Why is it expected to respect the opinions and comments of those who preach/post God, but not acceptable to admit to my lack of belief and other faith based ideals? It really gets aggravating.
Just tired of feeling like an outcast
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.A tribal thing. Heaven help you if you venture outside the accepted tribal god think. All tribal thought is insulted by others who have tribal thoughts not ours.
Healthydoc70
Level 7
July 20, 2018
0
Religion has long been accustomed to unearned automatic deference and respect for themselves in the marketplace of ideas. Part of that hegemony has been the ability to use the concept of blasphemy and other taboos and threats of withheld social reciprocity, to silence dissent or criticism of any kind.
In the past 100 years or so this grip on the popular imagination has decayed quite a bit though, and it continues to erode rapidly. There may be some temporary regression or delay in this process but I am very hopeful that it is all over but the shouting for Christian fundamentalism. Within the next century at the outside they will be a fringe element. They are already only 17% of self-identified Christianity.
Sometime after that, probably in a much longer time frame, I expect Christianity generally to fade to irrelevance.
mordant
Level 8
July 20, 2018
0
Accept your atheism for what it is, and focus on other areas such as developing compassion and empathy.
Denker
Level 7
July 20, 2018
0
@Justmartha I have a friend who has looked into the AA circles, and he is actually very put off by the whole religious undertone to it. It’s a tough call because the psychology obviously works to motivate some people, and they need that, but ultimately I’d say they are selling themselves short.
Religion doesn't garner automatic respect from me any more. Nope.
jujuofthesea
Level 7
July 19, 2018
0
A social fiction says that religion has a "special place" in our discourse, and must be "respected" even though it has no rational basis.
Paul4747
Level 8
July 19, 2018
2
It's just a byproduct of the elimination of state sponsored religion when each colony had there own church. Protestant denominations were unwelcome in other colonies. That was about as far as the respect went though. Those lousy Papists and Jews need not be respected back then. Atheists weren't even thought of. Well, I guess Moslems, Buddhists etc. were considered atheists.
@Seminarian
I'd argue it also has something to do with the fact that, since "religious faith isn't subject to scientific proof", there's a fictional wall that's been erected between those thoughts and all secular thought... even when religious belief contradicts proven scientific fact.
Thus, even though we know how old the Earth is, lip service is paid to "respecting" Young Earth Creationists who keep trying to find ways that it could be only 6000 years old. We let them teach this in their schools instead of insisting they teach only accredited, actual science in science class.
@Paul4747 I try to look at it as similar to animal rights. We must respect the rights of great apes, for example, even though they don't possess our intellectual understanding. I don't think we should allow them to teach in schools though. The Creation Museum makes me want to cry as well. We must find a way to "Forgive them for they know not what they do. "Look at the bright side, if everyone was a genius we'd all make minimum wage.
It's important for people to treat others generally with respect and double important if they're respectful.
Treating someone with respect doesn't always mean treating their deeply held beliefs with respect though, basic diplomacy and striving for civility with those we disagree with goes a long way.
educatedredneck
Level 7
July 19, 2018
0
To me, a deity is nothing but fiction. When I see a post that refers to that absurdity I figuratively and literally roll my eyes.
azzow2
Level 9
July 19, 2018
0
@Justmartha The psychopaths of religious nature make me uneasy too.
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