BeIR/webis-touche2020 huggingface dataset:
Is the death penalty effective and should it be used.

I argue for the use of the death penalty for many reasons, the first of which is its' effectiveness. If we legalize the death penalty and actually put it into use, people who commit crimes will think twice about actually doing them. Right now, in most states, if you commit a really bad crime, you get to go to jail. However, if the punishment was the death penalty, people would probably be less likely to commit crimes because the punishment is severe. A second argument for the death penalty is the other punishments. If you commit a severe crime (that should be worthy of the death penalty) in some states, you just get a lifetime sentence to prison. So, basically, you spend the rest of your life in captivity with plain food, constant surveillance, etc. and who would want to live a life like that. So, I don't see much of a difference between the death penalty and a lifetime sentence because, in both cases, you are taking the rest of their life away from them. A third argument for the death penalty is the cost of prisoners. According to the link below, the total cost to feed and supply housing for prisoners per year is approximately $63.4 Billion. All that money falls upon tax payers to pay. And that is a lot of money to pay for people who are spending the rest of their lives in vain. Link: http://www.cbsnews.com... Thanks, DESTROYERZV
Best Argument(s) for Mainstream Theism

I should have specified that since the debate topic was ‘mainstream religion, ’ I’m limiting my arguments to current day United States. One could easily make an excellent argument against religion if you open it up to all religions from all time. Human sacrifice was once very popular among many religions thousands of years ago. As time goes by and society advances, Religion also evolves. The Bible is filled with laws and commands that people no longer follow, If they ever did. For example; Deuteronomy 21:18-23 American Standard Version (ASV) 18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, That will not obey the voice of his father, Or the voice of his mother, And, Though they chasten him, Will not hearken unto them; 19 then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, And bring him out unto the elders of his city, And unto the gate of his place; 20 and they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, He will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, And a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee; and all Israel shall hear, And fear. No one in mainstream Christianity in the U. S. Is stoning anyone in spite of the biblical command. Mainstream religion does not allow it. Perhaps I was unclear regarding religion and morality. I don’t think morality initially came from religion, I think religion came from our inherent sense of morality. Nietzsche summed it up in one sentence “Morality is the herd-instinct in the individual. ” When early humans started forming societies, They already had this community instinct. At that time their lives were very precarious, They could easily be devastated by storms or floods or draught or a myriad of other natural events. Since they had no understanding of nature or weather, They attributed bad fortune on the Gods being angry. In order to get on Gods good side, They started making sacrifices. The more precious the sacrifice, The more God would be appeased. I’m sure you see where this is going. Subsequently they made all kinds of rules to keep these gods from becoming angry. This was the origin of early law and early religion. As I said earlier, As people and societies evolved, Their gods also evolved. Today mainstream religion has very loving Gods, And the teachings of today’s mainstream religion is generally focused to inspire people to be good members of society. I think the overall effect on society is positive.
Best Argument(s) for Mainstream Theism

It seems like the debate has shifted from Best Argument(s) for Mainstream Theism, To a debate on whether religion is good for society. I’m OK with that, I just wanted to point out the shift. In addressing whether religion is good for society, It makes sense to determine what is necessary for society. I would think it inarguable that among other things, Society needs order. The government imposes this order through law. Religion influences this order through sin. Before I get into the details, It’s worth noting the difference in the terms I used here, Impose vs. Influence. The reason I chose those terms is that if you break a law, The penalties from the government vary from fines to imprisonment to death. The penalties from mainstream religion for sinning are much less tangible, Perhaps a threat of damnation for true believers. Nevertheless, Sin is an effective tool in providing structure for the lives of many people. By the way, It’s no coincidence that there is a tremendous overlap between secular laws and religious sins. It all has the same source. It all comes from our natural sense of morality. This stems from humans evolving from community animals. Community animals rely on members of the pack to behave in a manor that enhances the wellbeing of the pack. Individual pack members that work well with other pack members in activities such as hunting, Defending the pack and raising offspring, Get the opportunity to breed and pass along their ‘good’ genes. On the other hand individuals that are anti-social, Overly aggressive, Or otherwise harmful to the wellbeing of the pack are driven off or killed and do not get a chance to pass along their ‘bad’ genes. Millions of years of this process has given us an instinct to be good community members. We call this instinct our conscience. Now we take all this inherent moral baggage we have ingrained in us and we form societies. This moral baggage then gets codified in our laws and our religions. It is taught to our children and it enhances their natural inherent sense of morality. So religion has not only been good for society, It is part of the basis of society.
Best Argument(s) for Mainstream Theism

