Persepolis - Debate Worksheet (Religion in politics)

Group Members:

Poom Jaja Tientein Gap Kim

Class #:

1202

Topic: Does religion create more violence or more peace?

Print this worksheet and bring it for the class debate. Worksheets will be submitted to the instructor.

Peace

Violence

Argument 1

List arguments in bullet-point format.

You may use phrases; complete sentences are not required.

No dogma of any religion that teach people to kill others, or have violence

· Religions shared common principle: The need to feel remorse from and avoid sins

· EX. The five precepts of buddhism

· First precept: No taking life

· Christianity

· God wants: to trust love and mercy

· not trust nationalistic self-interest

· Simon Smart (Christainity):

· Religion teach about moral → so act violently = non-religion

Religion create conflict

· Past: religions cause war

· people want to spread their religions

· Destroy several sacred places

· Ex. Muslim rulers plundered and destroyed thousands of

· Hindu temples and built mosques in their place

· Religious extremism (ISIS)

· Rohingya: conflict between Buddhists and Muslim causes severe institutionalized discrimination and violence

Sources

List websites, articles, videos, quotes, and authors/organizations.

· https://bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/articles/springsummer2007/does-religion-cause-violence

· http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/Buddhism/BUDDHIST%20IDEAS%20FOR%20ATTAINING%20WORLD%20PEACE.htm

· https://tricycle.org/magazine/the-five-precepts/

· https://peacetheology.net/the-bible-on-peace/02-gods-creative-love%E2%80%94genesis-1/

· Quote from Simon: “Christianity that is not depleted of its meaning but ...”

· http://www.hinduwebsite.com/ask/why-are-religions-destructive.asp

· https://www.dailyo.in/variety/muslim-invaders-hinduism-india-bharat-islam-christanity/story/1/17529.html

Argument 2

List arguments in bullet-point format.

You may use phrases; complete sentences are not required.

Religion teaches people to be unite

· “Islam” came from “peace” in Arabic

· Christainity:

· Godwant→ living by moral values

· God’s law against murder is universal.

· human do not harm or kill one another

· Buddhism:Avoid wrongdoing, Do good and Purify the mind.

· Buddhism: a religion of peace according to Theravadin pharase "Hatred is never appeased by hatred. Hatred is only appeased by Love (or, non-enmity). This is an eternal law."

Some religions groups are zealots

· Some religions group

· Ex.Kach&Kahane Chai in Israel → violence = duty

· Ex. India’s Christian community under attack by Hindu zealots → fanatical Hindus attacking

Sources

List websites, articles, videos, quotes, and authors/organizations.

· https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/6-quran-quotes-teach-love-tolerance-freedom-religion/

· http://www.parami.org/why-are-buddhists-happy-and-peaceful/

· https://www.urbandharma.org/udharma6/peace.html

· https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/religion_and_conflict%20

· Case: India’s Christian community under attack by Hindu zealots https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/india-s-christian-community-under-attack-by-hindu-zealots-1.2149152

Argument 3

List arguments in bullet-point format.

You may use phrases; complete sentences are not required.

Human causes war not religion

· Simon Smart (Christainity):

· Pursuit of profits or power → causes war

· David Hart note: Religion = variable (change over time), Human = constant

· What causes war are the traits of human beings in general.

· Christainity

· Wars should be avoided to extend our love even to our enemies because they are rarely justified(nonsense)

· Christian pacifism: all kinds of violence is incompatible with christain’s faith

· Jane Caro (Atheism):

· Religion provides moral

· Atheists did not kill anyone → For atheism

· Violence → from political philosophy

Religion divides people

· Researchers from the University of Central Florida and the University of Colorado:

· Religion creates conflict between leaders of communities

· Within only in small community → helps creating unity

· Religion has some inherent tendency to endanger conflict

· Unites the same nationality, but religion separates nation from nation

· misconception in religion and belief

Sources

List websites, articles, videos, quotes, and authors/organizations.

