Resolved: That Atheism is more desirable to general society than Christianity.

This is a Lincoln-Douglas style debate. With that being said, I as the negative shall remain silent until the affirmative has given his first document. The responses shall be detailed as follows: Round 1: -Basis of Debate -Affirmative Constructive Round 2: -Negative Cross-Examination Questions -Affirmative Cross-Examination Answers Round 3: -Negative Constructive -Affirmative Cross-Examination Questions Round 4: -Negative Cross-Examination Answers -First Affirmative Rebuttal Round 5: -Negative Rebuttal -Second Affirmative Rebuttal I would like to present upon what the debate is based. This is NOT a debate about whether Atheism or Christianity is true or false, but rather which is more desirable to flourish in society. Those who are voting must judge on the following criteria: a. Skill in analysis. This includes not only the analysis of the resolution but also analysis of the debate argumentation as it progresses. The analytical debater is able to get quickly to the essence of the question. b. Use of support. In Lincoln-Douglas Debate, arguments should be supported with appropriate support such as facts, analogies, and/or references to authorities. Logical reasoning must also be used to defend arguments. There is no need for overwhelming statistical support of values positions. c. Validity of support. If a debater falsifies sources in support of a point, he/she shall lose that argument. If the falsification is obviously deliberate, the debater has lost the round in which he/she is debating and must be able to recover in the next round. d. Validity of argument. This includes reasoning and conclusions drawn from the support presented. e. Clarity of organization. This includes clear outlining of constructive arguments and easily followed handling of refutation. f. Effectiveness of delivery. Is he/she persuasive with his/her reasoning? Is he/she controlling the debate? Determine how effectively the debater is influencing your way of thought. g. Strength and conviction. In the final analysis, the debate should be decided on the strength and convincing-ness of the debater's arguments. A judge"s decision in Lincoln-Douglas Debate should not be based upon: a. The merits of the debate resolution. The judge should not be influenced by prejudices in favor of or against the resolution. (For example, if you are a Christian, but the Atheist is winning the debate, vote for the Atheist. If your an Atheist, but the Christian is winning the debate, vote for the Christian.) b. Partiality. The judge should not be influenced by the reputation of either debater. c. Preconceived notions or arguments. The judge should not allow an idea of what the best affirmative or negative arguments or cases may be to influence the decision. d. Personal preferences on debating style. A judge should not penalize a debater if his/her style, either in delivery or case construction, differs from that which the judge personally prefers. All styles should be evaluated on the basis of effectiveness in winning conviction. Here are a few clarifying rules: -Since this is Lincoln-Douglas debate, philosophy (not science) will be used. Logic and principles will decide the round, not examples. Examples may be used to illustrate an idea, but they never prove a certain philosophy or point. -There will be no new arguments made in the final round (Round 5). Each side may, of course, respond to any arguments made in previous rounds, but he/she cannot create new arguments that had not been previously mentioned in rounds 1 through 4. Any new arguments presented in round 3 must be disregarded by the voters. -Keep profanity and insult of each other's personal beliefs out of the round. One may, of course, present facts that are certainly undesirable to be stated by the other side, but personal insult of belief is not allowed. -Every statement requiring a source must have that source cited. If one points out that his/her opponent's statement(s) has no support, then that statement and any logical flow stemming from that must be disregarded as unfounded and must be disregarded by the voters. -If a debater points out dropped arguments by his/her opponent, and the opponent fails to address them later on, then those arguments remain invalid. For anything more detailed, look into this link: http://www.nysfl.org... I strongly recommend my opponent to read this link if he/she is unfamiliar with Lincoln-Douglas debate. Thank you, and I earnestly await a response!