http://www.debate.org/debates/?order=1&sort=&member=feverish Customize this RSS feed by going to http://www.debate.org/rss/ en-us 2009-11-20T21:49:23-08:00 2009-11-20T21:49:23-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/The-Jesus-of-History-Probably-Existed-D/1/ (Post Voting Period) Introduction: I will make my case and address the most common arguments presented by the mythological Jesus camp. The Historicity of Jesus as reported by extrabiblical sources, biblical sources, and basic logic: The Case of Tacitus: 1. Tacitus was an early Roman historian who wrote early in the 2nd century. In his writings we have a reference to Jesus as the founder of Christianity and his being crucified under the thumb of Pontius Pilate. Unfortunately much of Tacitus' work has been lost, including portions from 29-32 AD – an area which would have included Jesus' trial had he recorded it (1). The Tacitus quote is as follows: "Hence to suppress the rumor, he falsely charged with the guilt, and punished Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius: but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time broke out again, not only http://www.debate.org/debates/The-Jesus-of-History-Probably-Existed-D/1/comments/ 2009-10-24T19:24:54-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/The-BNP-as-constituted-should-NOT-be-allowed-to-exist-as-a-political-party./1/ (Voting Period) Hello and welcome to readers and to my esteemed opponent Volkov. It is a pleasure to be debating someone with such an excellent grasp of international politics and I hope that his depth of knowledge does not show me up too much in this debate! We agreed to this debate in the comments section of a debate instigated by my opponent (sadly sabotaged by a troll). http://www.debate.org/debates/The-BBC-Was-Wrong-To-Allow-Nick-Griffin-On-Question-Time/1/ This is a subject close to my heart as a British citizen and the parent of a mixed race child. Although my arguments may seem emotive at times, I will attempt to keep them firmly grounded in logic and reason. I don't think there is much need for definitions in this debate as I believe my opponent and I understand each others positions very well, however I would like to clarify that the inclusion of the bracketed phrase "as constituted" is intended to make it clear that if they were to radically alter their con http://www.debate.org/debates/The-BNP-as-constituted-should-NOT-be-allowed-to-exist-as-a-political-party./1/comments/ 2009-11-04T14:52:36-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/L-M-Classic-patsox834-vs.-feverish./1/ (Voting Period) This is an Ultimate Team War debate, which is part of round two of the "L-M Classic." Rules and other handy information can be found through the following link: http://www.debate.org/forums/debate.org/topic/1972/ That in mind, it's time to begin. Good luck to my opponent; I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out. Now for my team... Street level characters: Buckethead (I've supplied a link for anyone who isn't familiar with his work) -- he's a guitar virtuoso, who was raised by chickens in a coup, and wears both a mask on his face and a bucket on his head. He can shred on his guitar so fast that it blinds whoever he directs it at. Furthermore, sound waves from his guitar can temporarily stun whoever he chooses. Bugs Bunny -- I suppose we're all familiar enough with him...he's essentially a trickster -- not much more than that. Trickster: 1. a deceiver; cheat; fraud. 2. a person who plays tricks. Those two are pretty much the same t http://www.debate.org/debates/L-M-Classic-patsox834-vs.-feverish./1/comments/ 2009-08-12T15:34:42-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/The-God-in-question-does-indeed-exsist/1/ (Post Voting Period) The Bible teaches us that there are 2 types of people in this world, those who profess the truth of God's existence and those who suppress the truth of God's existence. The options of 'seeking' God, or not believing in God are unavailable. The Bible never attempts to prove the existence of God as it declares that the existence of God is so obvious that we are without excuse for not believing in Him. Romans 1 vs. 18 - 21 says: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking be http://www.debate.org/debates/The-God-in-question-does-indeed-exsist/1/comments/ 2009-09-24T16:07:25-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Judeo-Christian-is-a-contradiction-in-terms/1/ (Voting Period) This is my first one of these, and I've no idea how to do this, so if I mess anything up I apologize. But this phrase has been bugging me for a while, so I thought I'd give it a talk-about. Judeo-Christian has been an adjective often appearing before "morality" or "philosophy" in the media recently, often when dealing with matters of political stands on public morality. I say to the masses and the world and..this website, that such a term is somewhat silly, and as annoying to Jews as "Christo-Islamic" would be to Christians and Moslems. Judaism stems from a radically different philosophical basis than Christianity. The viewpoints on sin, for example, are in many ways much more complex and unrelated to both inner urgings, public viewpoints, and indeed objective moral standards. Jewish viewpoints on G-d, the nature of mankind, and the difference between the church (temple) and the state. For the sake of accuracy, we should stop using Judeo-Christian as a http://www.debate.org/debates/Judeo-Christian-is-a-contradiction-in-terms/1/comments/ 2009-07-18T06:07:22-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/A-teachers-pay-should-be-merit-based./1/ (Post Voting Period) Though I