The World Would Be Better Off Without Religion

The BriefGet Up To Speed

In the words of Blaise Pascal, mathematician and Catholic, 'Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction.' Does religion breed intolerance, violence, and the promotion of medieval ideas? Or should we concede that overall, it has been a source for good, giving followers purpose, while encouraging morality and ethical behavior?

Matthew Chapman
3 Items
- Author, Filmmaker and Co-Founder of Science Debate
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An Atheist's Evolution
Matthew Chapman will argue for the motion the world would be better off without religion at the Nov. 15 Slate/Intelligence Squared U.S. debate in New York.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Slate
Matthew Chapman

At Last a Comic Book Hero Atheist
A real hero with real courage, Pat Tillman not only refutes forever the lie that there are no atheists in foxholes, but more than that provides an opening for a far more radical thought: atheism, in and of itself, is courageous, and faith, in and of itself, is cowardly.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Huffington Post
Matthew Chapman

The Atheist in the Closet
If you've spent time meeting religious people in small-town America, it's easy to imagine what "outing" yourself as an atheist could mean in such a place. Atheists should learn from the gay rights movement that the first step toward acceptance is the one that takes you out of the closet.

Thursday, June 16, 2011
Huffington Post
Matthew Chapman

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singleton
A.C. Grayling
8 Items
- Renowned Atheist and Professor of Philosophy
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An Interview With A.C. Grayling
Tyler Krupp and Rachel Stuart, The Stone, New York Times, October 31, 2011<br/>An interview with Grayling, philosopher and public intellectual.

Monday, October 31, 2011
A.C. Grayling

A.C. Grayling: 'How can you be a militant atheist? It's like sleeping furiously'
In his new book, The Good Book: A Secular Bible, the philosopher sets out his manifesto for rational thought. He talks about why religion angers him, the power of philosophy and his mane of hair.

Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Guardian
A.C. Grayling

God and Disaster
In the wake of the natural disaster in New Zealand and Japan, Grayling questions those that spend time praying to a god.

Sunday, March 13, 2011
A.C. Grayling

The Meaning of Life: An Interview with Professor A.C. Grayling Part One
Peter Brietbart, Freethinker, February 22, 2010<br/>A 4-part interview with A.C. Grayling, discussing the meaning of life and the burqa in , combating extremism and circumcision in , why religion has stuck around so long in , and what lies in store for humanity in .

Monday, February 22, 2010
A.C. Grayling

The Meaning of Life: An Interview with Professor A.C. Grayling Part Two
Peter Brietbart, Freethinker, February 22, 2010
A 4-part interview with A.C. Grayling, discussing the meaning of life and the burqa in , combating extremism and circumcision in , why religion has stuck around so long in , and what lies in store for humanity in .

Monday, February 22, 2010
A.C. Grayling

The Meaning of Life: An Interview with Professor A.C. Grayling Part Three
Peter Brietbart, Freethinker, February 22, 2010<br/>A 4-part interview with A.C. Grayling, discussing the meaning of life and the burqa in , combating extremism and circumcision in , why religion has stuck around so long in , and what lies in store for humanity in .

Monday, February 22, 2010
A.C. Grayling

Is Religion a Force for Good... or Would We Be Happier Without God?
A panel discussion on the role religion plays in society featuring A.C. Grayling, Evan Harris, Samia Rahman, Jon Cruddas, and Cristina Odone.

Sunday, November 21, 2010
The Guardian
A.C. Grayling

Believers Are Away With the Fairies
Religion has lost respectability as a result of the atrocities committed in its name, because of its clamoring for an undue slice of the pie, and for its efforts to impose its views on others.

Monday, March 26, 2007
Telegraph
A.C. Grayling

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Dinesh D'Souza
7 Items
- Author, What's So Great About Christianity
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Why We'd Be Miserable in a World Without Religion
An interview with Kings College President Dinesh DSouza: why hell argue against the motion, The World Would Be Better Off Without Religion, at the Nov. 15 Slate/Intelligence Squared U.S. debate.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Slate
Dinesh D'Souza

What's So Great About Christianity
The undecided person is right to wonder how Christianity will make his life better. After all, he is considering not only whether to believe something but whether to base his life on it. DSouza enumerates some concrete ways in which Christianity can improve our lives.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Huffington Post
Dinesh D'Souza

God Knows Why Faith Is Thriving
Across the globe, religious faith is thriving and religious people are having more children. By contrast, atheist conventions only draw a handful of embittered souls, and the atheist lifestyle seems to produce listless tribes that cannot even reproduce themselves.

Sunday, October 22, 2006
Dinesh D'Souza

Q&A with Dinesh D'Souza
Stan Guthrie, Breakpoint, November 12 & 19, 2009<br/>An interview with DSouza about his life as a Christian apologist.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Dinesh D'Souza

The Surprising Fact of Morality
Evolutionists have some ingenious explanations for morality. But do they work?

Wednesday, November 4, 2009
National Review
Dinesh D'Souza

Cosmic Justice
If evolution cannot explain how humans became moral primates, what can?

Thursday, November 5, 2009
National Review
Dinesh D'Souza

God Is in the Basement of the Empire State Building
Dinesh DSouza, the new president of New York Citys only Evangelical college, wants to build a Christain A-team.