I agree that belief in an afterlife might be false, Then again it might be true. Regardless, The fact that it gives many people comfort and a sense of purpose is indisputable. Furthermore, For those who truly believe, This comfort is unlike any other. Depending on the religion it could literally be a hope for immortality in paradise. What does atheism or agnosticism offer that can compare with that? The net result of this belief is happier people and happier people make the world a better place. Like I said previously, Having a placebo effect from a false sense of security does not outweigh the negative impacts religion has on society. The individual benefits are subjective and limited at best. Just because someone feels good about dying does not change the fact that their world views have crippling obstructions to the rest of societal domains. In addition to this, Theism is delusional by definition. All mainstream theisms are anti scientific and require the belief in magic, Which by definition is not aligned with reality (delusional). Most theists are only in the predicament due to indoctrination. Arguing that other large organizations are proponents of harmful societal impacts does not negate the fact that religious organizations are. Sure, There are lots of other bad organizations – so what? All the kids on the playground are mean so therefore it’s ok to be mean? I have no idea how you would go about quantifying religions’ positive versus negative aspects, And I’m not sure that’s even necessary for the scope of this debate. I’m just arguing that mainstream religion does bring happiness and fulfillment to many true believers. I would start by determining what benefits mainstream religions have - aka our debate's subject. What things can individuals get from religion that they can't get from other sources? Are those things benefitial?
Best Argument(s) for Mainstream Theism

I agree that belief in an afterlife might be false, Then again it might be true. Regardless, The fact that it gives many people comfort and a sense of purpose is indisputable. Furthermore, For those who truly believe, This comfort is unlike any other. Depending on the religion it could literally be a hope for immortality in paradise. What does atheism or agnosticism offer that can compare with that? The net result of this belief is happier people and happier people make the world a better place. As far as religion having negative impacts on society, Certainly there are many instances of this being true. However I defy you to name any large institution that does not have negative aspects for society. Social media has an ugly side with cyber bullying and information bubbling. Healthcare has pharmaceutical manipulators like Martin Shkreli who unjustly drive up prices of medications. There are even unscrupulous charities that line the pockets of the people running them and provide very little money to those they are ostensibly helping. This doesn’t mean we should abandon social media, Healthcare and charities or that these institutions have an overall negative impact on society. It just means that there is good and bad in everything. I have no idea how you would go about quantifying religions’ positive versus negative aspects, And I’m not sure that’s even necessary for the scope of this debate. I’m just arguing that mainstream religion does bring happiness and fulfillment to many true believers.
Best Argument(s) for Mainstream Theism

That's no problem, I'm more than happy to have this debate too. I was simply clarifying my original intent. Sure, There are subjective benefits to religious subscriptions. Apologists of religions who practice their religious tenants tend to find security and comfort; however, Does this outweigh the negative impacts they have on society as a whole? I would argue, No. A sense of community and purpose is not solely a characteristic of religion. People can find a community or individual purpose in many different ways. As far as an afterlife, That would be contingent on religious systems; however, Holding a false belief against all evidence and reason I would argue is nonsensical and placebo at its best. I totally agree that fundamentalism generally correlates to negative impacts; however, I would argue that fundamentalist theism is not a requirement for negative impacts. Theism in general is an issue, Regardless of how fundamental someone interprets it. Although I do agree with you that theism can provide positive impacts for individuals on a subjective personal level, Like the ones you aforementioned, Those positive effects may have negative impacts on society as a whole. For example, Religions such as Islam and Christianity, Arguably the two largest present-day theistic religions, Have immoral and antiscientific foundations for their "frameworks" (as you put it). The authoritarian dogmas of their religion guide their principles and beliefs, And are governed by their varying ranges of fundamentalism. Numerous religious people have oppressed or obstructed the advancement of many things in our society on a variety of topics including abortion, Stem cell research, Laws, Advancement of science as a whole, Academia, And others. In addition to this, There is also an inherent threat of terrorism from extremist religious constituents. Their beliefs affect their society and the goals of most theistic religions is to spread and overtake non-believers.
Best Argument(s) for Mainstream Theism

While I sympathize with your situation, I’m going to stick with the debate as it was put forth. That is, Best Argument(s) for Mainstream Theism. Being an agnostic myself I can hardly argue for reasons why theism is true. Certainly religion has its negative aspects, Especially among fundamentalist factions. In my estimation fundamentalist or purists in any field is generally a bad thing. For the mainstream though, Which is what we’re discussing, Religion has some very positive aspects. These aspects include community, A sense of purpose, A framework to live life and a hope for an afterlife. You put this all together and it leads to happiness and gives life meaning for millions of people.
Best Argument(s) for Mainstream Theism