believe this resolution to be fairly self-explanatory, allow me to clarify just a bit: 1) Merit-based: based upon a system of student achievement to be defined by the affirmation. As long as the advocacy doesn't switch and student achievement is fairly defined, I'm all set with it. 2) Student achievement: a quantitative measurement of the attainment or mastery of academic skills (for example) Brief resolutional analysis: 1) We are talking about teachers of public schools in the US. We aren't limiting it by grade, but we are limiting it by country. Having to argue about schools in Zimbabwe is a waste of our time :D As I've adopted the negation's stance, I will allow my opponent to lay out his/her case prior to posting mine. I also really like the idea of a cross-ex opportunity in the comments. Can we do that if questions arise? They won't be considered offensively within the debate unless introduced to the debate page, but it'll be a http://www.debate.org/debates/A-teachers-pay-should-be-merit-based./1/comments/ 2009-04-21T16:36:45-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Vigilantism-is-justified-when-the-government-has-failed-to-enforce-the-law./7/ (Post Voting Period) [Hi everyone. I would like to debate this case LD style] [Please don't accept if you're not serious about debating the topic] I affirm the resolution: Vigilantism is justified when the government has failed to enforce the law. For clarity in the round, I offer the following definitions: Vigilantism: The act of a citizen who takes the law into his or her own hands by apprehending and punishing suspected criminals. Justified: to show to have had a sufficient legal reason. Government: the body of persons that constitutes the governing authority of a political unit or organization. Failed: to be or become absent or inadequate. Enforce: to carry out effectively. The Law: a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority My Value Premise for the round will be Respect for Social Order, which I define through a contractual obligation agreed upon by citizens when they enter a society (John Locke http://www.debate.org/debates/Vigilantism-is-justified-when-the-government-has-failed-to-enforce-the-law./7/comments/ 2009-03-29T18:45:55-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/The-Bible-does-not-support-the-traditional-Christian-concept-of-The-Devil-Satan./1/ (Voting Period) Much thanks to my opponent for agreeing to accept this debate which I hope will be an interesting and insightful one for both of us. Affirmed: The Bible does not support the traditional Christian concept of The Devil/Satan. By the Bible I mean the books included in the biblical canon of Protestants and Catholics including the New and Old Testaments but not the apocrypha or any additional texts not authorised by most churches. Different English translations from the Hebrew Old Testament, the Greek Septuagint, The King James or any other more modern translations should be allowed but debaters should of course be allowed to post counter-translations and question different interpretations and their sources. By "The traditional Christian concept of The Devil/Satan" I mean how this figure or entity is standardly perceived by most Church authorities and individual Christians, including but not limited to the beliefs or theories described below. Here is a http://www.debate.org/debates/The-Bible-does-not-support-the-traditional-Christian-concept-of-The-Devil-Satan./1/comments/ 2009-06-04T21:30:56-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Free-will-probably-exists-in-humans./3/ (Voting Period) Free will: "...a particular sort of capacity of rational agents to choose a course of action from among various alternatives." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) To define further, free will means that the ultimate decision comes down to the rational actor and is not wholly determined by external conditions. I negate the resolution: Free will probably exists in humans. *** Why Free Will Is Impossible 1: Determinism Every event is caused by a preceding event. To our knowledge, events do not happen unless they are caused by a previous event. This works all the way down to the molecular level. If every event is caused by another event, free will is impossible since all events are simply the effect of some cause(s). 2: First Cause The first cause (whatever it was, or if it even existed) cannot be a source of free will, since there can only be one first cause. That is, if we are accepting that everything is caused by something else. But what if http://www.debate.org/debates/Free-will-probably-exists-in-humans./3/comments/ 2009-07-08T07:15:24-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Nowadays-an-Islamic-African-American-Woman-would-have-more-Rights-than-a-Christian-White-Man/1/ (Post Voting Period) Nowadays, an Islamic African-American woman would have more "rights" than a Christian White man in America. By "rights", I mean more ability to gain the sympathy of the nation, get what one wants, and do things with less interference. Yes, America was so eager to avoid a world run only by white Christian males that we're now going in the opposite direction. Here is my reasoning: 1. Religion From "America Alone: The End of the World as we Know It", page 66: "He's also the fellow who helped devise the three-week Islamic awareness course in California public schools, in the course of which students adopt Muslim names, wear Islamic garb, give up candy and TV for Ramadan, memorize suras from the Koran, learn that 'jihad' means 'internal personal struggle,' profess the Muslim faith, and recite prayers that begin 'In the name of Allah,' etc. