Christianity Is Intrinsically Harmful- Another Attempt

I intend to attempt debating this topic again (as no real clash has occurred yet). Hopefully, because it is the Christmas holidays for many students, time will be more readily available so that this debate can receive proper attention. Greetings. Although the topic of religion is nothing new to the debate community, I would like to propose this topic that does not focus on whether or not the Christian belief is one based upon fact. Faith is necessary for religious belief and cannot be revoked ultimately, for faith does not claim basis in reason. It is, rather, an absence thereof. However, this debate will address whether Christianity is intrinsically harmful or not, regardless of its factual validity. Definitions: 1. Christianity- the religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Bible as sacred scripture, and professed by Eastern, Roman Catholic, and Protestant bodies. (Merriam-Webster) 2. Intrinsic- occurring as a natural part of something. (Merriam-Webster) 3. Harmful- causing or capable of causing damage or harm. (Merriam-Webster) I will be basing my case around the arguments presented in Chaz Bufe's pamphlet "20 Reasons to Abandon Christianity". The only unique contentions I bring to this debate will be in defense of this argument, because it is sufficiently comprehensive. A full copy of "20 Reasons" can be found here: . http://www.seesharppress.com...... I will also provide a concise summary of these points (condensing 20 to 2). In summary, however, for those observing who do not desire to actually read this entire work, the 20 points presented are these: 1. Christianity is based on fear 2. Christianity preys on the innocent 3. Christianity is based on dishonesty 4. Christianity is extremely egocentric 5. Christianity breeds arrogance, a chosen-people mentality 6. Christianity breeds authoritarianism 7. Christianity is cruel 8. Christianity is anti-intellectual, anti-scientific 9. Christianity has a morbid, unhealthy preoccupation with sex 10. Christianity produces sexual misery 11. Christianity has an exceedingly narrow, legalistic view of morality 12. Christianity encourages acceptance of real evils while focusing on imaginary evils 13. Christianity depreciates the natural world 14. Christianity models hierarchical, authoritarian organization 15. Christianity sanctions slavery 16. Christianity is misogynistic 17. Christianity is homophobic 18. The Bible is not a reliable guide to Christ's teachings 19. The Bible is riddled with contradictions 20. Christianity borrowed its central myths and ceremonies from other ancient religions. As we begin, I would like to remind all judges that in order to prove that Christianity is intrinsically harmful I will not have to prove each contention entirely. With a couple of exceptions, most of these contentions can independently reveal the harm of Christianity. Obvious exceptions to this rule include contention 18. and 20. regarding the reliability of the teachings of Christ and whether Christianity is borrowed from other religions. These should bear no real import to whether the content of the Bible is harmful as we have already established that this debate will not regard the factuality of Christianity, but rather the desirability of its moral code. Although these points are adequately defended in the pamphlet I presented, I will highlight two key themes. I. Christianity Is Oppressive (encompasses 6, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17) The six contentions that I have used to support this claims are that Christianity breeds authoritarianism, produces sexual misery, models hierarchical authoritarian organization, sanctions slavery, is misogynistic, and is homophobic. All of these attributes of Christianity are harmful to the ethical and just functioning of society. The concept of a theocracy (pt. 6) is not intrinsically corrupt, but because of the later contentions regarding the ethics of Christianity, this authoritarian system of government would be incorrect and so it must be added to this list. The Christian view of sexuality also holds great potential to harm, especially when indoctrinated with it from childhood. If one is taught that sexual thoughts are corrupt as well as sexual encounters of any sort outside of marriage, it has a great potential to harm the individual raised to believe this teaching as absolute. Christianity not only advocates slavery, but also sets down guidelines for how to respond to the abuse of one"s slave. Exodus 21:20"21: "And if a man smite his servant, or his maid with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money. " Christianity is also extremely misogynistic. Passages asserting that wives must submit to their husbands and that one cannot be clean if he is born of woman are clearly of great damage to a moral society. Christianity also specifically singles out those who participate in homosexual acts as "an abomination". All of these above listed examples of Christian oppression is sufficient reason to conclude that if one truly does follow the Bible in its entirety, then they follow a religion that is intrinsically harmful. II. Christianity Is Unethical (encompasses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13) The remaining eleven contentions that I will use to support that Christianity is generally unethical are that it is based on fear, that it preys on the innocent, that it is based on dishonesty, that it is egocentric, that it breed arrogance, that it is cruel, that it is anti-intellectual, that it has a morbid preoccupation with sex, that it has a narrow legalistic view of morality, that is encourages acceptance of real evils while focusing on imaginary evils, and that it deprecates the natural world. Although some sects of the church are now attempting to abandon their previous gospels of fear, it still remains a part of the church and will always be a part of the scriptures. Without the threat of eternal damnation, many would not be compelled to advocate the Christian faith. This is especially the case in circumstances in which these threats of eternal torture are made to children. Children who are deemed too young to make almost any real autonomous decision are expected to possess maturity to understand abstract religious concepts and live in a way that they otherwise would not. This is the epitome of preying on the innocent. Not only is this an unfortunate outcome of Christianity, but it is also praised as a Christian virtue. Christianity specifically advocates having childlike faith, which is also proof enough that it is anti-intellectual. As far as sexual preoccupation, Chaz Bufe says it best with "the Ten Commandments contain a commandment forbidding the coveting of one"s neighbor"s wife, but do not even mention slavery, torture, or cruelty"which were abundantly common in the time the Commandments were written" speaks volumes about their writer"s preoccupation with sex (and women as property)". Lastly, if we follow Christianity in concentrating on the afterlife and deciding what actions we can and cannot do within its legal framework, we must miss many opportunities that could benefit ourselves and others today and overlook real moral issues such as poverty and the destruction of the environment for such petty issues as impure thoughts and giving a tenth of our income to the church. All of these issues sufficiently show that Christianity is intrinsically harmful. No round exclusive to acceptance is necessary.