Interesting topic here. Let me put my 5 cents here, starting from long times ago. I`ll write my opinion about core of the topic: "The Big Religion/God Debate".
Things people couldnt explain - were explained by "God" definition.
Let me tell you what i mean.. earlier, regular for us things were unknown and mysterious, like Rain - gods crying, lightning - gods angry, wind, snow, hurricane, sun, fire etc.. people didnt know how things work, so they decided that something unusual is driving there - a God. During times, we started to understand about life, about our planet and other planets/starts surrounding us. We started to understand how things happening, what they cause. Definitions of God were disappearing one by one. But one, global meaning of God, creator of everything - is still "alive" in people minds. For how long? I think it`s matter of time.
That`s what im thinking about gods.
Relision is ablsolutely another thing. Its kind of rules of life, based on something amazing, based on "Number One" in the world - God. Since we still believe in that, it a good way to accord that rules. I dont think its bad. Its good, actually. Mostly. There are good principles of life, in every single religion. But since we have a lot of different religions - thats the bad thing. People hurt, killing each other because of that. Someone can loose a family, others simply changes inside, becomes agressive or.. "closed" in themselves. A lot of psychology there. Its a power of hope, of believement.
For me - its personal. Its matter of every single person what to believe in. As tastes in food, that can be differs aswell. So topic of "debates" is actually not correct, IMO. Its about opinions. Debation about religion.. about something that you believing by all your heart - never ended nice. Anyway definition of God will live for a very long time. But at some point, it will gone. Why is that? Coz we believe in what we`ve been told. When u see a person that u trust and love, when it says you something that is "right" - u believe in that. No matter how its on real - u trust a person that u love. Im talking about parent and childrens, when humans becomes a persons. When adult human live 50 years with hope for something, with believing of God, there is no way to say to yourself "you know.. its a bullshit". Kinda no way to do that.
But this can be changed only in epoch of global informational world. People are getting closer to that, so i think many things will change in people`s mind in a very nearest future.
That power of trust in words that told by person that u love is so strong, that people ready to kill each other to proof they are right. To proof to others that they are wrong. That power is a very bad instrument in hands of those, who manipulate it. That`s why we have new kind of wars nowadays - informational. But this topic not about it.
think about.
"He, who owns the information, owns the world". W. Churchill