Respect People Whose Beliefs (You Think) are Stupid?

I tried this on another forum a long time ago, and no one really understood what I was doing, but maybe things will be different here. Probably not, but this place needs more discussions. :)

In Yubiseiharukana's thread about religion, he says that he believes that religion is false, but he respects people who are religious (paraphrasing). I've heard similar sentiments said many times. I've often heard it from people in favor of religious tolerance, who probably say it to avoid disputes.

It just doesn't make sense to me.

Let's say, hypothetically speaking, that I am a Christian. I believe that any person that is not a Christian is going to burn in Hell. If I know an atheist who has denounced Christ, how can I respect that person? Why should I not respect them? Well, would any person respect someone who believes that the earth is flat? Should a person who earnestly believes that blacks are an inferior group of people be respected? Should people who are stupid be respected? Shouldn't respect be something a bit more special? Or can we hand it out to everyone? Should we respect everyone just because they're alive, or were once alive?

Now, I am not religious. At all. But I don't really have anything against religion. I don't think it's stupid. The Flat Earth Society, yeah, those people are idiots, and they shouldn't be respected. And that's the thing - the people who believe that the earth is flat are entitled to their own opinions, but it's a really stupid opinion with a ton of contrary evidence. They might as well not believe in gravity. So, any person or group of people that believes in something that stupid, whatever the belief may be, does not have my respect.

If I thought religion was stupid, then all religious people would not have my respect. That makes sense, not respecting people who you believe are stupid. Yet I've come across several people in life who believe that religion is stupid but claim or seem to respect people that are religious. Isn't that hypocritical? If religion is stupid, then the people who believe in religion are stupid, and stupid people should not be respected. Isn't that true? After all, racism is stupid, and people who are racist are stupid, and those people should not be respected. Or is that wrong?

[size=5]I wonder how many people will think that instead of saying that we should not respect people, I am saying that we should be more open about what makes an idea stupid and be less rash to judge.[/h]

Yes it is hypocritical. I firmly believe that someone who believes a fairy tale for the sole sake of comfort, someone who would so willingly and blindly follow a fanciful storybook tale, does not deserve their sentience.

Hedonists Unite!

changed my mind

I'm one of the people that respect religion but think it's kind of stupid. By this I mean, religion is entirely based on false history and trying by any means to obey it is plain stupid. But most people become religious because they need to believe in something. I'm sure most know religion itself is stupid, and is based on nothing. But being a part of a community, finding ways to push back despair and other kind of bad events that may occur isn't something completely wrong.
You don't really know why, but it sometimes feels relieving that an allmighty god is ruling the world, that what happen to you is in the "god schedule" and you can't escape it and have just to do with it.
And another thing make humans believe in some religion : it's because it's often based on kindness, righteousness, etc. It shows all the good aspect in everybody's personnality, without taking the bad in account. It's all about making you feel better.
Seriously, it's nothing bad to believe. I think there are lot more better ways of getting rid of the crualty of the real world but eh ... We can't blame them. It's just their choice. I made another one, but I have no reason to make them think they're stupid.

Oh, but this is for nowadays, because a long time ago, it was just to control the people, clerge was just another way to become wealthy. Now, it's more of a survival, preeching for goodness and gaining people to their right cause, before more leave god alone. (With the current crisis, it seems more and more people come back to religion, by the way, but I think it's not the point here.)

Why can't you respect that person it's not hypocritical. I wouldn't respect someone who hates Jewish people. Respecting a person and them being right are different things. Look at it this way do you respect FDR or JFK how about Caesar or Mother Teresa? I respect these people don’t you? You don’t have to agree with someone to respect them. Respect is gained by earning it if they earn your respect then it should not matter “what god” they believe in. Even Albert Einstein was agnostic does that mean people shouldn’t respect his Ideas?

For me all humans start out with a tiny bit of respect and it’s what they do that determines if I respect them more or less. They cure AIDS more respect they wipe out the Christians mor…. I mean less respect.(jk I stole that joke from a friend)

It's more like, can you respect someone that you think is stupid? Often, people have very strong emotions regarding religion, whether they believe in any religion or not. Because people feel strongly about religion, when someone believes the opposite of them, they care more about it. If Person A loves cars and Person B hates cars, so what? Person A doesn't necessarily believe that Person B is an idiot. But if Person A believes that you must live by "God's word" (whatever God's word may be to Person A) and that God's word is the truth, and Person B believes that God is an imaginary being and His word means squat, then to Person A, it's like Person B is saying that the truth is in fact not true.