· http://www.debate.org/opinions/does-religion-cause-war

· https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/02/religion-wars-conflict

· Quotes from Jane Caro (Atheism) and Simon Smart (Christainity)

· News: Religion has been dividing human society for 2,000 years, say scientists https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/12064796/Religion-has-been-dividing-human-society-for-2000-years-say-scientists.html

· http://www.debate.org/opinions/does-religion-divide-the-world

· https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/does-religion-unite-or-divide-us-20110422-1drac.html

Debate Format

Main Arguments - Peace

Main Arguments - Violence

4 minutes

4 minutes

Working Period

4 minutes

Rebuttals - Peace

Rebuttals - Violence

3 minutes

3 minutes

Working Period

3 minutes

Summary - Peace

Summary - Violence

2 minutes

2 minutes

Audience Vote

Total Time = 25 minutes

Audience Vote -- 5 Points

Audience members will vote on who they believe makes the strongest, most well-supported arguments:

· the quality of the arguments presented.

· the quality of challenges (to your opponents) raised.

· the clarity, organization and cohesiveness of the argument.

· the quality of supporting evidence.

· NOT on who they personally agree with.

· NOT on who they are friends with.

· NOT on who screams the loudest

People cause war.Religion does not inherently cause war. Correlation is not the same as causation. Religion is just an easily corruptible system that can influence many people who subscribe to it.

https://www.quora.com/What-was-the-real-cause-of-the-Crusades

https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/does-religion-cause-war-286754

I don't think religion can be looked at as a "cause" for war. What causes war are the traits of human beings in general. Take away a humans natural capacity for aggression, greed and self-preservation and what you have left are his positive traits and his values which generally serve as the basis of our religions. I think religion is just something that people use to lift up their “suggestion” to war, it’s kind of like a fuel that people use to get an ethnic group started with the hate and war

http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/Buddhism/BUDDHIST%20IDEAS%20FOR%20ATTAINING%20WORLD%20PEACE.htm

https://www.usip.org/publications/2006/01/religious-contributions-peacemaking-when-religion-brings-peace-not-war

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azf173ddZ-U

Details

#Argument1

· religious violence is in fact economic and political, not religious.

· First precepts of buddhism is to abstain from taking life

· What God wants is for people of faith to trust in God’s love and mercy alone and not to trust in some nationalistic self-interest maintained with weapons of war. What God wants is for people of faith to be God’s agents of healing and peacemaking for all nations

· Simon: The answer, Volf argues, to violence perpetrated in the name of the Cross, is not less Christianity but more – Christianity that is not depleted of its meaning but full of its original moral content, which is at its heart non-violent and a force for good.

#Argument2

· The word “Islam” is derived from the word meaning “peace” in Arabic. Islam is a religion revealed to mankind with the intention of presenting a peaceful life where the infinite compassion and mercy of God manifests on earth. God calls all people to live by the moral values He sets so that compassion, mercy, peace and love can be experienced all over the world.

#Argument3

Peace:

Simon

Simon Smart is a director of the Centre for Public Christianity. His writing has appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Drum, The Punch

the idea that most of the wars of history have been caused by religion is demonstrably false. The vast majority of wars have been conducted in the pursuit of profits or power, or waged for territory or tribal supremacy, even if religion has been caught up in those pursuits.

David Hart notes that, "Religious conviction often provides the sole compelling reason for refusing to kill … or for seeking peace … the truth is that religion and irreligion are cultural variables, but killing is a human constant".

Violence:

Researchers from the University of Central Florida and the University of Colorado have released a new anthropological study of several Mexican archaeological sites dating back to 700BC

They found that local religious rituals helped to forge strong small scale community links which delayed the development of large state institutions.

The scientists were studying the period from approximately 700BC to 250AD and found elites came to dominate religious life and controlled the connection between communities and their gods - leading to conflict with traditional community leaders.

Rebuttals

โต้เรื่องการใช้ misconception of religion to be a tool to create hate in people mind.