Debate.org: Popular Debates

Gay Marraige Should Be Allowed.

2009-01-30T18:21:32-08:00

(Voting Period) Gays should be allowed to marry partners of their choice just as heterosexual couples do. It is ignorant in today's world to deny such a basic right to an individual because of something that is innate. Yes, sexuality is not a choice, it is innate. For my first point, let me state that a civil union is not a reasonable compromise for a legal marriage. Most civil unions don't have the same rights as a legal marriage has. Even if we made all civil unions exactly equal to legal marriage but called it something else, it wouldn't be enough. The concept of "separate but equal" has already failed. Segregation is not a solution when it comes to rights. History has proven this. Secondly, where is the benefit of oppressing gays from marrying? Religion isn't an answer. Religion is the excuse. Those who claim it is immoral are really just ignorant and foolish. In the case of Christianity, the bible states to do unto others what you would like done onto you. How woul

Homosexual Behavior Is Immoral

2010-07-05T18:37:21-08:00

(Voting Period) I wish to thank my opponent for engaging me in this debate. I look forward to a spirited exchange. I will be defending the historic Christian position that homosexual behavior is immoral. Using the same method that Paul employed in Romans 1:26-27, I will argue that homosexuality is wrong because it is unnatural, meaning that it is contrary to the proper functioning of human sexual organs. Additionally, because both myself and my opponent are Christians, I will also make use of Biblical passages to support my position. [[--Natural Revelation--]] Let me begin with an analogy. The purpose of eyes is to see. We say that one has a pair of "good" eyes if they function in accordance with their purpose. By that same token, we say that one has a pair of "bad" eyes if they do not function in accordance with their purpose. Now, since good is something that ought to be pursued (that's the definition of good), the proper thing to do with bad eyes is to turn them i

murder is right

2009-01-16T13:02:40-08:00

(Voting Period) my opponent on his profile claims he can uphold any position even if its totally absurd or wrong. Lets see if he can prove this one right. put him to the test. he nust prove murder, is in some way, good.

Funnier Jokes Wins.

2008-06-09T18:03:15-08:00

(Voting Period) Thanks to my opponent for requesting this debate. If anyone doesn't know how this works, it is quite simple. Each round, each debater posts one joke. Whoever has funnier jokes wins. I will be defending by title and wish good luck to my opponent. :) A doctor and a lawyer were talking at a party. Their conversation was constantly interrupted by people describing their ailments and asking the doctor for free medical advice. After an hour of this, the exasperated doctor asked the lawyer, "What do you do to stop people from asking you for legal advice when you're out of the office?" "I give it to them," replied the lawyer, "and then I send them a bill." The doctor was shocked, but agreed to give it a try. The next day, still feeling slightly guilty, the doctor prepared the bills. When he went to place them in his mailbox, he found a bill from the lawyer.

Solarman1969 should be removed from Debate.org

2007-12-30T21:21:00-08:00

(Voting Period) Well Solarman, you challenged me to debate you, and here I am. Defend yourself, oh mighty knowledgeable, unquestionable elder. Solarman1969 should be removed from this site. I will first clarify that I am not saying this our of contradiction to his opinions, as I do respect them. we have a 52.63% disagreement ratio, which means we agree on something. No, rather my "beef" is the presentation of his topics. His purposes for being on this site do not seem to be to inspire change, add to the public knowledge, or better the world, though I'm sure he'll contest. It seems from the debates of his I've read (yes, all of them, in full, including comments) which can be found here: http://www.debate.org/Solarman1969 , that he does have potentially good topics, including hydrogen fuel and man made global climate change. However, all are ruined by his undeniable rudeness, calling people, and I quote: shmucks, Stalinist's, liberals (derogatorily), fools, morons, evil, dumm

God exists

2008-06-16T23:06:45-08:00

(Voting Period) God cannot exist because there is no proof of his existence. Please give me evidence or facts that prove God does indeed exist.

The Optimum Online Triple Play commercial is the most annoying currently played commercial on TV.

