Debate.org: twsurber's Debates

Children need to be protected from the gays and their homosexual agenda.

2010-05-25T12:08:57-08:00

(Voting Period) The Actual Resolution: Gay couples should not be allowed to adopt children. Gay couples should be allowed to adopt children since this is a policy that would be in the best interests of children, families, and society as a whole. Further, arbitrarily denying certain couples the ability to adopt children because of their sexual orientation is simply unacceptably detrimental to the aims of a civil society, and it is a position that is perpetuated by nothing other than flagrant discrimination. Of course, people's ignorance plays a large role in this matter. Some people have come to believe – almost invariably on bad evidence – that there is something fundamentally wrong with the minds of gay people. It's likely that many factors play into this sort of thinking, however, the point remains; many of the views people have about gays are simply not based on science, reason or empirical data. While some scientists may disagree about particular aspects of certain t

Resolved: Economic sanctions ought not be used to achieve foreign policy objectives.

2009-12-09T20:59:00-08:00

(Post Voting Period) Pro may go first and have first dibs on definitions. DO NOT accept this debate if you are just going to forfeit or put forth a lackadaisical effort. Thanks in advance.

Nuclear Energy

2011-07-31T09:27:47-08:00

(Post Voting Period) This is going to be a simple Pro Nuclear Energy vs Con Nuclear Energy. No specific resolution, just the broad subject of using nuclear energy. Burden of Proof - The BoP falls equally on both debaters to support and defend their arguments while refuting their opponent's. For example, Con can focus on negative effects to the environment, safety issues, or better alternatives rendering Nuclear obsolete, but Con cannot just disagree with everything Pro puts up (and vise versa). I will go ahead and present some definitions. Unless Con finds these definitions to be abusive, they are to be accepted. If Con finds them abusive, Con is free to present alternative definitions, but then it will be up to the voters to agree if my definitions are abusive or not. Nuclear energy (as it pertains to this debate) - The gathering of energy from nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to use in commercial purposes (such as electricity). Nuclear fission - A nuclear reaction in

The God of classical theism is real.

2010-01-30T09:15:40-08:00

(Voting Period) In all likelihood, the God of classical theism (i.e. an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent God) does not exist. The belief in such a being is, more importantly, primarily sustained through nothing more than a strange juxtaposition of terrible evidence melded with shoddy reasoning. In the course of this debate I will demonstrate that: 1. The presence of gratuitous evil makes the existence of a benevolent God unlikely. 2. The occurrence of reasonable unbelief in a theistic God makes the existence of such a being implausible. 3. God almost certainly does not exist because God would have to be a being of extremely improbable ordered complexity. =====> Why I Am Not A Christian <====== Contention 1: The Evidential Argument From Evil The occurrence of gratuitous evil, though logically compatible with God's existence, makes the existence of a benevolent God rather unlikely. For the sake of argument, I will concede that there is no a priori negatio

Logic Analysis: These arguments prove the existence of God.

2009-11-17T10:37:57-08:00

(Post Voting Period) I thank my opponent in advance for accepting this debate. Logic is often a poorly used commodity where religion is concerned; whether arguing for or against the supernatural, many fallacious arguments are posited and accepted as truth. I stand against the idea that the spiritual can be proven or disproven by physical evidence, or that any system of reasoning that claims to have answered this question is failsafe. I challenge all reasoners to prove their assertions in formal debate. I contend that the arguments my opponent will post for the existence of God are not logically sound. RESOLUTION: These arguments prove the existence of God. DEFINITIONS: By accepting this debate, you agree to accept these definitions for this debate. God: the one Supreme Being; perfect, omnipotent, omniscient; the creator and ruler of the universe. His known attributes include goodness, holiness, wisdom, independence from His creation, immanence within His creatio

If God does not exist, then life is purposeless

2011-05-25T09:46:57-08:00

(Post Voting Period)

==Definitions==

God: The Supreme, Most Merciful, Most Beneficent Lord of universe as envisioned in major religions.

exist: To have actual being; be real

purposeless: Lacking a purpose; meaningless or aimless

== NOTE ==

I believe God exists and life has a purpose. However that is not the subject of this debate. In this debate we will assume that God does not exist and imagine the implications.

