However, love of competition and contest for the sake of competition and contest, particularly in relation to debates, can be unhealthy and dangerous. Debates, after all, are usually focused on a point of disagreement in relation to a spiritual, social, political, or otherwise important topic of discussion that affects the beliefs and lives of many people. Thus, watching and listening to debates should, to me, be about more then just enjoying friendly differences of opinion.
I have, however, also heard it said that debates are useful for educational purposes; if you hold a particular view on a certain issue than you can learn a lot about the opposing viewpoint by listening to someone who holds that opposing viewpoint. And if you learn about an opponent's reasons for holding the view they hold, then you can learn and research how to respond to their arguments, thus strengthening your belief in your position while learning more about the issue itself. And what better place to educate yourself and learn how to defend your beliefs then by seeing a debate on this very issue?
I must caution, however, that while it is certainly true that debates are a terrific educational tool for the above-mentioned reason and it is a truly acceptable and good reason for watching debates, the reason for learning about an opposing viewpoint of your own should never be solely or primarily to learn how to combat said opposition; while it can play a part in your motivation, it should not be the dominant excuse you use. I offer a better reason for you to listen to debates, or anybody with an opposing viewpoint for that matter, and that is in order to follow and live by what is true, regardless of where it leads. This is another way of saying: be open to the possibility that you are wrong and be willing to change your views if you discover yourself to be on the wrong side of the controversy. And this is ultimately due to the very nature of debates themselves being a pursuit of the truth. These positions affect the way we live our lives in most circumstances. Thus, it would seem to be of utmost importance for us to make sure that we are on the right side of things; and should we find ourselves to be on the wrong side of an issue (which we all are concerning one topic or another) then it is our duty, as a result of our pursuit of truth, to reflect on it and change what we believe and why we believe it.
This may seem completely logical to some, even elementary. But I would just mention that a) it is not so easy for everyone to grasp, and b) even if you believe what I say, that does not make it easy to live out. God knows I struggle with living out an open mind and heart every single day in one way or another, despite knowing that I should.
We must, therefore, strive to recognize that we may very well be wrong about what we believe, and change our beliefs and actions accordingly.
As an example: lately I have been very interested in the difference between Catholics and Protestants on the issue of authority: in other words, what in the Christian faith is supposed to lead us in our beliefs and teachings? In particular I have been watching debates and reading up on Sola Scriptura, the Protestant belief that The Scriptures are the only infallible rule of faith for the Christian; all other authorities, while important, are completely and utterly subject to the Scriptures. Catholics, such as myself, disagree, believing that it is the Scriptures, Tradition, and the Magisterium that are the infallible pillars of faith for the Christian.
Now if I, as a Catholic, am wrong about my belief and the Protestant belief of Sola Scriptura is correct, then I would be doing myself a big disservice, at the very least, by not at least being open to changing my mind and heart about the issue, for I will not really come to the truth without doing so. Thus I should be willing to abandon my Catholic faith and embrace the Protestant belief of Sola Scriptura should there be truly sufficient and convincing reasons to do so.
The same, however, can and should be said of the Protestant, as well as everybody who holds a position on a particular controversy. Any debate, whether it be a formal debate or a disagreement with a friend, is not just a chance for us to learn, but a chance for us to come to and follow what is true and to leave behind what is false.
I once heard a pro-life speaker say that each and every one of us believes false things, we just may not realize at this very moment that they are false. Regardless of what differences we have amongst each other, we in one way or another agree on the necessity to believe the truth. That is what all of our heartfelt beliefs are derived from.
And yet each and every one of us still experiences moments when we are unwilling to change our beliefs, even when the belief is shown to be untenable.
As a result, it is a continuous work-in-progress for us to remain in this mindset of openness to the truth, which is ironic because we all inherently desire the truth; it is just always simpler to remain where we are then to change. But change we must if we are to discard all falsehood and come to know all truth. And we all have the responsibility to do just that, each and every one of us.
And so as a start to that, here is one of the Sola Scriptura debates that I watched recently. Enjoy, learn, and be open-minded.
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