Need help in debate?

Question

So the topic of the debate was....Is it wrong to not care about people in Africa when there are people suffering in the U.S.

I responded, "There is no wrong or right, you can care or not care about anything you choose."

So some guy quotes me and says this because my sig plainly points out I'm a christian, "This coming from a Christian??

Someone needs to get in touch with Jesus a bit more often if they think there is no right and wrong and that caring about your fellow man, or not caring about him, is the same either way."

Please help me think of a good rebuttal and I'll give you 10 points!:)

Answer 1

Your statement is correct, there is no right or wrong, it's all subjective. What I consider right, you may consider wrong. And neither answer is still correct. Now, the Christian faith does take it upon itself about laying out for you what is right and wrong, but concerning this particular issue it says nothing. I guess there's the golden rule, and the 10 commandments may play a role, but it doesn't talk about the difficulties of helping the US or Africa's people in need of assistance. Those are personal choices.

Answer 2

you should point out to the learned associate that if we are all to start to list the things in the world about which we should care about and if we are to use christianity and the bible as a guideline we would scarcely have time to do anything other than to create the list.

if we are to care about 'all who are poor' and after all there are over 3,000 references to helping the poor in the bible - then we should perhaps tax each citizen of the united states in such a manner that the wealth of all americans could be divided up in such a way that the most in the world can be helped.

but then that would be communism - a system of govt that has been proven to simply not work.

by simply helping EVERYONE we will diminish our own ability to be able to be a force to help anyone in a very short period of time.

there are certainly national priorities that we could refocus to aid more of the needy both in the usa and around the world - but this can't be the sole purpose of our existence - otherwise we lose our ability to generate the wealth that everyone is in need on in the first place.

i don't agree with your free will to not care response and i would put distance between that and your rebuttal.

but don't let the debater who used religion to use it as a justification of activity for a govt that is not religious in nature.

using religion as a justification to do or not do something simply shirks the moral responsiblity of living in the here and now to some religious group.

when last i looked, religious groups don't make the moral choices for americans - only in nations like iran and saudi arabia do religions carry that kind of clout.

Answer 3

You were not answering the question "what would Jesus do?" or even "What would Jesus want you to do?" Your initial feelings of caring or not are based on your emotional reaction which is usually based on your past experiences. The emotion is not thought about or planned it just is. You can decide whether you are right or wrong to feel that way after you think about it intellectually. Our experience of living with our family , neighbors, and friends here in America make us have a more immediate caring response emotionally, where to care about Africans you have to be educated to their situation, and be able to empathize with those you cannot actually see, hear, or physically have contact with. What you choose to do may be wrong or right, but we are not wrong to have an instant emotional response.
Does that help?

Answer 4

My response (assuming that your in the US) is that it would be more wrong to turn your back on your own people (such as Katrina victims) and focus instead on people that are 7000 miles away.

While I am concerned about hunger and poverty throughout the world, the fact is that there is plenty of it in the US, thanks to natural disasters. And it's not getting the attention that it deserves. Furthermore, it has been proven time and time again that whenever a substantial amount of aid is sent to Africa, it either falls in to the wrong hands (the despots and dictators) or rots in the port terminals while domestic issues get (or don't get) handled.

Answer 5

Caring or not caring is not really the issue here. In the real world we have to work with what assets we have available to do good, and then allocate them accordingly. While we may care for the poor in Africa, it is incumbent on us to take care of our own first.

Answer 6

How about, "OK, I have problems in my own family. Should I not care about you and your family?"