Weekly Update

Intelligence2 Debate hosts The More We Evolve, The Less We Need God with Deepak & Anoop Kumar and Michael Shermer & Heather Berlin

7:00 – 8:45 pm ET on March 27 2018

Watch by Live Stream

YouTube Livestream link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xq4Z-v7O7c
Intelligence Squared Debate Page and Live Stream: http://smarturl.it/ReligionDebate

For those watching via livestream you are welcome to participate by casting your vote where you stand: For the Motion or Against the Motion.

For The Motion — Michael Shermer and Heather Berlin

Humans no longer need God to explain the unknown. Rather than turning to faith or religious tradition, modern society should rely on scientific and reasoned inquiry to address today's challenges and questions.
Morality is independent of God. From the oppression of women and LGBT people to the institution of slavery and genocide, religious groups have used faith to justify society's worst practices.
Belief in God stifles modernization: Studies show that intensely religious countries are less innovative and produce less patents than those that aren't. It is science, rather, that has been at the heart of innovation and discovery.

Against The Motion — Deepak Chopra and Anoop Kumar

According to NASA, only 4 percent of the universe is known matter; the rest remains largely a mystery. Science alone cannot illuminate or explain this large gap.
Scientific progress requires God. The creators of today's most powerful innovations - from nuclear arms to gene editing technologies — require an awareness of consciousness, and must be guided by a belief in a common good to ensure these technologies don't destroy society as a whole.
The secularization thesis is a myth: A new study by Pew Research Center shows that the world's Christian and Muslim populations are continuing to grow — even if younger generations don't attend church.