BeIR/webis-touche2020 huggingface dataset:
Creationism vs big-bang/evolution Pro for bb/e Con for creation

I am impressed you seem to know your stuff but the points that I made still stand. This has everything to do with coexisting because creationism can work with evolution and the big bang but evolution and the bb cannot have started without God. So YES the theory of evolution is most likely true and the big bang theory may also be true but without a god they couldn't have happened. "The big bang was an explosion of time and space. It was spontaneous. BUT what you creationists may or may not understand, is that We don't know why it happened (yet)" The reason we don't know why it happened is because it could not possibly have happened without god. Giant explosions don't just randomly happen. " The big bang had eight eras." These eras are not factual It is not possible to back this up! No one was around to see the big bang. This is just a theory just like creationism! Why are you more willing to believe in this than God creating the universe? "it is possible to assume that energy came from a past universe that has reached complete entropy." Ok who made this past universe? was it made by another big bang? What caused that big bang? don't you see that without God there cannot be a beginning? Unless maybe time goes in a circle. " If you assume there was absolutely nothing then how can your god become god?" Ive often pondered that myself! But that is what makes God, God. He is eternal, he always was, is, and always will be. God just is. when there was nothing there was god and if there i sever nothing again there will still be God. "In a sense the nothing argument does not work because you can say god was there. And I could say the higgs boson was. Nothing is impossible." I agree it is impossible for there to be nothing because neither theory would work if there was nothing to start the big bang or creation. Basically you have said that for you God is the Higgs Bosan particle but what makes this particle any more realistic than God? The higgs they have now is still only a canidate. "Evolution and creationism can not coe exist because they and their respective proccesses are completely different for the other and cannot be compared. They can only be argued." But they can coexist because god is all powerful. For life to have started there had to be a God. why does it matter if god created life all at once or in steps through evolution?
Creationism vs big-bang/evolution Pro for bb/e Con for creation

First of all I would like to ask you what started the big bang? Giant explosions don't just randomly happen you know something would have had to have created the energy for the explosion. Also where did all of the elements and materials come from that made up all of the planets and stars? Even if in the beginning there was just one big planet with all the materials that exploded, something had to have created it. Elements don't just randomly generate. Not only that but how could the empty space of the universe have been created in the first place without god? Even before the big bang there had to be empty space because if there was absolutely nothing at all the universe wouldn't exist and there would be no where for the big bang to happen. Try wrapping your head around that. What I am trying to say is that Creationism and the big bang can coexist but the big bang theory cannot work without god. Even if there really was a big bang that created the universe there had to be something that made the big bang happen! Also I would like to ask you how a tiny microscopic life form could have developed from inorganic matter? Have you ever seen carbon turn into a living creature? for Life to have started there had to be a god. As for evolution i don't see why creationism and evolution can't coexist too! If god is all powerful why cant he make the creatures of the earth evolve. He is god for Pete's sake if he wants to change the creatures he has created there is nothing to stop him from doing it! Also in the bible it says that god created the world in like a week (sorry i don't feel like finding a quote I think it is in Genesis). The bible can be interpreted in many ways and it is my opinion that a week for God might be a lot longer than a week for humans. maybe every day for god is billions of years long. Also if god can evolve animals maybe he really did use monkeys to make man! lol
Creationism vs big-bang/evolution Pro for bb/e Con for creation

I will be taking the side of evolution and big bang. The con for creation NO opinions just facts, cites and proof. I AND my opponent have the burden of PROOF. My opponent will state his religion and his said religions creation story. If you reference anything biblical to your religion please cite it and such. definitions are supported. This round is not a round of debate it is a round of confirmation. 2nd round for actual debate 3rd round for rebuttals and/or extending your proof/debate. 4th round is as the 3rd was. 5th round is for closing statements only. No extra proof no rebuttals just your closing statement and if you have it a emotional statement and your opinions. Good luck and let us understand each other on fair terms.
Zoos do more good than harm

