We'd be better off without religion : debate

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Summary

It has been called a gateway to eternal salvation and an incitement to holy war. It has unified peoples yet divided nations. Religion: would society be better off without it? That is the question i...

It has been called a gateway to eternal salvation and an incitement to holy war. It has unified peoples yet divided nations. Religion: would society be better off without it? That is the question in this Oxford Union-style debate as panelists make their case. Speakers for the motion underscore that rampant interfaith and intrafaith violence vastly outweighs any social benefits of religion and that key virtues of religion, such as inspiration and consolation, can readily be found in other aspects of life; those against suggest that religion is inescapable in that faith is an integral part of human nature and that religious moderates-the majority of the planet's faithful-cumulatively do great good in the world. Questions from the floor follow. The final vote? Marginally for. British media personality Joan Bakewell presides.

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