Respect People Whose Beliefs (You Think) are Stupid?

I will address your post tomorrow, as I need sleep to prepare for an important exam.

@WhiteLion:
I think you deserve +rep for your knowledge on the dark ages.

I've looked around for theories for Dark Ages and found a very interesting and plausible answer to it. The eruption of Krakatau.



(Additional information about the eruption of Krakatau and its causes here)

As it said, the result of the volcano could have caused a catastrophic chain reaction that caused everything to fall apart (the economy being the main subject here). Even if this theory doesn't seem plausible to you (Though with the evidence is staggering in the link provided), the fall of Rome took a giant toll on everyone, and the fact that serfdom took over meant that everyone was too busy working for survival to actually worry about education.

So in reality what WhiteLion said is true, we actually owe Christianity the knowledge they preserved.

You also can't deny the fact that because of Christianity, the printing press was invented and one of the most widely spread piece of work was the bible in which many learned to read from.

I'd just like to remind people that this thread wasn't created as a religion vs atheism thread. It was meant to be about the idea of respect and if respect is possible when two people disagree about the most important part of life. People can respect one another even if they disagree about which flavor of ice cream is best, but can people respect one another when they disagree about God/religion/the afterlife?

I like the posts that have been made, and it's great to see people calmly discussing things, but this simply isn't the right place for the whole "Is Christianity good or not?" thing.

On second thought, I must admit that I do not respect people with whom I truly fundamentally disagree, at all. No matter whether religion, ideology, or anything else stand behind this fundamental disagreement.
To me, respect is something volatile that other people have to earn (and can very easily gamble away), and disagreeing with me on fundamental and central beliefs simply will not help.

Example: If one were to believe in corporeal punishment, I could never look that person in the eye as an equal any more.



To me, questions such as the above are much more of an important part of life than the question of belief in (a) god. And as far as these important issues are concerned, I'm an intolerant bastard.

Post rescinded.

Unfortunately, I love debating as I find a good debate always forces me to exercise my mind. As such, I can be a bit overeager and end up on tangents. So, apologies for the derailing.

You know, Reading through all these, I have to admit, its a bit disappointing. Everyone has a black and white view on this, while its really a deep shade of grey.

Religion isn't perfect, far from it. It causes wars and separates people and makes some people blind to logic and truth.

But its not a bad thing, in fact, in many cases its good.

It gives people incentive to be kind and generous and hopeful. In a world where there wasn't the promise of a better life if your good, then what incentive do you have to be nice at all? When a situation looks bleak and hopeless, how better to boost moral then to turn to a higher being? to hope that something bigger than you is watching over you? True or not, it gives hope, and that can be one of the greatest things that can happen to you.

For that much, I think people, in general, should respect religious beliefs.

Religion is a two-sided coin. Life would be better in some ways without it, but it would be worse in others without it. Ultimately, though, its here. No amount of bickering and pointing out holes in the "otherwise airtight logic" of religious texts will change that. So instead of whining about it, we might as well celebrate what it DOES give to us, and try to fix the problems it causes.

Thanks!

I don't believe in religion, but I don't hate people who are religious. Why? Because religion can do great things for people. Now, I DO hate people who take their religion too seriously/out of context.

But wasn't religion used to explain the world around us (take a look at ancient religions, happen to be quite fascinating) Though, yes those stories were quite fanciful, but also you have to consider the time period. Now through science, we can actually say why this is that way.

Just because someone believes in God (and his/her many incarnations, because let's face it they are all the same thing) doesn't mean they are stupid. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs thoughts, whether they are religious or not. Though, yes there are those who believe so much into their religion that they refuse to change with the times, you know those people who think that God just went 'click' with creation, instead of scientific proposal of the big bang. They tend to be the idiots, every group has them. In all honesty, each religion is the same at it's basic core. So all are right at it's basic level, with the way we should treat those around you, the way you would treat yourself. Though I'm not saying religion is right by any means.

Your thoughts, beliefs, they are your own, you are entitled to them, free will and all.

Respect should be based on a person's character, their overall character, not because they believe in some deity or not.

Also, let me put this out there, I'm Catholic (i believe in the teachings of cathol, :P ) does that automatically make me stupid?

but, the problem with religion is that it is not just this thought thingy, but it extends to a much more problematic stuff, such as absolute morality as they claim it, the(ir) way of life, and of course, their desire to make all people subject to that system. that's why religion is quite the trouble...

plus, going against science just because science makes the gaps for their god to fill narrower is bad...

I loved reading the posts discussing religion, I just didn't want my thread to turn into solely a discussion of religion.

It'd be fantastic if you guys could make your own thread and continue the debate in it though. :)

Yeah... that alone pushed my theory from being a theory to factual truth. Whitelion is far more well read than I am. If I expect to remain his rival I need to pick my game up.

For simplicity as this is about personal codes or ethics rather than about facts I'll try to keep this short and I may show personal views rather than facts.

If you have a religion but, keep it personal. I'll think your naive.
if you have a religion and push it on others. I'll think your an idiot.

I don't respect anybody who chooses to believe in some divine being. I only look down on them (figuratively) for needing a crutch to make it through life. I can at least not mock their religion in front of them. Regardless if I want religious buildings burned to the ground, religion banned and "believers" locked up in mental asylums. That my friends is a personal opinion and those hold no place in an intelligent argument.



You shouldn't have a reason to be nice other than the fact that being nice is the right thing to do. Your actions effect society as a whole. Cut that guy off in traffic and he may take his anger out on somebody else.



God isn't going to help you out of a tight spot. I mean, why should he/she/it? What makes you any different than another person in the same situation. Maybe they're in a worse situation than you. Why should an all powerful being pay such close attention to the tiny ant on a planet full of other ants? What makes this tiny ant any more special than the others? In truth, that (as in Pocru's logic) actually makes me more depressed than normal.

You shouldn't need a reason to be nice to people. But most people do. Thats life.

AND, I never said that god WOULD. I just said that the belief that there's a god on your side gives people hope, it makes them feel hopeful, even if those beliefs aren't well-founded. Without hope, people would just give up and submit to whatever awful fate that happened to fall on their heads, hope is what can drive someone to doing great things: and sometimes people need a god in order to feel hope.

its a morale thing, not actual Divine intervention.

Thanks!

Somebody on your side who won't help you. How is that supposed to give you hope? They're just another bystander then.

In the end I have my disagreements and severe dislike of religion but, in the end as long as the religious people keep their religion to themselves and their community then we'll get along just fine.

In this case, it's the idea that someone is there for "you" that counts. If they're that emotional about it, then it's best to let that delusion be.

lol, religion, if i say that i ever talked to God, people might not believe me.
That's how religion made for. It is complex, without the truth, without logic.

So my truth is mine, and yours is yours.
and i agree with people who say, "don't push your religion to other people".

But all their trying to do is save people. Religious people believe "god" exists as atheists believe "god" doesn’t exist. All they want is for you to avoid hell or spend eternity in happiness with "god". Not something evil or horrible they are trying to help you have a good after life. Conversion is important to them because they want everyone to live in happiness in their after life.

Now I don't condone forcing people to convert if they are converted by force then they don't really believe and how can someone who doesn’t believe be "saved". Conversion should be a choice or it's not truly conversion just pretending.