RESOLVED: Christianity is Beneficial to the Individual Man

Preamble: Though I am aware that saying this will make me appear to be complaining and/or making excuses (which I apologize for), I feel the need to inform both my opponent and all spectators that I am typing my debate arguments (or at least the ones to this Round) on a Kindle Fire, which possesses tiny touch screen buttons, making it noticeably more difficult to type than if I were using a laptop with a proper keyboard. This factor may impose a limit on how much material I insert into this and probably all future rounds of this debate, possibly lowering the quality of the case which I am making or attempting to make for the duration of this debate. Expect some spelling errors as well, which probably would not be present were I able to use a laptop with a proper keyboard. That having been said, I will dwell no further on this issue during this debate. WHY CHRISTIANITY IS BENEFICIAL TO THE INDIVIDUAL MAN By C. E. Turner, AKA "LogicalLunatic" (0). Further Clarification on the Nature of this Debate: The debate's title uses the word "Man". Unless my opponent objects, there will be a general consensus that "Man" (as it is used in this context) is a generic term for human beings, not exclusively adult males of the human species. Also, "Christianity" will be defined as "True Christianity", which includes the following characteristics: 1. Saving Knowledge of Jesus Christ, which causes a person to repent of their sins and accept the Biblical "gift of salvation", which saves a person from Help and allows them to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (or at least according to generally accepted Christian Doctrine). 2. A "Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ". This involves Sanctification, regular prayer to God, reading the Bible in order to "Hear from God", and "meditating" on the Words of the Bible. Here are some definitions of the terms described above: A. Definition and Explanation of "Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ" http://www.christinyou.net... B. Definition and Explanation of "Sanctification" as the term is used in mainstream Christian Teachings http://www.gotquestions.org... I thank my opponent for accepting these conditions. Even though he may disagree with these definitions, they are necessary to avoid "resolution sniping" and to make sure my opponent doesn't win automatically by pointing out one person who didn't benefit in any way from calling themselves a Christian. All this having been stated, I will begin the Debate by posting my series of arguments in favor of the Debate Resolution at hand. (1). Foundational Argument 1: If Christianity is true, and receiving a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and accepting God's Gift of Salvation can allow a person to avoid Hell (a place of misery and despair) and enter and reside within Heaven (a place of joy and happiness), then Christianity is undoubtedly beneficial to all who are Christian. This would cause me to win the Debate automatically...if Christianity was confirmed without a doubt to be the true religion. Then again, my opponent may quite possibly make the following set of arguments: "There are countless religions out there. If Christianity is false and some other religion is true, then being Christian condemned that person's soul to that religion's equivalent to Hell, meaning that in this case Christianity would be infinitely unbeneficial to all who believe in it. If all religions are true and equal (an idea known as 'Religious Pluralism'), then Christianity is no more beneficial than any other religion. If all paths are equal, this means that atheists will also go to Heaven (though they would be wrong about not believing in God/gods), meaning that following a religion in general is not necessarily more beneficial than being atheistic, meaning that Christianity is no more beneficial than any other system of belief." I will counter the above arguments now: If another religion (besides Christianity, that is) is exclusively true, and those who don't accept this religion will go to Hell, then in this scenario Christians would be headed to Hell, or whatever that true religion would call it. This is true, but Christianity is probably more likely to be true than other religions. Allow me to explain: -Muslims believe that in the End Times women will outnumber men 50 to 1. Now, there are more women in the world than there are men. I will concede this much. But a 50:1 sex ratio? We are nowhere near that! In fact, sex-selective abortion in Asia is closing the gap in the Gender Ratio, making the number of men and women more equal. In fact, soon there will be MORE men than women in certain East Asian nations, such as India and China. And since a large percentage of the World's population lives in India and China, these nations having more men than women would largely affect the worldwide sex ratio. Sources: http://www.ummah.com... http://www.raptureforums.com... (Yes, I am aware that this is a Christian source. However, I am fairly certain that they are not misrepresenting Islamic End Times Prophecies here.) http://www.womensviewsonnews.org... http://www.cnn.com... Also prophesied by Islam is that the Jews will be defeated and exterminated. By Jesus (an ethnic Jew), of all people. Keep in mind that several Islamic nations working together have failed multiple times in the past to defeat that small nation which is Israel. Even if the Arabs did ultimately defeat the Jews, it would not be miraculous, as the worldwide Jewish population is tiny compared to the worldwide Islamic population. I think that it's fair to conclude that Muslim end-time prophecies probably will not come to pass. -The Jews believe in a Messiah. Why could this Messiah not be Jesus? He did, after all, fulfill every Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah. Proof: http://christianity.about.com... -Buddhism doesn't teach that non-Buddhists will necessarily go to Hell. Therefore, if Buddhism is true, then it still doesn't cause Christianity (which would be a lie in this case) to condemn its followers to Hell. -Christian end times prophecies have been very accurate, even though they were penned nearly 2000 years ago! Allow me to explain. The Bible prophesies that: A. The Nation of Israel will exist in the last days. After all, in reference to the events of the last days, the Book of Revelation talks about Israel. Keep in mind that Israel no longer existed when the Book of Revelation was written! B. There will be a way for people all around the world to see the "Two Witnesses" lying dead. This was unthinkable in the era of the Roman Empire! I would go on, but to save time I'll just post this link listing the Christian End-Time Prophecies. http://www.raptureforums.com... If you look through them, you'll find that many of them have been fulfilled, providing evidence in favor of Christianity. -As Atheism is not a religion, it does not accept the concepts of Heaven or Hell. Therefore, if atheism is true, it still is not really unbeneficial to believe in Christianity. I could go on, but it's fair to say that I've covered the religions which a very large percentage of the world's population follow. I think it is fair to say that (true) Christians won't be going to Hell anytime soon. Therefore, in this sense Christianity is not harmful. But if all religions are true, then Christianity is not really beneficial either, is it? I will cover that question now. (2). Foundational Argument 2: Aside from questions of Heaven or Hell, is Christianity beneficial here on Earth? I would say...yes. Before I continue, I would like to say that it is likely my opponent may use the following argument: "Christianity beneficial? Are you for real? Christianity has caused the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Catholic-Protestant Wars, the destructive of non-Christian cultures, and on and on. Christianity is clearly unbeneficial to mankind!" To this I would like to add that the brand of Christianity responsible for such historical atrocities is not the brand of Christianity that is included in this debate's definition of what constitutes Christianity. Thus, people who adhere to the barbaric Medieval "Christianity" are not true Christians. Anyway, I shall continue with my case. How is Christianity beneficial to the common man? Well... A. People have been delivered from personal problems through Christianity. Here are a few stories to demonstrate: http://christianity.about.com... http://www.christian-faith.com... http://www.christian-faith.com... These are just a handful of testimonies from people who have been delivered from alcohol and drugs. Had they never encountered Jesus they might've still been addicts until the day they died. B. Christianity provides hope. This is undoubtedly true. Even if other religions also provide hope, this does not negate the fact that Christianity provides hope. Hope, even false hope, is beneficial when there is nothing you can do about your situation. Through Christianity people have hope that death is not the end. People have hope that there is something better waiting for them beyond this life. No one can live a happy life without hope; thus, by providing hope, Christianity is beneficial to the Individual man. I have spent a very long time writing this, and I am happy to say that I have now finished writing this Round's arguments. I await my opponent's response. Thank you.