I'm not picking a specific religion in my argument, Just as you put it, My argument is put forth in regards to mainstream theism. Humans are self-conscience beings, We know we're alive and we know that someday we'll be dead. Uncertainty about what happens after we die is extremely distressing for many people. A promise for an afterlife where you will be rejoined with your friends and family relieves this distress. It might be a false promise, No one really knows, But obviously it is enough to allow many people to lead happy hopeful lives. I happen to be agnostic but I cannot say my agnosticism brings me any happiness. Similarly I know many atheists and again I don’t think their atheism brings them any happiness. I do however know religious people who are comforted and strengthened by their religious beliefs.
PC Gaming vs Console Gaming

To Conclude, I appreciate having this debate with you on a topic that truly interest me. PC Gaming vs Console Gaming has been circling the gamer's mind for years. These machines are not cheap, as well each person might have their own opinions and preferences. PC's are not for everyone, same goes for consoles. But I would rather see a consoles in a household rather than a personal computer. After 9 months after the release of the PS4 and Xbox One over 15 millions units have been sold combined. This is one of the biggest sales that the world has seen that has to do with gaming. Consoles are more-wanted than PC. People have not seen a bigger sales to do with Gaming Units since the launch of these machines back in 1997. Lets think of the biggest games available on the PS4 : Grand Theft Auto 5 ( 32.5 Million Copies) Killzone Shadow Fall (2.1 Million Copies) The Last of Us ( 6 Million Copies ) These are the world's biggest gaming titles. All available on the CONSOLE. THIS IS WHY CONSOLES ARE BETTER THAN PC GAMING. References: http://www.extremetech.com... http://en.wikipedia.org...
PC Gaming vs Console Gaming

Ok now for the concluding paragraph. I agree that some games in the console are easy to control compared to computer. But I have to disagree with some stuff. Basically you were checking the rating from a website that focuses on PS4 and other consoles. What you could do is check the rating from one of the leading computer games website such as: http://www.pcgamer.com...My point of making this was to see the majority of how many people prefer PC gaming or Console gaming. I choose PC gaming since I see it common now a days. Why do I think PC gaming is truly popular, I can say that without a doubt. Gaming consoles such as Nintendo was popular back then and if you look at the records 30 million copies of games were sold. The reason is because the consoles back then were cheap. I do agree the point that Consoles developed PC gaming. But since 1999 tons of people have been switching from PC gaming to console. It was the games that changed the gaming. Counter strike and Team fortress 2 were the reason why gaming grew and people got the taste of FPS and Call of Duty was created. Therefore my point is that, Console gaming inspired PC gaming but then PC gaming added the flavour to Console, PC gaming is still on the top. Its not the number of people, its the people switching from console to PC.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org...;
PC Gaming vs Console Gaming

I do believe that the games that you are able to purchase on a Console are much more expensive than buying games on a PC. But there are exclusive titles that you can only find on the Console that you do not find anywhere else. One of the biggest titles in gaming is FIFA. The football game gives you a realistic feel to playing with the biggest stars in world football. But playing on the Console is much more better than playing on the PC. The game is made to be played on the Console and not on a personal computer. According to the reviews on MetaCritic (A Gaming Website) they rated playing Fifa 15 on the PC a 4.2. Meanwhile, playing on the PS4 a 5.9 rating. Reviewed by the users and consumers themselves, they would prefer to play the game on the PS4 rather than a PC. The Last of Us has become one of the biggest titles in gaming. Selling 6 MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE and winning Best Game Overall at the BAFTAS in London, it is only exclusive to be played on the Playstation. That shows that the biggest titles are only released to the Consoles. Making the console a more reliable and pleasurable experience, that game makers would want to release their games on. Console Gaming has the best game titles as well as the best machines to run your games. References: http://www.metacritic.com... http://www.metacritic.com... http://www.gamespot.com... http://www.game.co.uk...
PC Gaming vs Console Gaming