I would like to start by refuting all of Rockylightning's points, and thank him for making this debate possible. It has been nice debating you. 1) Getting money to help the animals is helping. Keeping them in a reserve with absolutely no resources, however, is not. As I have clearly hammered in during this debate, some animals need help to survive and not become extinct. 2) Considering that these animals are better off with the help of humans and our resources than being in the wild, I'm sure that zoos aren't being "unfair" to them. 3) Zoos do have to pay their employees and owe some money to the city. However, at wildlife reserves, animals only get resources from donations. If there was a sharp decrease in the amount of donations, they would all be doomed. A zoo, on the other hand, brings in constant revenue. 4) If a jail is a "state of confinement of captivity," is keeping a pet hamster that cannot be found and will not survive on its own in the wild considered animal abuse? 5) Is China News not a valid source? I'm not sure that YouTube or "I have seen" anecdotes are very valid sources, either. Besides, it is foolish to debate over sources, so I will end this point here. 1) I would like to say that there are not wild boars running around in your town considering that we live within 2 miles of each other in the same city. Also, are you implying that we should not have certain kinds of unnative dogs in our country? Should we send all of our pets back to where their ancestors came from? 2) We are not debating over China's actions; it is their choice to cut down the bamboo forests. Zoos are trying to help these pandas. It isn't the zoos that are cutting down their habitats. 3) Zoos are recreational. A pastime could be learning about animals. Visiting monuments to learn are pastimes, too. Let me restate my arguements: Here are the main reasons why Zoos do more good than harm. 1) It educates Children and others of animals in the world that are not native to their country. 2) Endangered animals would otherwise be extinct without zoos. 3) Zoos provide revenue for cities as well as for the zoo itself to expand programs to help the animals. 4) Zoos are great recreational spots. And for these reasons, zoos clearly do more good than harm to the animals and to humans.
Zoos do more good than harm

Alright...I will not be refuting any of my opponent's points. Instead, I will build up on my own. 1) It educates Children and others of animals in the world that are not native to their country. ~You don't get a Zebra running wild in the United States. With zoos, children can get an hands-on or visual experience of nature and what life is like for these animals that they do not get to see running in the wild. 2) Endangered animals would otherwise be extinct without zoos. ~Animals such as the bald eagle or Pandas are endangered. With the help of zoos, these animals are kept safe. Pandas, for example, are being housed at zoos and rescue centers in China, according to ChinaNews, a Hong Kong local newspaper. 3) Zoos provide revenue for cities as well as for the zoo itself to expand programs to help the animals. Especially those with endangered animals, zoos earn revenue from visitors and can use some of that money to expand land and supplies for the care of the animals. The Oakland Zoo in California is putting in a nice chunk of their funds, 20% of their revenue, to help their elephants. 4) Zoos are great recreational spots. ~Families and children alike visit zoos, especially during vacation times. according to newsdesk.si.edu, a total of 2.2 million people visit the United States National Zoo every year.
Our past doesn't define us

My opponent bases her entire argument on the fact that what has happened in the past affects us in many ways. It seems that she has not properly read or understood what this debate is about. In Round 1 I set terms on this debate and clearly ruled that:"this debate is not about causality. It's not about the fact that your previous experiences and actions affect the decisions you make now. It's about the justification of other people basing their opinion about you on your past actions."Still, my opponent argues that:"That was an article about how childhood actually can shape adulthood. Having a traumatic experience with water as a child can be the cause of why you're afraid of water as an adult."Perhaps she misunderstood the nature of this debate. This, however, she can clear out next round.Whereas the debate is about the justification of opinions, my opponent defends her side just by stating that "Our past defines us whether we like it or not." She does not give any actual points or arguments as to why it is justified for other people to judge us by our past actions and decisions. Every point she makes is nothing more than a statement that our past defines us."My opponent starts off by giving an article about a man who was accused of rape and his life was ruined. This has little to no relevance with how our past defines us."The case was an argument to why it is not justified for people to judge you according to your past. So were my hypothetical situations where it is not justified to let someone's past affect your judgement of them.I am now positive that my opponent has misunderstood the nature of this debate, which I clearly ruled in Round 1. As my opponent neither rebutted any of my arguments nor stated any of her own, I do not see a reason for myself to give more arguments until my opponent has fulfilled any of these parts.
Our past doesn't define us

My opponent starts off by giving an article about a man who was accused of rape and his life was ruined. This has little to no relevance with how our past defines us. Then my opponent states a bunch of points based off of "ifs". "Ifs" are not concrete proof. In fact my opponents "ifs" aide my point. Our past does define us. A murderer who murdered in his twenties will be haunted by his past and he will be defined by it. Anybody who wants to hire him will realize he was a murderer. Our past defines us whether we like it or not. That is why it is crucial we do not make stupid mistakes when we are young. In less harsh circumstances a car accident will raise the car in furnace you have to pay all because of a past mistake. You will not be able to withdraw money from a bank if you have no previous history of withdrawing and depositing. That is why so many widowed women have trouble with banks. They have no history with the banks. A bully will always be seen as a bully in school by those that the bully bullied. Even if the bully changes, the past remains. Our past defines us in most things we do. Now onto harsher topics. A murder convict is going to have a lot of trouble finding a job. A man who's been accused of rape will lose everything because people will judge him on his past. http://www.npr.org... That was an article about how childhood actually can shape adulthood. Having a traumatic experience with water as a child can be the cause of why you're afraid of water as an adult. In fact if you look at the current problems you are facing about yourself currently and then look back at your childhood, you can probably link why you have this problem to something that happened in childhood.
Our past doesn't define us

