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: I am a High School debater this is my case on that topic. Please e-mail me at paulrdorasil@hotmail.com with any comments or tips. Any responce will be appriciated. : 1AC : Intro- : In this life, all people sin. Some people believe in original sin, that we are born with sin. Then how can we be saved? Where can we look for salvation? For many including myself, the answer is God. But how do I or anyone else know what God wants from us? The Bible is the best source of God’s law. However, is it enough to just follow what is written in the Bible to the letter or must we fulfill God’s intention? I believe and hope you believe that God intended us to follow the meaning of the Bible not just the technical wording. That is why I stand resolved that: When in conflict, the spirit of the law should supersede the letter of the law. : Definitions- : To better understand the meaning of this resolution, I will now define all key terms. Definitions come from The American Heritage High School Dictionary and WebBible Encyclopedia copyrite 2000: : · Conflict- A state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or interests; a clash : · Spirit- The actual though unstated sense or significance of something : · Law- The Law of Nature is the will of God as to human conduct, founded on the moral difference of things, and discoverable by natural light. This law binds all men at all times. It is generally designated by the term conscience, or the capacity of being influenced by the moral relations of things : · Should- used to express obligation or duty : · Supersede- to cause to be set aside especially to displace as inferior or antiquated : · Letter- in literal interpretation : · Salvation- This word is used of the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians, and of deliverance generally from evil or danger. In the New Testament it is specially used with reference to the great deliverance from the guilt and the pollution of sin wrought out by Jesus Christ, "the great salvation" : The purpose of any human being is to achieve salvation, being saved from sin. We follow the law to achieve salvation and so the affirmative will use salvation as its value. A quote from Exodus CH 15 Verse 2: The Lord is my strength and my strong helper, he has become my salvation: he is my God and I will give him praise; my father's God and I will give him glory. As you can see, salvation, being saved, is very important to achieve, and can only be achieved through God, which brings me to my criterion: God’s will. Interpreting God’s will can be tricky. It is hard to say what a supreme being wants you to do based solely on a book that has been translated and interpreted in so many different ways. One has to trust in one’s own interpretation. After all, God created all of us differently to interpret his word differently. : Contention 1- Following the spirit of the law will enable us to carry out God’s will better than sticking to the letter : The Bible is the source of God’s law and a wonderful place to look for guidance. Nevertheless, God himself didn’t write The Bible you read. It was written, translated, and interpreted by a person. It’s wording is the product of the author, but it’s meaning and intention is that of God. Therefore, only through looking at the intention or spirit of God’s law can we truly understand and follow God’s will. According to Encarta, the Bible has hundreds of different translations. With all these translations and interpretations, it is impossible to follow them all to the letter, but it seems both moral and practical to follow what you believe God wants you to do based on your own interpretation of his word. : Contention 2- Following God’s will achieves us salvation : I remember in Exodus when Moses parted the Red Sea. Then he and the son’s of Israel crossed on dry land. After they were safe on the other side, the Egyptians who were chasing them were still in the middle of the sea. Just at that moment, God dropped the sea back into its original position crushing and killing the Egyptians and leaving the Israelites safe and sound on the other side. The Egyptians died, and the Israelites sang and rejoiced. This shows how only by following God’s will can one achieve salvation. You see Moses did as he was told and sent a message to both the Pharaoh and the son’s of Israel. The son’s of Israel followed God’s will and observed the P Over. The Pharaoh, however, refused to let the Israeli slaves go and worship in spite of the miracles performed by Moses. Therefore, the slaves were freed and saved and the Pharaoh and his Egyptians perished. : Contention 3- : Conclusion- : Sources- : The American Heritage High School Dictionary : WebBible Encyclopedia copyrite 2000: : NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE : Copyright (C) 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by: : THE LOCKMAN FOUNDATION : LA HABRA, CA 90631 : "Bible," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001 : http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation.

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