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The Instigator
XsamacadoX
Pro (for)
Losing
15 Points
The Contender
candice
Con (against)
Winning
72 Points

Atheists are more kind than Christians.

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Started: 4/16/2008 Category: Religion
Updated: 7 months ago Status: Voting Period
Viewed: 303 times Debate No: 3659
Debate Rounds (3)
Comments (20)
Votes (29)

 

XsamacadoX

Pro

"An Atheist believes that a hospital should be built instead of a church. An atheist believes that deed must be done instead of prayer said. An atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants disease conquered, poverty vanished, war eliminated." Madalyn Murray O'Hair

All of this is true. How about instead of praying for the people in bad situations you go out and help them. Studies show that praying for someone does not help them. Out of almost 200 studies contucted only two showed that prayer has a positive effect. Also, instead of helping because you think you will be punished for not, and rewarded for doing so, go and help because it's a good thing to do. The last sentence is true for both theists and atheists, but like I have already stated it's in the hope or fear of punishment or reward after death. So pretty much, atheists are more kind and helpful. Not always better people (i think so, but that is not the debate) but without a doubt more kind.
candice

Con

You claim an atheist believes this, and an atheist believes that. Your argument is lacking the realization that atheists don't believe one set thing. They are not a group, or congregation. They are individual's who DISBELIEVE Christianity. So how can you presuppose that these individuals with no corner stone of moral values are more kind than Christians?

<<All of this is true. How about instead of praying for the people in bad situations you go out and help them.>>

Is there atheist organizations to feed poor children?
www.fh.org/

Are there atheist based orphanages?
www.missionfinder.org/orphanages.htm www.missionfinder.org/orphanages.htm

Christians (as a group) are more likely to give freely based on our belief.

<<when it comes to actual giving of actual money, there's no contest: Christians have us licked. Even outside of church-based giving, the average Christian in the U.S. gives twice as much as the average nonreligious American.>>-http://parentingbeyondbelief.com...

Christian communities are the most peaceful, and nice to live in.

<<secularists are miserable at forming genuine community. We fret and fuss over the urgent need for more rationality in the world, completely ignoring more basic human needs like unconditional acceptance.>>-http://parentingbeyondbelief.com...

These quotes came from a nonreligious website, by the way. Of course, there will be variations in Christians. The variable's for those variations in atheists are scientifically ENDLESS, because there is nothing set in stone that these individuals actually believe. The very title they give themselves actually means unbeliever.

Looks like as a group, we have you beat in the helping department.

<<An Atheist believes that a hospital should be built instead of a church.>>

Because of that church that has been built, and the money from tithing, food pantries with food and clothes for the poor are opened. Plus, that money pays for missions across the world to help the less fortunate. By the by, Christians don't sit around thinking how they can stop the building of hospitals, and instead build churches.
-www.medicalmission.com/

<<An atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants disease conquered, poverty vanished, war eliminated." Madalyn Murray O'Hair>>

As I said before... there's no such thing as an atheist ideal. This is an individual person, not associated to any club, or sect of ideals. If you think like this, GREAT! Does this mean all other atheists do? NO.

<<Not always better people (i think so, but that is not the debate) but without a doubt more kind.>>

You have not proven in the least that atheists (as a group) are kinder people than they're Christian counterparts.
Debate Round No. 1
XsamacadoX

Pro

XsamacadoX forfeited this round.
candice

Con

Obviously my opponent couldn't think of any rebuttal to my argument, and there is nothing further for me to address at this time.
Debate Round No. 2
XsamacadoX

Pro

XsamacadoX forfeited this round.
candice

Con

So basically, my opponent could come up with absolutly NO rebutal towards my arguments. This could have been a good debate perhaps, if it were a debate at all. Thanks for reading!
Debate Round No. 3
20 comments have been posted on this debate. Showing 11 through 20 records.
Posted by Geekis_Khan 7 months ago
Geekis_Khan
If you couldn't prove those two things, then of course CON would win.

However, if you did prove them, then all you've done is proven equality.
Posted by Spiral 7 months ago
Spiral
This one was easy :P
1. Name a positive action done by a Christian that could not be performed by an Atheist.
2. Name negative actions performed by christians that are not done with atheistic reasoning.
Posted by XsamacadoX 7 months ago
XsamacadoX
Ugh, I've know too many horrible atheists AND Christians to say that one group is kinder than the other. It all depends on what kind of person you are. Nice moderate atheists or Christians tend to be genuinely kind. But extremists of either side can be most unpleasant.

let's go with that then. sorry, i was just being lazy and never got around to posting an argument.
Posted by Geekis_Khan 7 months ago
Geekis_Khan
Like I said, neither side can actually prove anything.

Unless there's been studies on a correlation between religiosity and personality type.
Posted by Sappho_Incarnate 7 months ago
Sappho_Incarnate
Ugh, I've know too many horrible atheists AND Christians to say that one group is kinder than the other. It all depends on what kind of person you are. Nice moderate atheists or Christians tend to be genuinely kind. But extremists of either side can be most unpleasant.
Posted by beem0r 7 months ago
beem0r
I'm voting for con (since pro forfeited).

There are in fact secular humanitarian organizations. It does not take religion for people to do nice things for each other.

Pro should have argued that since Christian humanitarian organizations have more on their agenda than just helping people (converting people, getting on god's good side, etc.), that such helpfulness is in fact less kind than the helpfulness of an atheist. The debate wasn't about helpfulness, it was about kindness. PRO alluded to this in R1, but his forfeit kills him automatically.
Posted by Geekis_Khan 7 months ago
Geekis_Khan
To the CON I'd like to point out that quotes from a non-religious BLOG aren't really evidence. It's just some dude's opinion.

Even so, the PRO is trying to argue something he can't possibly prove.

I'm probably going to wind up abstaining on this one.
Posted by Spiral 7 months ago
Spiral
Not really, analytical-one, it is not just a matter of what will cause a person to do good, but what harm can arise as well. Religious affiliation creates an ingroup label that actively discriminates against competing out groups. There are plenty of expamples: Irish Catholics vs Protestants, Indian Hindus vs Muslims, American Conservatives vs Atheists.
Posted by analytical-one 7 months ago
analytical-one
Is it really the beliefs a person has that makes them "kind and helpful," or is it just that individual's personality?

XsamacadoX, did you consider the actions taken by the church of the mother convicted of neglecting her child, resulting in the child's death not too long ago? Even if she was proven guilty, it's not like the church sat back and did nothing but pray for her becuase they were Christians. They believed in their fellow church member, and they showed their support for her.

And telling someone if they're sick "I'll be praying for you," is a kind gesture to show that that person is in their thoughts.

I'm getting a little tired of people being so condescending to other people's beliefs...But this is a free country, i guess.
Posted by Spiral 7 months ago
Spiral
Good luck trying to prove true altruism.
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