If a guy cures cancer, that's great. But what if the guy who cures cancer believes that at night, little green men climb into his brain and make him smarter? What if he believes that dogs can't look up? I'd love that the guy cured cancer, but I could never look at him without laughing.

Every human has a part of stupidity.
It's just up to you to consider if you have to show it to the stupid one for any reason that should make him stupid (or more stupid than most of them).
Respect is more of the way you see people than the opposite. Respect is a thing you decide by your own, so it's all up to you to consider someone with respect or not. You can't change them, but you can change your way of thinking about the others, here's the point. I don't think this have anything to do with religion in fact.

Isn’t that a person by person kind of thing? It’s not like all religious people believe that god’s word is fucking everything. (most I know don’t even go to church, Christians more like liars.) I don’t think people are stupid for believing in god I just think their wrong. Your pushing what you believe on to others if you say their wrong right? So how’s that any different from them pushing their beliefs onto you. Not all religious people push their beliefs onto others. Example my parents are Christians but I’m not and they know that, never once have they tried to push Christianity on me. Not since I was a kid when they would take me to church to learn values and shit like that. When our church started spewing shit like start to convert others we left. I respect my dad even know he’s real religious. It’s fine with me he thinks I’m wrong about god but I think he’s wrong doesn’t mean we can’t respect each other.


He may be right he cured cancer.

Superiority complex much? Do you really think yours is the only true opinion? Close-mindedness can be equated with stupidity as well.


You said you hate American's for their egotism. Your post above is full of BS egotism.

In that same thread you said you also hated the fact that religious people hated people because they didn't agree with their opinions. Your statement up above completely proves your hypocrisy. Grow up a little before you post shit like this and keep the hypocrisy out of your posts.

As for respecting people even with opposing opinions, I think it is possible. I'm pretty sure everyone here has had a friend who have opposite views, but you stay friends. Why? Because they've earned your respect. Now, I'm not saying this is the case every time, but I think there are exceptions.

Fuck damn it, it's as if you were in my fucking mind or something, making a thread about exactly what I was thinking of.


Well, you may not respect them for their beliefs, but couldn't you respect them as a person, or for what they have done? What you're saying is just because they have this one belief that I deem stupid, I should not respect that person entirely. Why? In my situation take Ginichimaru for example. He has posted what I thought to be stupid shit in the past and I disrespected him for that. Does that mean I still can't respect what he has said in this very thread just because there was a part of him I didn't like?

sv51macross- Owned!

I respect people for their actions not their beliefs. How can you judge a person just for having faith in something you don't. People are just scared of things that are different.

I think it all comes down to how open-minded one is. Just because you don't believe in what someone else does, doesn't mean that you find their ideas to be stupid or that you can't respect them. But calling an idea stupid, yet claiming to have respect does seem like a lie/hypocritical.

Me, I believe in a God. Yet, that doesn't cause me to have little-to-zero respect for atheist, people who believe the opposite of me. I suppose that's because I don't think that not believing in God/A God is a stupid idea.

hmm...i gotta admit, i can never respect religious people. well, just like shaggy said, i couldn't understand why would anyone believe in a tale like that. yeah, i think such beliefs are stupid. so i can hardly respect anyone who believe in them, just because they believe.

but i still respect them for their achievements and whatever. it's like, i respect them as fellow human being, but not as a believer. because to me by respecting a believer, you are in some way respecting the belief itself. about religious beliefs and believers, well, i can just at most tolerate them. they're free to believe whatever they want, just don't force me believe the same thing.

That sentence just doesn't sit well with me. You have to be more specific. Having respect for "what", is what you're not mentioning there. Do you respect them for the idea that you find stupid, or do you respect them on a more individual level because you know them, or because of what they've done? It would make sense to call it hypocritical if you respect them for what you find stupid about them, but not if you respect them for something else.

Does a person have to be right in _all_ his decisions/beliefs in order to be respected?

If so, then no one deserves respect.

Anyone who claims to be respectful of people who are religious, and is an atheist is only saying it to make themselves look better in the eyes of the ignorant. After all, the more people who can accept atheists, the better right? I myself am an atheist, and think that religion is a primitive form of ritualistic and barbaric behavior that was created in order to distill order within the society of man for the benefit of the (insert religious leader here, i.e. Papacy). Religion today is a piece of junk. How can you claim to know god when he doesn't talk to you?