2008-01-25T20:14:05-08:00

(Voting Period) Before I make a few points as to why the commercial (seen here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ptlJYFWDfig&feature=related ) is definitely the most annoying one that is currently played on TV, I must first specify that I am referring to American television number one, and number two, I am generally speaking about commercials on 'basic TV' i.e. on broadcast stations such as ABC, NBC, CBS, etc. Point 1: Although the jingle is quite catchy (who doesn't find themselves singing along to 877-393-4448?), a large part of why we know the telephone number so well is because this commercial is literally played every 5-10 minutes on quite a number of TV stations. The fact that this advertisement is played constantly only means that we'll all become annoyed with it sooner than we would if this commercial was played more sparsely. Point 2A: The advertisement contains music from beginning to end, and the genre of choice (reggaeton) is not exceptionally popular in the Unit

This debate will not result as a tie.

2008-05-11T18:15:59-08:00

(Voting Period) My resolution is clear: I will prove that after this debate has ended, it (the debate) will not result in a tie. Anyone disagree?

Evolution is incorrect

2008-01-07T11:10:29-08:00

(Voting Period) I am against evolution, and I would like to know why whoever accepts this believes it is correct. I would like to concentrate more on the the issue of the age of the earth (I don't even know exactly how old you say it is, but I don't agree.:-P), but if you would like to bring other topics in, that's fine by me.

On balance, Anarchism is More Humanitarian than State Planning

2010-09-04T16:01:32-08:00

(Voting Period) Every broad argument will be tagged with a letter/number. Elucidation: D1) On balance: Keep the framework reasonable. Ignore the possibility that aliens could invade and destroy every society beginning with consonants. Employ ceteris parabis assumptions. D2) Anarchism: The lack of aggressive monopoly. In this conversation, aggression is distinct from coercion according to the Libertarian ethic. The forceful defense of self ownership and peaceful homesteading is "coercion", not "aggression". Attacking innocent people with the intent to manipulate them into a social arrangement moves the affected group out of anarchism. D3) More: The pro/con may secure different elements of humanitarianism. It is up to them to show their share is more important. D4) Humanitarian: Take your pick. Better productivity, respect for rights, quality of life, social stability. D5) State Planning: Any non-anarchical arrangement. Familiar examples include democracy,

George Bush Was a Good President

2009-04-04T15:44:30-08:00

(Voting Period) I would like to open up my argument by saying that I believe that President George W. Bush did a great job as president and does not deserve all of the criticism he received when he left office. I will support this statement by using these arguments: a) Bush reacted to the best of his ability in the 9/11 situation. He worked fast and efficiently under enormous amounts of pressure. b) He always did what he thought was right. Bush did not cave into the demands of Congress and the people, he did not base his decisions on polls or advisers Bush always did what he thought was right and he should be respected for that. c) Bush did not cause the "economic crisis" we are in now. Bush had no control over the banks and their loaning habits. Why would that be any concern to the president at all. It was the Clinton administration that allowed banks to push forward into "risky deals". Not Bush. d) The events that took place during Hurricane Katrina severely hu

Gay Marriage Should Be Legalized.

2009-04-03T22:51:16-08:00

(Voting Period) ON GUARD! I affirm the resolution: Gary Marriage should be legalized. For the sake of clarity and being terse, the term "gay" will be an umbrella term for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community. I am not arguing in what way gay marriage should be legalized (federal or states), but I'm arguing that it SHOULD be legalized because there is no valid legal argument against gay marriage. Do note that since this is in context of being legalized, saying that God is against gay marriage is obviously a moot point. Hopefully this debate won't turn into a debate about God, but rather about the points of gay marriage. ===== Gays deserve the same marital rights ===== My argument is simple and brief: gays deserve the same marital rights as a heterosexual. For a long time, marriage was only a traditional and religious thing. And it was fine for the heterosexuals to hog it for themselves (though if marriage was still purely traditional, I dou

My opponent will win receive the most votes.

2008-01-30T10:03:56-08:00

(Voting Period) My opponent will win since, tehrefore he will. Here, I have committed the fallacy of begging the question. Surely you would not vote for me because of this. I have also presented no evidence to prove that my opponent will win, so you have to vote for him/her. I havee also not bothered to spell check or check for grammatical errors in this post. In short, I am being nonsensical.

Molesting handicapped orphans is cool

2008-04-03T17:37:18-08:00

(Voting Period) Okay, here's one I think I can win. First of all, I'm completely against the deplorable activites that Michael Jackson and Catholic priests are engaging in. It's wrong!

