Any Political, Social, Environmental problem that Creates a difference of opinion among people is called a controversial issue. As it is said that; “To be truly positive in the eyes of some, you have to risk appearing negative in the eyes of others”. Thus, controversial issues are all those issues for which people belonging to different caste, language, culture, religion, society or nation are having a different viewpoint.
There exist many topics for which different people are having a different opinions. Topics like Capital Punishment, Religious Freedom, Animal Rights, Abortion, Evolution, Global Climate Change, Marriage Equality, Transgender rights, White Supremacy, Black Lives Matter, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and many more are having a different viewpoint.
Some examples of controversial issues are;
Religious Freedom: In America, Religious Freedom is considered a fundamental human right. As the first Amendment ensures that neither state nor church has the power to rule each other. So, under the first amendment Americans are free to practice any faith or to have no faith. But in practice, the fiery disagreement over how freedom of religion can and should be expressed has led to clashes over God’s mention in the Pledge of Allegiance, displaying the Ten Commandments in public spaces, and businesses denying service-based on religious belief. The issue is particularly prevalent around Christianity, which appears in many aspects of public life in the United State, despite not being the official religion.
Evolution: Evolution theory says that humans were evolved from pirates. There are different opinions on how humans were created. Those who support evolution theory tend to believe in Charles Darwin’s natural selection view, which is considered the primary process behind evolution. However, pushback against evolution is often rooted in religion. Those who believe that humanity was created in the image of God are often called “creationists”. At the same time, the theory of “intelligent design” claims that life couldn’t have arisen by chance. It must have been designed by an omnipotent being. And this difference of opinion has sparked debate about the separation of church and state.
Capital Punishment: Capital punishment is a criminal sentence in which a convicted criminal is deemed unfit for rehabilitation and is executed by the state. It is legal in 28 states and under federal law. Those who support capital punishment believe that some crimes are heinous enough that those who commit them are too dangerous to be kept incarcerated. On the other hand, opponents of capital punishment contend that government should have no authority to decide that who has the right to live or die. They also argue that human life is too significant to be penalized, no matter what the crime is.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The ongoing conflict between Israeli and Palestinian people has been a controversial geopolitical issue for decades. The conflict is rooted in competing for the claim to the Holy Land, and specifically, the West Bank, which includes Jerusalem and has deep ties to Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths. The UN, European Union, and the United States have intervened in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the U.S. a strong supporter of Israel. Jewish, Christians and conservative advocates in the U.S. tend to view Israel as a critical democratic partner in an Islamic region. But detractors believe that Israel is guilty of human rights violations against Palestinians. They consider Israel to be in wrong for occupying the West Bank, expanding Jewish settlements into Palestinian territories, and implementing domestic policies that marginalize Arab and Muslim populations.
“Controversial’ as we all know, is often a euphemism for ‘interesting and intelligent.” Controversial issues give you a great opportunity to think and clarify your opinions. Furthermore, discussion of controversial issues creates growth intolerance for other’s opinions. It also creates interest in gaining knowledge.