Sunday, July 24, 2011
New York
Dinesh D'Souza

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singleton
Rabbi David Wolpe
5 Items
- Named the #1 Pulpit Rabbi in America by Newsweek
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Religion Doesn't Make People Immoral, Being Human Does
An interview with Rabbi David Wolpe: Why hell argue against the motion, The World Would Be Better Off Without Religion, at the Nov. 15 Slate/Intelligence Squared U.S. debate.

Thursday, November 10, 2011
Slate
Rabbi David Wolpe

Does Faith Matter?
Yet there is a reason why people who are part of religious communities give more to charity, are healthier and happier - as demonstrated in study after study. Faith is not the child of hope but its parent. Faith gives one the courage to find purpose even in dark times.

Sunday, September 28, 2008
Huffington Post
Rabbi David Wolpe

King Using Blunt Instrument But Nuance Needed
Without eliding or eluding the fact that Islam is a particularly troubling case in the modern world, the question remains: does conducting hearings into Islam specifically aid or impede our pursuit of terrorism?

Friday, March 11, 2011
The Washington Post
Rabbi David Wolpe

Stephen Hawking Can Imagine There's No Heaven
Can science and religion coexist? Of course they can if each side is willing to practice a little epistemological humility.

Monday, May 16, 2011
The Washington Post
Rabbi David Wolpe

Why Are Atheists So Angry?
Wolpe gives four reasons why he thinks atheists are so angry.

Friday, March 11, 2011
Huffington Post
Rabbi David Wolpe

More from Rabbi David Wolpe

For The Motion

Entry 1

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

God Is Not Great:

Imagine No Religion

Imagine, sang John Lennon, a world with no religion. Imagine no suicide bombers, no 9/11, no 7/7, no Crusades, no witch-hunts, no Gunpowder Plot, no Kashmir dispute, no Indo/Pakistan partition, no Israel/Palestine wars, no Serb/Croat/Muslim massacres, no Northern Ireland troubles.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Richard Dawkins

Letter to a Christian Nation: Afterword

The fundamental problem with religion is that it is built, to a remarkable degree, upon lies.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Atheism, Secularity, and Well-Being: How the Findings of Social Science Counter Negative Stereotypes and Assumptions

Social scientific research concerning the identities, values, and behaviors of people who dont believe in God or are non-religious, and addresses the ways in which atheism and secularity are positively correlated with societal well-being.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Phil Zuckerman

Faith No More

Earlier this year, Andrew Zak Williams asked public figures why they believe in God. Now its the turn of the atheists from A C Grayling to P Z Myers to explain why they dont.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Andrew Zak Williams

Against The Motion

What the New Atheists Don't See

To regret religion is to regret Western civilization.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Theodore Dalrymple

Why Religion is Good for Us

Theodore Dalrymple, an atheist, argues belief in God makes you a better person, both morally and practically.

Monday, April 21, 2003

Theodore Dalrymple

Myth 2: Religion Does More Harm Than Good

An impartial examination of the facts will lead any objective observer to the conclusion that religion, and Christianity in particular, has been and continues to be an overwhelming force for personal and social good.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Father Thomas Williams

Man vs. God

Karen Armstrong and Richard Dawkins to respond independently to the question "Where does evolution leave God?"

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Karen Armstrong & Richard Dawkins

Why This Scientist Believes in God

As a believer, Collins sees DNA, the information molecule of all living things, as God's language, and the elegance and complexity of our own bodies and the rest of nature as a reflection of God's plan.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Francis Collins

Why Do We Need Religion?

It's not so much about this doctrine or that, Mass or the Lord's Supper or even Ramadan or Yom Kippur. It's about purpose, meaning and whether I ought to get out of bed in the morning.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Oliver Thomas

I'm a Believer

In our increasingly secular society, many religious people feel their voices are not heard. So here, leading public figures and scientists explain their faith to Andrew Zak Williams.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Andrew Zak Williams

Religion and War

God and War: An Audit & An Exploration

Are religion and religious differences to blame for war and conflict? Many war leaders have claimed to have God on their side, but should religion get the blame? A "War Audit" commissioned for the BBC program "What the World Thinks of God" investigates the links between war and religion through the ages. It was carried out by researchers at the Department of Peace Studies at Bradford University.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Greg Austin

Morality

Morals Without God?

While morals may not have come exclusively from religious precepts, it might be hasty to say that religion has nothing to do with our moral code.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Frans De Waahl

Debates

Religion: This House Believes That Religion Is a Force For Good

Mark Oppenheimer and Sam Harris debate whether religion is a force for good for the Economist.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Economist October 5

Religion: A Force for Good? Audio

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Religion: A Force for Good?Transcript Munk Debate/BBC

Surveys

U.S. Religious Landscape Survey

This survey details statistics on religion in America and explores the shifts taking place in the U.S. religious landscape. Based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans age 18 and older, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that religious affiliation in the U.S. is both very diverse and extremely fluid.

Friday, February 1, 2008

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

In U.S., Increasing Number Have No Religious Identity

Gallup surveys confirm a downward drift in religious identity among Americans, as well as a slight increase in the number of Americans who view religion as old-fashioned and out of date.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Frank Newport

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