious meaning? Yes, new thinkers were burned at the stake. I'm here to prove why religion is overall beneficial to the human race – if I can prove to you that there is better than harm with religion to the human race, I win this debate. This point you just bring up about the Inquisition is reasonable. However, those trials ended years ago. See what happened even with our country today? We have a right to religion, or the right to practice no religion at all. It's stated in the Constitution, the framework for government for our very country. You cannot possibly argue against that. I do understand that the motion is based on the human race and not just the U.S., by the way. ~ "[refutations to the advantages listed to the network]" = As I have previously stated, the world has realized long ago that burning people at a stake is not a way to regulate conduct and belongs nowhere in any civilized society; moving on: My opponent has never stated any evidence backing up that self-bombing has anything to do with religion. He has just given facts and videos to frighten those who are judging this debate to give his arguments a greater impact, when really they do no harm to my case at all. Rockylightning states that praying is a non-active activity; praying should not take up an excessively huge amount of time out of your life, and although it is not being outside and playing a sport, it does create a peaceful and calm environment for a few minutes at a time: for example, Buddhism. ~ "\\\The medieval Renaissance.../// Actually it was the uncovering of what the church had been hiding from them the past few centuries." =Again, I need the evidence. Where are your sources? It may have been some of the things that the Church hid from the people for centuries, but the Italians were still living around the ruins of the Roman and Greek Empires where statues and buildings still stood. In fact, what you have stated above actually helps my case – Religion was revealed, and the people flourished; look at that. ~ "Buddhism is not a religion, it is a philosophy, or way of thinking." = Since you have not stated a definition of "religion," I shall define that now. According to dictionary.com, religion is "the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices." Buddhism has beliefs in the Buddha, and Buddhism has practices such as praying. Philosophy, on the other hand, is a way of thinking. Buddhism has both, but all in all, is still considered a religion. Allow me to present another example. When slavery was popular in the 1700's, many African American slaves looked to Christianity for hope and salvation. We cannot argue that Christianity is not a religion. ~ "While I see your point and it is a good one, religious people were not the only ones to come to America. Others included business men, farmers, criminals, settlers, and people seeking a better life, soldiers, mountain men and explorers." = That is true. However, 85% of adults in America (18 year olds and up) practice a religion. This study conducted by Princeton includes immigrants and people who came from other countries. There are many countries in the world which practice religions that differ from the majority in our country. Now for the last round; good luck, Rocky!!!