No semantic or syntactic argument. Burden of proof is shared. We agree to debate in good faith.

== Introduction ==

If God does not exist, then life on earth is just a random result of a random process. There is not special meaning to life. We are just some chemicals which happens to undergo some kind of process for a 70-80 years. What we do, or do not do does not matter much in this scenario.

Of course

Modified LD - Resolved:Public health concerns justify compulsory immunization.

2009-10-25T11:52:22-08:00

(Post Voting Period) You may provide your own definitions in Round 2. Please skip Round 1 by placing a single alphanumeric. Round 2 = Affirmative/Negative Constructive. Round 3 = Affirmative / Negative Rebuttals Round 4 = Crystalization Good luck and thank you for the challenge.

Parody Rap

2009-12-16T12:21:58-08:00

(Voting Period) So what you (opponent) will do here is create a rap and try to make it hilarious, whether it be about how white and nerdy you are or how much you fail at being hood/gangsta', try and make people laugh as much as you can. I'll start. Hello guys, how are you? I hope you are well. My life is going along just fine; things are pretty swell. I picked the pro side because I'm so positive; Don't worry if your grades are low, I can help you get a 110! My mind is at ease because my schoolwork is done, And I find Trigonometry problems to be pretty fun. I have my scientific calculator; LinReg's where it's at, And I've read the the manual so many times I've got it down pat. My refrigerator is tight, I have a General Electric, And if you don't use manners at my table I'll get apoplectic. Spaghetti is messy, you should wear a black shirt Lest you get made fun of for having sauce on it at work. Did I mention I have a job as a computer technician, And in my

Palestine Should be Free, the Israeli Foundation and Occupation are Unjust

2009-11-05T09:58:49-08:00

(Voting Period) To begin with, I would like to say the following. I am not anti-Semitic. Nor do I call for destruction of the Israeli people, nor a democratic government they may hold. I am not a Muslim, nor advocate Islamic fundamentalism or religion generally. I do not agree with many tactics used now or in the past by Palestinian groups and their allies. I have every sympathy with the Jewish victims of the Holocaust and their desire for a homeland to escape persecution. However, I believe that Israel as established was unjust, along with the continued occupation of Palestinian territory. Separate, democratic entities representing both peoples must exist, with the right to defend themselves. Settlement building must cease, along with targeting civilians by Palestinian groups, both of which inflame conflict, along with other actions on both sides. I base this upon several contentions: Although understanding and sympathizing with the plight of Jewish people, their persecut

Failed nations are a greater threat to the U.S. than stable nations

2009-10-30T14:55:45-08:00

(Post Voting Period) Skip the first round by placing a single alphanumeric. We'll each get a position and 2 rebuttals.

You can't convince me that the God of the Bible doesn't exist.

2010-02-16T18:23:17-08:00

(Post Voting Period) Since believers usually have the responsibility of proving their faith and having the Bible called fallacy or circular reasoning, let's see if any unbelievers can backup their unbelief and convince me that God does not exist. Be very careful with your sources, I may not find them credible.

Public Health Concerns Justify Compulsory Immunization

2009-10-29T06:36:28-08:00

(Voting Period) Because this is the nov/dec LD topic and both my opponent and I do LD debate this is going to be done in LD format. This means that although I am technically the instigator I will not present a case in this round. PRO(AFF) should present their case in round 1. This is How The Debate Will go. Round 1 Neg: I am setting up the debate Aff: Affirmative Case Round 2: Neg: Negative Case And Rebuttal Aff: Affirmative rebuttal Round 3: Neg: Negative Rebuttal and summary Aff: Affirmative Rebuttal and summary. Alright, Good Luck to my opponent, Twsurber, who will be taking Pro(Aff) for this debate.

Resolved: Baptism is not a requirement for Salvation.

2009-10-27T23:58:58-08:00

(Post Voting Period) INTRODUCTION: Concur CONTENTION ONE: Baptism is a public display of obedience which is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. (Romans 6: 1-11) CONTENTION TWO: One must accept Jesus as their personal savior, believe that Jesus died for their sins, and confess him as Savior. (Romans 10: 9-10, 13) SUMMARY: While baptism is practiced, it is not a requirement.