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals-the same court that ruled the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because of http://www.debate.org/debates/Nowadays-an-Islamic-African-American-Woman-would-have-more-Rights-than-a-Christian-White-Man/1/comments/ 2009-05-14T17:49:48-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/I-will-not-contradict-myself./6/ (Post Voting Period) Contradiction: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contradiction Rules: 1. In Rounds 1-3, CON will ask PRO ten Yes/No questions. 2. In Rounds 2-4, PRO will answer all of CON's questions with Yes or No, or with an explanation as to why neither Yes nor No would be completely correct or appropriate. 3. In Rounds 2-4, CON can point out any contradictions that he or she believes to be present in PRO's answers. 4. When CON points out a contradiction, PRO may use all of the following rounds to defend the accused contradiction until either CON drops the accusation or PRO admits defeat, or when the debate is over. 5. If CON ever fails to ask PRO exactly ten Yes/No questions when necessary, CON automatically loses. 6. If PRO ever fails to answer every question asked in the previous round by the rules, PRO automatically loses. 7. If PRO is never found to have contradicted himself, PRO wins. 8. If PRO is ever found to have contradicted himself, PRO loses. 9. Because s http://www.debate.org/debates/I-will-not-contradict-myself./6/comments/ 2009-06-25T15:47:12-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Its-time-to-crackdown-on-Lesbian-impostors/1/ (Voting Period) In preparation for this debate I conducted a thorough study of the "Lesbian Scene" in London and as a result of my tireless research have uncovered the shocking truth that few, if any, of the many Lesbian bars and clubs in the capital actually sell Lesbian food or drinks - or even employ staff from the Greek island of Lesbos. Indeed, so anxious were the management of these bogus "Lesbian" establishments to cover up their scams, many of them refused me entrance when I asked if I could go in and poke around. In America, you are legally prevented from selling a product labelled "Florida Orange Juice" if the fruit was grown and packaged in, say, Mexico. Similarly, in Europe, only sparkling wine produced in the vicinity of the town of Epernay may be sold as "Champagne". Now the residents of Lesbos are fighting in the courts to protect their geographical status and to prevent fraudsters from trading on their proud name. I submit that governments around the w http://www.debate.org/debates/Its-time-to-crackdown-on-Lesbian-impostors/1/comments/ 2009-03-23T14:46:21-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Fluoride-should-not-be-added-to-drinking-water./1/ (Post Voting Period) I welcome the readers and my opponent. Resolved: Fluoride should not be added to drinking water. Even though society as a whole has been conditioned to accept that fluoride is "good for us", that is in fact not the case. Have you ever thought about how fluoride "protects" our teeth? Does it not do this by "killing" the bacteria that are on our teeth? So how does it "kill" these bacteria? Well, it must be "poisonous" to enable it to "kill"...and it is...and if fluoride is ingested it doesn't magically become "unpoisonous"...it is still poisonous, and is therefore harmful. That is why it should not purposefully be added to anyone's drinking water. Pro will attempt to affirm this resolution and offers the following points of consideration for the readers: 1. Fluoride is poisonous and harmful to the human body. Even on the side of a tube of toothpaste it says to "contact a poison control center immediately" if you swallow your toothpaste. 2. Fluoride ha http://www.debate.org/debates/Fluoride-should-not-be-added-to-drinking-water./1/comments/ 2009-05-08T10:40:13-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Water-Boarding-is-an-act-of-torture-and-is-immoral./1/ (Voting Period) I affirm the resolution : Water Boarding is an act of torture and is immoral. I consider myself an open minded person yet I am always shocked when glancing at people's profiles on this site when I see people saying they are pro-water boarding. This is especially true if their other opinions do not seem particularly extreme. I would appreciate if somebody who is pro-water boarding would like to take me up on this debate. If nobody does so, I will be forced to conclude that most of these individuals think that torture is a good thing. I hope I am proved wrong. Thankyou. http://www.debate.org/debates/Water-Boarding-is-an-act-of-torture-and-is-immoral./1/comments/ 2009-04-10T22:31:34-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Sampling-in-music-is-not-theft/1/ (Voting Period) Hi, I would first like to make it clear that I am referring to theft in a moral rather than a legal sense of the word, If you wish to debate the legality of sampling please do not accept this debate. To clarify, here are some definitions: (I use the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 10th edition revised) 'sampling: 2. the technique of digitally encoding music or sound and re-using it as part of a composition or recording.' [I point out that I would also include the rare examples of purely analogue sourced and recorded material in early sampling, but since the late 80s virtually all samples are digitally encoded at some stage in the process, the format of audio is hardly relevant to this debate however] 'theft: the action or crime of stealing.'