Christianity is a force for good in the world.

2010-01-07T07:38:17-08:00

(Voting Period) On balance, Christianity has done far more harm than good in the modern world. Its human rights record is disgraceful and the negative impacts of its dogmas have reverberated throughout history and even into the present day. As though this wasn't bad enough it also impoverishes the human condition by distracting people from their real happiness with illusory preachments of an afterlife. And despite the good intentions of many decent people it is still one of the prime sources of a considerable amount of hatred, intolerance, and needless suffering. ::The Antitheist's Manifesto:: Contention 1: Religion misrepresents reality. Magic, religion, and all forms of reality distortion blight humanity by obscuring our pursuit for knowledge. To take just one example, the Bible fundamentally mischaracterizes the origins of both the cosmos and our species with its creation story. [1] In reality, our actual universe is approximately 14 billion years old and has been

The user known as Danielle used dishonest tactics in her same-sex parenting debate.

2012-12-17T16:56:57-08:00

(Post Voting Period)

Many people on this site know about me and Danielle's same-sex parenting debate, in which she won by a large margin and I accused her of using dishonest arguments (lawyering, strawmen, etc) in order to gain victory.

In case you haven't, here's the link: [http://debate.org/debates/Homosexual-couples-can-raise-children-just-as-well-as-heterosexual-couples./1/]

I accuse her of avoiding the resolution, misinterpreting my arguments, lying about my burden of proof, repeating arguments that had no bearing on the debate, and assigning absurd burdens of proof on things that should require none. Think of this as an unofficial trial of sorts, albeit one where only honor is at stake.

She has just agreed debate me so that this can be answered once and for all. Obviously there will be no law

Gay Marriage Should Be Legalized.

2008-10-25T13:50:27-08:00

(Voting Period) Gay Marriage should be a legal form of marriage for the simple fact that disallowing LGBT groups to marrying is taking a right that should be theirs. I'll let you go first, as I am contending that there are no substantial legal reasons to disallow same-sex marriage, and thus it should be a right for any LGBT couple to marry.

Given the Bible, God is Morally Repugnant and Undeserving of Praise (+).

2008-12-01T18:37:11-08:00

(Voting Period) I could have simply phrased this debate "God is Morally Repugnant and Undeserving of Praise" but then I remembered a debate I was just in where the person who accepted the debate gets to define God. This is not the case here - for purposes of this debate, we shall defer to the Judeo-Christian sense of God, and if it pleases my opponent, we may use the same version of a "mainstream" Bible - I would suggest the New American Bible, for it is the one I shall present my opening arguments from. The resolution, while two-part, only has one requirement to fill, unless my opponent can make a brilliant argument for why a morally repugnant entity would be deserving of praise. Satisfaction of the first conjoin entails satisfaction of the other. It is a classic [(A -> B) -> (A & B)] argument. ********************************** Obviously it would be easiest to start with showing that God is morally repugnant. To this end, I will illustrate several examples of the e

Being gay is a choice, God did not "make" them that way

2007-12-17T19:37:59-08:00

(Voting Period) I am sick and tired of people saying that it isnt there fault they are gay and that god made them gay, god would not create something that breaks his own laws, purposefully. He created his laws for a reason and wants everyone to be in heavon and if you are gay then you will not be in heavon so why would god create someone just so they can burn in hell?

The fat should be made to buy two seats on planes

2009-04-02T16:15:12-08:00

(Voting Period) I was involved in a rather unpleasant incident on a British Airways flight from Aberdeen to Heathrow recently. (1) The aircraft was an Airbus A319 with a single economy (coach) class cabin which was fitted with seats with a width of 17.0" (2) and the aisle seat I was allocated was located next to a grossly overweight gentleman, whose considerable girth was overflowing onto my seat, thus preventing me from putting the armrest down or fastening my seatbelt. I therefore challenged the man and here is the gist of the ensuing confrontation: Me: Excuse me, you appear to be sitting on part of my seat, would you be kind enough to move over so I can sit down? Overweight Passenger: I'm sorry, but I'm as far over as I can get. Me: Then may I suggest you move somewhere else where there are two free seats together? Overweight Passenger: Well, I don't think there are any left. If only they made the seats bigger there wouldn't be a problem. Me: Well the seats s