Dr Stranglove is Stanley Kubrick's best film

2011-01-09T21:55:05-08:00

(Voting Period) I am going to challenge my opponent to find a better Kubrick film than 1964's Dr Strangeglove. I put the burden of proof on my opponent and a high affinity for film is a must. http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=TsyXEDznAMs I will argue when the time comes.

Impromptu 9

2010-06-07T20:54:04-08:00

(Post Voting Period) INSTRUCTIONS: Round 1, opponent will select 1 of the 3 topic choices listed below to present in Round 2. Opponent will also leave me 3 topic choices to pick from for my Round 2 presentation. Judges will decide who made the better presentation. My OPPONENT's topic choices: 1) The average home school kid will score higher than the average public school kid. 2) DUI equals attempted murder. 3) The Rapture will occur before 15 May 2048.

Impromptu Debate.

2010-05-07T11:26:15-08:00

(Post Voting Period) Greetings to my opponent! This is going to be a debate styled in an 'Impromptu' fashion. Each round will only have ten minutes in which my opponent and I are to post. This first round is merely to explain the rules and introduce onseself as willing to debate. It will work like this. I will formulate three topics and post them in comments for my opponent. My opponent will then pick one of them and argue Pro/Con regarding that topic alone (not mine). Just before my opponent accepts the challenge and posts, s/he will also post three topics in comments of which I will pick one to debate as soon as round 2 begins. Since I have issued no invitations, I will wait for approximately half an hour and then remove this debate from the challenges (or edit it). Have fun, keep it clean!

Should kids be permitted to a PG 13 or R rated movie?

2011-12-07T09:54:00-08:00

(Post Voting Period) Kids should definitely not be permitted in a PG13 or rated R movie. Letting a child, around the age of 3-11, go to a rated PG13 or R movie can mess up a child's mind. A child is very sensitive and should not be shown things that are not meant for them to see. Many PG13 and rated R movies have foul language or sexual content in them. Movies like these cause children to think about things they shouldn't have in mind at their age. If we let our children go to movies like these, they will have many questions in mind that their parents might not want to answer due to their age level.

Short Story Challenge

2010-09-03T21:12:22-08:00

(Post Voting Period) Greetings. This is the first actual short story/essay debateni have ever done and hope this catches on. In this challenge, pro will throw out a few writing areas and topics for each one. (3 to be exact) Con will then choose a topic. The simple way to vote is: Spelling and grammarv is literal. Conduct is the relevance to the topic. Best arguments will be to the better story in the opinion of the reader. Sources shall be graded on the amount of rhetoric used by the author (I.e. Tricolon, anaphora, anecdotal synapses, etc.) Round 1 is the presentation of topics and round 2 is the posting of the story. Dialogue is allowed. As pro, i offer the following topics to choose from: -Science Fiction -Memoir -Fantasy I look forward to a connosieur of rhetoric and writing, like myself, to accepting the challenge and showing what they got! Good luck and buena suerte!

Economic Sanctions ought not be used to achieve foreign policy objectives.

2010-08-01T18:58:16-08:00

(Post Voting Period) Hello to whoever my opponent is, This is an old topic from Jan/Feb 2010. Since schools starting up again, thought id refresh my LD skills. So the speech order will be: 1. AC 2. NC/NR 3. 1AR 4. 2NR 5. 2AR Also, only accept if you are familiar with the structure and style of Lincoln-Douglas debate. If you are not, please do not accept this debate.

Impromptu 11

2010-07-01T19:19:52-08:00

(Post Voting Period) In Round 1, my opponent will only leave me my 3 choices to be argued in Round 2. My opponent will choose 1 of the below and argue either side in Round 2. OPPONENT'S CHOICES: 1) Global warming should generate more hydro and solar power. 2) Adam & Eve did not have belly buttons 3) Pluto is still a planet dog-gone it! Judges will determine who presented the better case. Good luck and enjoy!