I do agree that the really good PCs have a expensive price. But the PC that you stated, had a lot of RAM and power, making it expensive. When you see consoles they vary in prices too. Taking xbox as an example. Xbox with 4 GB is for ~$150, when you increase the memory to 250GB the price goes up to ~$500. Therefore, increasing the memory of something increases the price.When we talk about gaming we also think about the cost of the game and the priority given to it. Take Minecraft as an example, when it comes to seeing the updates and the priority given to it, PC wins. The PC versions are about 3 times ahead of the PS4 and the Xbox. If you look at a game, made for a console, such as: Halo 4. You can find the equal update in PC compared to the Xbox ones. Coming to prices. When you see those new games such as Watch Dogs, Destiny and Titanfall. They cost 60-70$ for console, from the time they were realesed till now. When you pre-purchase a console game you have to pay 100$ (excluding the shipping). By pre-purchasing on console just gives you a wallpaper. I mean you could actually print for 1$ then paying 30$ extra for a wallpaper. When you see all these in PC, its the opposite. When you look at the prices you can see Watch Dogs and the others listed above for: 20-30$(without any special sales). Also when you pre-purchase a game you usually get the in-game items and it is cheaper. Also you dont have to ship your games nor do you need a CD for it. Atleast you dont have to pay 30$ for a paper. When you look at stats, PC gaming always wins compared to the console ones. Even if the pc costs a lot by its self people still think its worth the numbers.Therefore, PC gaming is not only cheap, but people tend to use it more.Sources:http://www.xbox.com... http://store.steampowered.com...https://www.playstation.com...;
PC Gaming vs Console Gaming

I agree upon your point about giving the consumer an option on how they are able to play the game. However, your argument on the prices is invalid. The Prices of a PS4 starts off at $399. http://www.amazon.com... The Price of a Razer Blade Laptop costs about $2,099 http://www.amazon.com... In terms on what you are getting, PS4 is while worth your money than a PC. You are not just getting a better machine to run your games, but it will still be relevant to be used in the next 3-5 years. Meanwhile PC's are always improving and you would need to buy a new computer every 2 years to keep up with what the games require to be run. You are not able to play in 4K High Definition on a PC, meanwhile you are able to do so with a PS4. I chose the Razer Blade as it is recognised to being one of the best gaming laptops in the market. Razer is known for their gaming equipment and is popular amongst gamers. But the price margin would mean you're spending a whole lot more money.
PC Gaming vs Console Gaming

PC is not only used for educational purpose, but also gaming. When I say gaming most other people agree with me. I also disagree the statement that Gaming PC are highly expensive, PCs that support gaming can be found for 100$ or if you want better experience, it gets expensive. If you look at a console, it starts with 300$ and gets higher and the better experience you need. When it comes to controlling, I do agree that console gaming is easy. But when you talk about keyboards, you have more keys to adjust your finger tips.Also remember PC was the main reason of the making of console. Therefore, PC not only gives you more options, but it is easy to get used to and friendly user.
PC Gaming vs Console Gaming

I believe that Console Gaming is highly more effective and intellectual to play on rather than a PC. Consoles have a similar specs to be played on and have similar feel among them. Systems such as the PS4 and Xbox One have created a new era of gaming that nobody has seen before. It has allowed for 4K High Definition on televisions that resembles a realistic feel to them. It might actually feel like you're in the game. Meanwhile, PC gaming does not allow all the individual games to be played on. The prices of Gaming computers have increased and is highly more expensive than a console. Even though they may have the same specs. Most of the most popular games are sold on consoles such as the PlayStation or the Xbox. Console gaming is better.
It is Acceptable to Kill Another Human Being in Some Scenarios

Here are my final rebuttals and concluding statements. When you conceded that having no concern for my attackers eternity is something God will forgive me for, You acknowledged that that killing is wrong. God does not forgive what is right. You say it was not done then, but might be necessary now. The apostles were treated brutally and murdered. What times in the history of Christianity had been more brutal and villainous then the first century, when they killed our lord and he said "father forgive them. " If it was not done in those conditions, then I can certainly reject the conditions you created in your scenarios. When you say someone should kill in defense of those who have not had the chance to experience life in the fullest, you revealed that you have misunderstood my premise. You said the innocent life has not experienced life in the fullest, however, my point has been that this life pales in comparison to eternity. You have said that we do not have a reason to remain pacifist, however, the fact that Jesus was pacifist is the only reason we need. As I had said before we are to walk as Jesus walked. You have also said that "we cannot determine if it is better in the long run if we die or not". It is said in Philippians 1:21"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. " As I had said we are to live like Christ and when we die our earthly life will pale in comparison to eternity. We do know which is better in the long run. I once again thank you for a good debate and hope you do well in your further debates.