- 'steal: 1. take (something) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it - dishonestly pass off (another person's ideas) as your own.' As I have stated that in this debate we are co http://www.debate.org/debates/Sampling-in-music-is-not-theft/1/comments/ 2009-03-27T10:00:31-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Copyright-laws-are-necessary-in-order-for-a-society-to-have-an-effective-creative-industry./1/ (Post Voting Period) I stand in affirmation of the resolution. Copyright - the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute the matter and form of something (as a literary, musical, or artistic work) (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/copyright) Necessary - absolutely needed (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/necessary) Effective - producing a decided, decisive, or desired effect (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effective) Creative industry - Literature, arts, video games, motion pictures, etc. My argument is that if the author/artist/designer's work is not protected, and once they complete their work, anyone may copy them with less effort and reap an equal benefit, then nobody would want to be involved in the creative industry. I look forward to a good debate. http://www.debate.org/debates/Copyright-laws-are-necessary-in-order-for-a-society-to-have-an-effective-creative-industry./1/comments/ 2009-05-04T06:49:42-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/DJ-Tiesto-is-the-best-DJ-in-the-world/1/ (Voting Period) I will allow opponent to make definitions. I will start off by listing 'some' awards that he has received through his music: World Dancestar Award U.S.A. Best International DJ ID&T Dutch DJ Award Best Dutch DJ by professional jury ID&T Dutch DJ Award Best Dutch DJ by audience Radio 538 Dance Award Radio 538 Dutch Audience Edison TMF Award Holland Best Dance Act National TMF Award Holland Best National DJ TMF Award Belgium Best Dance International MTV Europe Music Award Best Dutch Act BG Magazine Award Best Club/Trance/Hardhouse DJ DJ Mag Top 100 Number 1 Position Mixmag Award Best Resident Ibiza ID&T Dutch DJ Award Best Dutch DJ by audience Buma/Stemra Sound of Silence Award TMF Award Belgium Best International DJ World Music Award World's best selling Dutch artist Ibiza DJ Award Best International DJ Trance TMF Award Holland Best National DJ TMF Award Holland Best Dance Act National DJ Mag Top 100 Number 1 Position WMC Awards Miami Best http://www.debate.org/debates/DJ-Tiesto-is-the-best-DJ-in-the-world/1/comments/ 2009-08-12T15:13:19-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Hate-Crime-Enhancement/1/ (Post Voting Period) The term "hate crime enhancement" is fairly new (I believe the first hate crime enhancement was passed in the 1980's). 1) A hate crime is a crime committed due to malice towards a class of people, which includes, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, and/or sexual orientation. 2) Hate crimes (also known as bias motivated crimes) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or it is political ... 3) Enhanced - increased or intensified/placed higher than its usual position The enhancement comes in when a sentence is stiffened/hardened/elongated due to evidence of it being a hate crime. I stand against 'Hate Crime Enhancements' and as CON I'll await my opponents arguments[...] http://www.debate.org/debates/Hate-Crime-Enhancement/1/comments/ 2009-04-28T16:36:51-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/Israel-will-not-experience-a-nuclear-attack-within-the-next-twenty-years/1/ (Voting Period) Rules: 1) Since I am Con, I do not have to prove that Israel will get nuked. I can if I want to, but the burden of proof is on Pro. 2) No spamming, trolling, flaming etc. 3) No off-topic. Definitions (http://dictionary.reference.com/): Nuclear attack: Israel: a republic in SW Asia, on the Mediterranean: formed as a Jewish state May 1948. 5,534,672; 7984 sq. mi. (20,679 sq. km). Capital: Jerusalem. Since I feel like it, I will present evidence to prove that Israel will experience a nuclear attack. As we all know, Iran is working to acquire a nuclear arsenal. Now, the president whatever of Iran has said that: **"Be assured that the US and Israel will soon end lives."**, "Sparking discord among Muslims, especially between the Shiites and Sunnis, is a plot hatched by the Zionists and the US for dominating regional nations and looting their resources," Ahmadinejad added. (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3356154,00.html) Some people say http://www.debate.org/debates/Israel-will-not-experience-a-nuclear-attack-within-the-next-twenty-years/1/comments/ 2009-03-22T20:55:49-08:00 http://www.debate.org/debates/For-Atheists-There-Is-No-Meaning-Of-Life/1/ (Post Voting Period) My resolution states that an atheist cannot explain away his intelligent, sentient existence- in other words, his existence is just a part of the ecology, and he himself has no reason to live. Theists, however, believe that they exist in order to serve God (this goes by Judaism, Christianity and Islam) or other related reasons. Atheist- One who disbelieves or denies the existence of a God, or supreme intelligent Being. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/atheist Sentient- Characterized by sensation and consciousness. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sentient Existence- Continuance in being or life. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/existence Ecology- The branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ecology My opponent must present reasons for the continued existence of mankind from the atheistic perspective- he http://www.debate.org/debates/For-Atheists-There-Is-No-Meaning-Of-Life/1/comments/ 2009-06-29T07:45:56-08:00