Debate: Is belief in God for the GREATER GOOD?
Side: Yes, for the greater good.

Thank you for this post. I've been waiting for something like this. :Dperhaps you can clarify, what the greater good is and how we can identify what it is. Let's put it like this.A mother taking her kid for a walk. The kid keeps falling over and cries until the mother picks the kid up and lets her continue to walk. The mother and child are both happy and everytime the child falls, the mother picks the child up.A mother taking her kid for a walk. The kid keeps falling over and cries, but the mother does not pick the kid up. Its cold and unloving, but the mother will not help. Everytime the child falls, the mother only watches.The first mother's child never learns to pick itself up and one day on its own, when it fell, it never got back up. The second child however had learnt how to get back up and on its own was able to continue in life.The second one is the greater good. The mother may seem insensitive and harsh at first, but in the long run, the outcome led to the child's survival. This may seem like an obvious and maybe even biased example, but that is what I mean by the greater good.explain why on your introduction to the debate you have us imagine that we are creating a religion. Read it. It said look at it from this point of view. I haven't brought religion, its values, its history or its rules or stories. Just one of God's roles.What benefit can there be to society where people are creating their own guidelines to follow based on a subjective understanding of a God?Let me name you 5 prophets. Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammed.These people are not creating their own guidelines, but are taking God's Word. Not their understanding, but word for word, God's Words. Over time however Jesus's words have been distorted (as an example) which is not God or Jesus's fault but those who have distorted their word. They are the true prophets. There are several others, but you wouldn't have heard of them. Elron Hubbard is not a prophet, so his followers DO believe in crap and are NOT a benefit to society. But realistically, all religions all in all follow similar rules and these similar rules have nothing stupid.The systematized rules that you mention, come from religion, NOT a belief in god.Ok good point. Especially with the Agnostic part. However earlier I've explained earlier that the systematized rules come from God. But we're not here to talk about the differences in those rules. Just that God HAS given Rules to us. Let's not argue about which one is correct.. that is for a different debate. These rules are for us to follow for the good of mankind. How do we know it's for the good of mankind? Because God gave it to us. God, who is all knowing, all powerful etc. THAT is why we know it is right and if we followed them, we would be living in paradise.IMO agnostics are just confused. They aren't sure on what God wants etc. I'll come to this later. (Remind me)...May I ask you why you believe that people are not able to figure things out on their own?If people were able to figure things out on their own, we wouldn't have any rules etc. The reason we have the law is to guide people. The MAJORITY. How many people out there CAN actually run the country, make all the perfect laws etc? Only God's word is right, because God is perfect only He can make the correct decision.You say that religion should not take the blame for a lot of the ills in society, but look how far religion has come and yet it doesn't seem we are learning how to get along. Maybe it is time to let people figure things out, and see what happens instead of getting stuck in the idea that people need some mythical being to tell them what to do.Again it is not religion which is in the wrong. Religion does say not to kill, drink etc. yet that is what you're saying is wrong. It's not religion that caused crusades. It was religion that was USED. Most wars etc. aren't fought for over religion, but merely use religion as an excuse to get people drawn into it.Maybe it is time to let people figure things out, and see what happens instead of getting stuck in the idea that people need some mythical being to tell them what to do.This is my problem. I have seen all around me what has happened due to the lack of religion. You tell me the problems in todays societies and then tell me is that due to the lack of religion or because of religion. Examples? - Underage sex, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, rape, murder, violence, greed, lust, intoxicants, envy etc. What is it that religion says about those issues?