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  • This house prefers a world where all individuals believe in Karmic reincarnation

    Infoslide

    Karmic reincarnation is the belief that what you do in this life decides what happens when you are born again in your next life. When you do good things, you get good karma and this leads to being born into a better life (e.g., if you help others and are kind, you might be born as a human again). When you do bad things, you get bad karma and this leads to being born into a worse life (e.g., if you hurt people and commit crimes, you might be born as an animal or have a harder life).

    Shanghai WSDC Open 2025 · Round 6 · 2025-09-12

  • This house opposes norms that impose narrative coherence on people's life experiences

    Infoslide

    Norms that impose narrative coherence on life are widespread cultural ideas that portray life as intrinsically ordered or authored. Common phrases that echo these norms include 'everything happens for a reason', 'what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger', or 'the night is darkest before the dawn'. These norms suggest that events in life are part of a coherent story with direction, resolution, or moral significance, rather than being random, fragmented, or senseless.

    Cambridge Union Schools Debating Championship Australia New Zealand Round 2025 · Round 4 · 2025-08-30

  • This House Believes that the majority of Western citizens will not get into the Good Place

    Infoslide

    The Good Place is an afterlife in which people are permanently fulfilled and happy. This heaven is guarded by an omnipotent being who assesses your actions, their consequences and the intentions behind those actions. Your religious inclinations on earth are not factored in. If you are judged net positively, you will be admitted.

    VDC Contentions 2025 (English) · Grand Final · 2025-08-28

  • This house, as a Christian struggling with religious disillusionment, prefers “The Collar” by George Herbert over “Vespers” by Louise Glück

    Infoslide

    Both “The Collar” by George Herbert and “Vespers” by Louise Glück are poems that explore their narrators’ frustrations with religion and God. [For those curious, we gave everyone [a link](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Qyf_jSOhfG3_jBSAl2bN_GLf6ewZgb7GUtR4GYFAX84/) to the two poems alongside glossaries for specific terms. Everyone had 10 minutes to read them before we released the motion.]

    Drexel Pre-WUDC 2025 · Round 3 · 2025-08-23

  • This house, as Patti Smith, supports ending her romantic relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe

    Infoslide

    In her memoir “Just Kids,” Patti Smith recounts her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. For this debate, it is 1970 as depicted in her memoir: the two artists, both in their early twenties, share money, cramped New York City rooms, and creative inspiration for their work, and have begun to gain traction in the art world (e.g., befriending prominent artists, performing in downtown venues). Deeply in love, they reach a turning point when Robert confides in Patti that he is strongly attracted to men and feels intense Catholic guilt for it. He tells her he wants to explore his sexuality, believing it will sharpen his artwork, while keeping their romantic bond.

    Drexel Pre-WUDC 2025 · Semifinals · 2025-08-23

  • This house would prohibit nations from militarising disputed cultural or religious sites.

    Infoslide

    Militarisation involves deploying troops, establishing bases, or using military infrastructure in contested locations. Cultural or religious sites are sometimes fortified, escalating disputes. For instance, Cambodia and Thailand stationed forces at the Preah Vihear Temple, a disputed heritage site, sparking tensions that developed into armed clashes.

    Swinburne Sarawak Inter-School Debating Championship 2025 (Senior) · Quarterfinals · 2025-08-18

  • This house would criminalize the use of religious conversion as a precondition to marriage

    Infoslide

    In certain religions, a religious conversion has to happen in order for a couple to get married (e.g., a non-Muslim man cannot marry a Muslim woman without converting to Islam)

    Orgullo Intervarsity 2025 · Round 2 · 2025-08-16

  • This House opposes the body as a temple narrative

    Infoslide

    <div>"The ""body as a temple"" is a religious and philosophical idea found in faiths like Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism. It sees the body as a sacred vessel given by God(s) to house the soul, and therefore, deserving of deep respect in both actions (e.g., refraining from eating certain foods, avoiding overconsumption) and thought (e.g., framing thoughts about one's own body positively)."</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

    BRAC Genders 2025 · Semifinals · 2025-08-15

  • This house prefers positive to negative theology

    Infoslide

    Positive theology describes God using human terms and attributes, affirming qualities like goodness, justice, and power, and occasionally feelings like anger or mercy; this approach is common in Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Negative theology, on the other hand, emphasizes that God is ultimately unknowable and beyond human comprehension, so we can only understand him indirectly through his actions—an approach found especially in Judaism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and certain mystical traditions.

    St Andrews pre-EUDC 2025 · Round 2 · 2025-08-13

  • This house believes that it is in the best interest of traditionally conservative religious institutions to adopt moral flexibility over moral absolutism

    Infoslide

    Moral Flexibility is the belief that moral principles can adapt to changing circumstances, contexts, and societal norms. It allows reinterpretation or adjustment of religious teachings Moral Absolutism is the belief that certain moral principles are universally and permanently true, regardless of context, cultural change, or consequences. Under moral absolutism, religious teachings and doctrines are interpreted as fixed and unchangeable, and actions are judged as inherently right or wrong according to these timeless rules.

    Visayas Intervarsity 2025 · Round 3 · 2025-08-09

  • This House believes that the shift towards religious fundamentalism is in the interest of PAS.

    Infoslide

    PAS (Parti Islam Se-Malaysia) is an Islamist political party in Malaysia. Under their president Abdul Hadi Awang, PAS has shifted towards religious fundamentalism and ethnonationalism. This includes drafting legislations expanding Sharia jurisdiction over crimes, forced gender segregation, a blanket ban on theatres and cinemas in Kelantan and Terrenganu where they are the State Government.

    Guangdong Debate Challenge 2025 · Semifinals · 2025-08-09

  • This house prefers a world where, post July revolution, the NCP actively pursued minority denominations instead of Jamaat

    Infoslide

    Bangladesh contains minority muslim denomination sects. These are shias, sufis, ahmaddiyas and other denominations. These denominations are mostly concentrated in enclaves in urban and rural areas. NCP as a political party has a primary voting base that is projected to have support in urban areas

    Mastermind Chronicles 2025 · Semifinals · 2025-08-08

  • This parliament (Dr. Tonoy) will reject the gift of eternal life.

    Infoslide

    Dr. Tanay is a 35-year-old scientist who has forsaken family and friends to focus solely on his work. Throughout his life, he has undertaken groundbreaking projects. However, he has also faced failures in some of the projects he started working on and eventually abandoned them. In such a situation, he receives a divine offer of eternal life. This means he will never age beyond 35 years, he will never die—not from illness, accidents, or old age. Any damage will be completely healed, and he will live indefinitely.

    BUFTDC National IC 2025 · Round 5 · 2025-08-05

  • This House Prefers a World where religious closeness is dominant, as opposed to a world where religious distance is dominant.

    Infoslide

    Religious closeness is the belief that God is everywhere and in everything. It preaches that individuals should consider the divine implications of their daily actions (e.g. cooking, gardening, work, etc.) and act as if they are doing them for God and in the name of God. Religious distance is the belief that God is distant from the world. It preaches that individuals can only find God by religious practices (s.a. praying, meditating, giving offers, etc.) and should only be contacted for significant decisions (e.g. choosing who to marry, dodging the draft, etc.).

    Copenhagen European Universities Debating Championships 2025 · Quarterfinals · 2025-08-03