Very well, thank you for accepting. Onto the point then. There are countless cases where people mistakenly blame innocent individuals for actions they did not commit. For example, if a rape lawsuit is publicly charged against a man who has not committed the rape, no matter what the court rules, his life is destroyed. These people have lost their friends and families for the prejudice people have. This sometimes even leads to the individual committing suicide. Here's an article about it: http://www.telegraph.co.uk... Now, this is a bit odd to take up in a debate about our past actions. But hear me out. The people around the individual under charge have no way of actually knowing if he committed the crime or not. So they play it safe and presume he's guilty. For them, he's damaged goods. They value the man according to his past actions. And this is the matter with most cases, as you can rarely be sure that the accusations made against a certain individual are justified. Suppose a new girl has arrived at your school. Your friend tells you she was kicked out of her old school for "violent behavior". You hear the same story from multiple people. And you start to presume they're right. You start judge the girl even though you've never even talked. Whereas in reality, the girl could've switched schools because of teasing, and the teasers made sure she's not gonna like it in her new school either. Where is the justification of prejudice in cases like these? Now, what about an old man who has committed a crime in his 20s. Imagine that he was sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment from, say, a murder. However, during this time in the prison, he reflects upon himself and his past actions. He realizes his wrongdoing and finds wisdom. Now, he would rather die himself than harm another person, so he is no longer any kind of threat to society. The prison warden acknowledges this, but even though the old man pleas for mercy, he cannot be released due to the court ruling 50+ years ago. What justification is there for society to keep the harmless man in prison for his past actions? Why does our past prevent us from moving forward? I will now let Con have her opening argument.
Our past doesn't define us

My argument is that no matter what we have done in the past, it does not define our present selves. Con must argue that our past explicitly defines who we are at the present moment. Past: What we have done in the years passed Present self: The decisions you make now or have made in recent weeks or months And let's be clear: this debate is not about causality. It's not about the fact that your previous experiences and actions affect the decisions you make now. It's about the justification of other people basing their opinion about you on your past actions. Good luck to anyone who might agree; I won't hold my breath. If something is unclear, ask in the comments and I'll answer.
Our past doesn't define us

My opponent starts off by saying that I cannot provide points about how past experiences affect the decisions you make now. Considering that the title of this debate is "Our past doesn't define us" therefore my opponent is for that and I am against that in all aspects. I have protected the past experience part of the debate and my opponent hasn't refuted that. I still stand by my points. Now I shall defend that people judge others based upon ones past. A murderer who finally is out of jail will not find a job. Why is that? Because on their criminal record, it says they are a murderer. People don't care if you've changed, people don't care if you're different because you were still convicted of murder and nobody is going to hire a murderer. The murderer could have changed into the nicest person in the world but people don't care and will still judge you upon your past. [1] In the article it proves that people will judge you upon your past. My opponent gives a case that tells of a man accused of rape and was found innocent. This is exactly how the past defines us. Men are convicted of rape and most of the time the conviction is right. It's become a repeating pattern that most people will believe the man is already guilty even before the conviction and they have every right to. The system is based upon logic. To change the system would be to accommodate for men wrongly accused would only help those who actually commit rape. And that is not at all fair to the victim of rape that actually happened. I now have proved that past experiences, past decisions and people will define you because of your past. [1] http://www.businessinsider.com...
their are four types of christian gods