I'm on the verge of getting into a rant, so I'll keep it short and simple.

People say they respect each other for their own personal benefit. If you say you don't respect a group of people that make up a large percentage of the world population, you're gonna have a lot of problems on your hands. But, if you tell people you are willing to respect them even if you don't believe them, many people nowadays would be considerate enough to do that. So, naturally this is the best course of action for the average, morally acceptable human being.

Simple: even if you think someone's beliefs are idiotic, you respect their right to believe what they want.

Furthermore, something as complex as religion is bound to have aspects which one, as an outsider, might find more palatable and aspects which one might find less palatable. I may not believe in all of the Noble Eightfold Path, the general philosophy of attachment, reincarnation, or the ability to attain enlightenment, but there are plenty of aspects of Bhuddism I respect, such as discouraging hedonism and encouraging integrity. I could speak of most religions in the same way.

For all the shame we often like to inflict on the religious for being overly dogmatic and looking down upon those who do not believe in their faith, even atheists give quite a bit back. What's the point of criticizing religious people for being overly judgmental and narrow minded when one is going to judge people who are religious as idiots or unfree thinkers? It's the same treatment right back.

Additionally, for all the complaining about religions trying to force their beliefs on others, people have come out in this thread and flat out called people who believe in religion idiots.



Christopher Hitchens writes books about why religions are obviously fraudulent. How is this different than religious proselytizing, other than that it is done by those on the other side? People are always going to make public arguments to support their beliefs and to try and change the minds of others. It's been going on for thousands of years and continues to happen.

I actually thought the South Park episode featuring atheism did a very good job satirizing this. It doesn't matter who believes what, people are always going to publicly fight to defend their beliefs, and accusing your opponents of forcing their beliefs on others while doing the same thing is hypocritical. No type of religious or nonreligious belief is going to inoculate the world from the problem of people not agreeing and fighting for beliefs in public forums.

We just have to live with it and to respect that each person can believe what they want and can publicly represent their beliefs. If yours are different, either shrug it off, or relish a good debate. I always find a debate, even if no one's mind is changed, helps me to find which of my beliefs truly stand up under duress and strengthens those.

The feeling of respect is such an individual matter. I am a person without any kind of religious belief, yet I can't help but sigh at people like the poster above me lathandien who seems to have the roughly same idea of the matter as I have myself but can't help but state and defend their opinion as if the whole thing about religion was actually a serious matter. Respect not earned - easy, wasn't it?

Maybe I'm a failure as a human due to a slight lack of human ethics and I missed the idea behind this topic, but I just said that I'm bored of people such as the poster above me lathandien, therefor it's pretty much guaranteed that this person feels, at least somewhere deep down inside, slightly insulted and attacked as a person, and therefor won't truly respect my opinion. Someone not affected by my statement (Be it either by self-awareness or not realizing the meaning both.) will most likely think "Wow, directness and honesty is a cool thing.". Respect earned - easy, wasn't it?

The whole thing about respecting other people or being respected basically depends on how much influence you have on each other, be it either negative or positive. Let's say, I'm venting anger at the moment and I'd come around like...

"Say, ShaggyJebus, can't you think a bit for yourself? Your next thread in SD will be about what you're eating for breakfast tomorrow, huh?" and you will most likely ask yourself several questions, as in what the hell my problem is, for example. You will remember that and associate me with this ignorant attitude. On the other hand, I might be in a good mood and say something like "ShaggyJebus, you're such a genius! Your threads always make me think really hard, you're a great part of this community." and, if we ignore the incredible amount of too obvious ass kissing, will remember that and associate me with this ego boost of yours you just had.

Now I'm, for example, a highly christian person, and while I'm insulting your atheist beliefs I can't help but remind you that you're an outstanding individual and that you actually seem to have put quite some thought into the whole matter, and about... now I have earned your respect, which will result in even more respect for myself coming from your direction, which will make me feel great in the end.

If there is one thing I've had to learn over the years when it comes to the whole debate is it isn't a cookie-cutter world, it isn't black and white. Each person, each situation poses a different issue and set of values. My views on religion are black and white, but my view on religious individuals are anything but.