humanity would have been better off without religion

He brought up an issue about my definition of 'humanity' and provided a definition of his own. I don't see any problem with my opponents definition and I think it actually fits the debate better. Rebuttal: We can see right off the bat that my opponent has no desire to discuss the morality and the intentions of religious organizations. This is because the real purpose of religion is to help people deal with their life, suffering, grief and insecurities. [1][2] The purpose of religion is to help us learn to "end suffering within. " Religion attempts to provide answers to life, to answer the unanswerable and try to find peace of mind. Religion provides people with a sense of security, a set of values for adults and children. Religion can be powerful and because of that, it can result in many abuses but this is true for many social groupings. [5] Violence or abuse is not singled out to just religion but into any kind of activity or group. 1. Taiping Rebellion- Here my opponent leaves out that this rebellion was also as much political as it was religious. [3] Is it not also the case that the Chinese Dynasty at this time was under many political rebellions? [4] We should also look at the actions of the parties involved and evaluate if they portray the practices of their religion(Christianity)? If they are not practicing their religion with their actions then that could be interpreted as personnel fanaticism and not caused by any religious theology. 2. The Inquisitions- No one can deny that the actions during the Inquisition was not of any Christian or Islamic value nor its theologies. Where does the Christian Bible claim to kill people for not believing in Christianity? 3. The Crusades- This can arguably be just as much about suppressing the Arab-Muslim power as much as a religious campaign. The people who suffered during the Crusades were for a mixture of religious, economic, and political reasons. [8] When the crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, they killed Muslims, Jews, and native Christians which is in no way suggested in the Christian doctrine. 4. Holocaust- Here my opponent has given us an assertion. He claims that if religion did not exist then Hitler would not have killed 6 million Jews. That leaves us with the impression that Jews would not exist if religion did not exist. We need evidence for that claim! We further need evidence that Hitler would have not killed Jews or any other group if religion did not exist. A1) False Assessment Many people's assessment of religion is wrong because they assume it is the religion's theology that demands conflict with other groups but this is not true. All religions preach peace but do the followers practice peaceful beliefs? The truth is that many people claim to be something they are not or claim to be doing something for one cause and really have a different cause entirely. Their are many false believer's and practitioners of religious theology. Many claim actions they commit are for the sake of their religion but are far from the requirements of their religion. It is human nature to combat and separate into groups. These impulses are present in all individuals, so wars or conflicts can not be attributed to any one specific institution like religion. [9] The dynamics of religion is not to cause pain but to comfort. A2) Religious Fanaticism "Religious fanatics are people who attach to some object an ultimate valuation and then attend to that overvalued object with what is recognizable as a kind of religious devotion. "[7] Religious fanaticism comes not from deep faith, but from a lack of it. Religion has always had authorities who have sought to control its followers, often through use of force. Individuals as these are driven and seemingly obligated to do all in their power to act upon revelations they perceive. In no way does the actions of these select few paint the picture that religion itself seeks harm and over-all causes more pain than it heals. [7] A3) Positives of Religion The strength of family value is increased with the practice of religion. The religious are more likely to stay married and less likely to get divorced. [6] Religious belief and practice contribute substantially to personal moral and sound judgment. The regular practice of religion also encourages such beneficial effects on mental health. In repairing damage caused by alcoholism, drug addiction, and marital breakdown, religious belief and practice are a major source of strength and recovery. Some 81 percent of studies show positive benefit of religious practice, 15 percent were neutral, and only 4 percent showed harm. [6] David Larson a professor at Northwestern and Duke University Schools of Medicine and president of the National Institute of Health care Research, found that, "the relationship is powerful and positive; overall, psychological functioning improved following a resumption of participation in religious worship for those who had stopped. "[6] A study by Religion News Service shows the fact that religious people are three to four times more likely to be involved in their community. Compared to those who are non-religious they are more involved in voluntary associations, and in attending public meetings, and more likely to vote in local elections, and to donate time and money to causes. [10] Conclusion: Religious communities promote positive ethical behavior such as charity and forgiveness. Religious communities offer support to couples and families through a family-centered social network. Religious belief provides people with a sense of purpose and meaning about life in general and their relationships, and this helps them deal with stress. What is clear is that society would be a far more emotionally poorer without the contribution of organized religion to public life. Sources: [1] . http://contemplative-scholar.blogspot.com... [2] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [3] . http://www.britannica.com... [4] . http://www.britannica.com... [5] . http://quod.lib.umich.edu... [6] . http://www.heritage.org... [7] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [8] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [9] . http://www.philosophy.uncc.edu... [10] . http://www.zenit.org...