hello!!! thank you for accepting :) i am currently emotionally confessed over religion and wether or not to accept christianity into my life. so the first think i would like to discuss is how god looks to me. this is my own opions and i do not wish to offend anyone. either god is random. he randomly exists, he randomly made planets some harsh rocky some poisonous and gas filled. he then randomly made earth where he randomly put humans on it. in this case i would like to believe in god because he is to random. it seems like he does not have any method or plans for us he just does things because he can. the next god i would like to discuss is the harsh mean god. he created us just to mess with us. he makes us and calls us his children but he could obviously see right now that we are in need of help. people are dying to other religions wrath who claim they are doing it in his name. we are destroying the beautiful paradise he made for us quickly. and he sits by and watches. does he not have any conscience or want to intervene . its now or never really! i understand people say we make our own choices and god wants us to learn but it is obvious to humans who are claimed to be sooo inferior to god that we cannot learn and that history repeats itself why is it not obvious to him that we wont learn and history is going to repeat its self. or does he notice and just not care. he created us in 7 days so maybe we are just his entertainment or pet project or maybe he just wanted to see if he can the next two gods are kinda the same. both are no gods. either god does not exist and we exist because of genetics and mutations. and next god was created by a man who either wanted to spread lessons which were taken to literally or wanted to get rich quick. either way it was genius. he created something no one could disprove or prove and forcing people to believe and pay/pray/live by his/her guidelines or pay the price.
their are four types of christian gods

Little steps like helping build a house or donating food seems kind of inconsequential on the grand scale. But I remember having to rely on a food bank for groceries, I remember being homeless. Sometimes a person who is suffering needs that small step from you to get them through the day and to them that could make the difference for them to keep fighting or to give up. And you"re right, it may not be enough. I have no guarantee that the world is going to get any better while I"m alive, it may very well get worse. But my faith is my armor that keeps me fighting. As long as humanity keeps making poor choices and engage in the extreme cruelty that covers our news then people will continue to suffer. The ball is in our court with the state of the world. Is that fair? No. But the price of freedom is always high. God loved us enough to let us be free to make our choices and to face the consequences of our choices. Now as to why we need food and water, I apologize if this comes out really awful sounding. The human body is like an engine that we made to put in cars. We have to have maintenance when we break, we need fuel to keep going. Unlike an engine though we have souls and that is the perfect creation. But we are alive here on Earth, and our bodies must follow the laws that govern the universe. We have to eat, we have to drink, and we have to sleep. The universe itself is so awesome in its beauty and I could literally go on and on about the science of the planets and of elements and physics. There is so much because it is the foundation of our physical existence, the atoms and elements are the building blocks of which everything is built. I hope this helped. On a side not for you, this is an awesome video I would highly recommend.
their are four types of christian gods

thank you :) so if i understand what your saying is maybe god is helping by putting people like you who want to help the world here. it seems like such a little step for the chaos that is going on right now. and what if it doesn't work? or does he just know it will. another point i would like to ask is if god did create the world why would he make it so complicated. if he has unlimited power couldn't he have just said life happens without creating all the atoms and elements and why would he make us need food and water. and again thank you so much for helping me out :)
their are four types of christian gods

Sources Chaos Theory http://bjps.oxfordjournals.org... http://faculty.missouri.edu... Laws of Physics https://www.spec2000.net... http://www.tulane.edu... I had someone explain God to me in this manner once. God made the universe, not just the universe we can see but also governs His creation. God did not just throw his creation onto a planet and say "Good luck, see you eventually when you die, maybe!" And I understand, how can so many bad things happen and God just sit back and watch? I live in an area known as tornado alley and during the storm months there is always that threat of a random column of air to destroy everything and kill us all. But we know that tornados are not a random occurrence that is just there to make us suffer. Tornado"s an unfortunate byproduct of thunderstorms that happen naturally when conditions are just right. Though it all looks random, it really isn"t. Thunderstorms form in a pattern and they will happen, guaranteed. We take precautions such as tornado shelters and lightning rods. I know this is a small example and I feel like I was rambling that point. You can believe in ghosts and goblins and even do witchcraft if you like and believe it to whatever degree you choose. Free will is awesome like that. Free will is the only thing that will lead you to God or lead you away from him. I can give someone all the evidence within my capabilities and what knowledge I have but it isn"t my decision to make. What personally led me to God was my inherent desire to want to do good in this world. I didn"t believe in God, and I knew that his life was my only shot at happiness. But looking around my own neighborhood, even my own circle of friends, there was so much unhappiness and struggle. I had a thought of "If God exists, why doesn"t he get down here and fix this mess he made!" Then it dawned on me that I was standing right there doing absolutely nothing. As a Christian, I feel it is my duty to God to do good works. Not out of reward for heaven, but because we are called to not stand by and watch. Only one person can do so much, but if the human race were to come together and work towards the common goal of stopping world hunger for say, we could do it. However people have a habit of standing back and pointing fingers at others when we should be pointing them at ourselves. No offense at all, I don"t get riled up.