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  • This house prefers a world in which all world religions codified the doctrine of the "Protestant work ethic".

    Infoslide

    The "Protestant work ethic" refers to the notion that work is a spiritually noble vocation. As such, individuals who adopt the Protestant work ethic believe ordinary labor (e.g. farming, business) are not just economic necessities, but active callings from God, and that traits in the pursuit of hard work (e.g. diligence, perseverance) are signs of spiritual strength.

    Singapore International Schools Debating Championships 2025 · Grand Final · 2025-11-16

  • This house, as the Catholic Church, supports the growing number of conversions inspired by right-wing online “Trad Cath” communities

    Infoslide

    The "Trad Cath" movement refers to an online subculture based on Catholic traditionalism. Trad Caths lean heavily on Catholic aesthetics (e.g. chants, gothic architecture and saints' quotes) and also support traditional social values (e.g. support for traditional gender norms).

    ANU Spring 2025 · Round 3 · 2025-11-15

  • This House prefers a world in which oracles exist.

    Infoslide

    An oracle is someone capable of providing prophecies. These prophecies are expressed vaguely, in poems or riddles, but they are always accurate. Oracles cannot choose what they prophesy about and only see very limited parts of the future—fixed points that cannot be changed. Oracles are rare: only a few hundred exist at the same time, distributed proportionally to the population around the world.

    LUMS Asians x OPFDC 2025 · Grand Final · 2025-11-10

  • This house, as a religious leader, would destroy the test.

    Infoslide

    Many religions include artefacts that are claimed to be historically sacred, e.g. Buddha relics, bones of Catholic saints, the Holy Grail. You are a religious leader who has discovered a test that can definitively verify the authenticity of any artefact.

    LUMS Asians x OPFDC 2025 · Grand Final · 2025-11-10

  • This house believes that the tribe should decide the person to be sacrificed by a lottery system rather than a majority vote.

    Infoslide

    There is a prehistoric tribe of about 100 people who sacrifice one member every year for the purposes of a religious ritual. There is no way to disobey this ritual because otherwise God would become angry with the tribe and destroy it completely. God will not retaliate regardless of who dies.

    LUMS Asians x OPFDC 2025 · Round 3 · 2025-11-10

  • This house, as the 14th Dalai Lama, W publicly declare that there will be no 15th Dalai Lama.

    Infoslide

    The Dalai Lama is a title given to the spiritual leader of the Gelug school, the newest and most dominant of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The incumbent 14th Dalai Lama is known for his work in overcoming sectarian divisions and representing unified Buddhist values and traditions. After the annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China, he escaped to India after the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising, where he continues to live in exile while remaining the spiritual leader of Tibet. Traditionally, the Dalai Lama is believed by adherents to be able to choose the body into which he is reincarnated, and upon his death, a search for the Lama’s reincarnation is conducted alongside a consultation with his personal oracle. The Chinese Communist Party has stated its intention to be the ultimate authority on the selection of the next Dalai Lama, and have even enshrined this right into Chinese law.

    LUMS Asians x OPFDC 2025 · Grand Final · 2025-11-10

  • This House Believes That states with predominantly Muslim populations should embrace Islamic modernism over Islamic secularism.

    Infoslide

    Islamic modernism refers to a movement which attempts to syncretize the Islamic faith with values typically associated with western modernity, including but not lmited to democracy, civil rights, and equality. It is described by scholar Mustafa Akyol as an effort to re-read Islam's fundamental sources--the Qur'an and the Sunna--by placing them in their historical context, and then reasssessing them in the light of the modern context. It is contrasted with Islamic secularism, which argues that Islamic influences on political and legal systems should be removed in favor of a separation of religion and state.

    USC Mini 2025 · Round 3 · 2025-11-08

  • This house regrets the decline of Catholicism in Latin America

    Infoslide

    In Latin America, Catholicism has declined from 90% of the population in 1970 to 65% today. At the same time, the number of non-affiliated people has quadrupled from 4% to 16% from 1996 to 2020 and Evangelicalism has risen from 10% in 2002 to 20% today.

    Chancellor's Cup 2025 · Round 3 · 2025-11-08

  • This House, as the Jewish American student, Would join the encampment.

    Infoslide

    The UCLA Gaza Solidarity Encampment was a pro-Palestine protest established on campus lasting from April 25th to May 2nd, 2024 as part of a nationwide student movement calling for divestment of university funds from Israel due to their actions in Gaza. It drew significant attention after violent clashes between protesters, counterprotesters, and police led to injuries and numerous arrests. You are a Jewish-American UCLA student with progressive politics coming from a middle-class background in Los Angeles. You are on campus during the time of the encampment.

    USC Mini 2025 · Grand Final · 2025-11-08

  • This House Prefers a World in which most religions maintain communal rituals as the central focus of Spiritual Practice.

    Infoslide

    In many traditional religions of Africa and the Americas, religious practice was primarily centered on communal rituals and social cohesion: festivals, dances, and ceremonies strengthened group identity and the transmission of knowledge. Later, there was a growing emphasis on individual spirituality and personal interpretation of the divine, detached from collective rituals.

    Santa Fe Open 2025 · Final · 2025-11-07

  • This house believes that religious leaders should not endorse candidates for political office.

    Infoslide

    Religious leaders are people who guide others in their faith, like priests, imams, rabbis, or monks. Political office means a job in the government where someone makes laws or important decisions for the public, like being a mayor, president, or member of parliament.

    Australasian Schools Debating Championships 2025 · Round 4 · 2025-11-02