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Totally false and what is worse you know it but say it anyway. There is no causal link between atheist and political atrocities. Nor have you even once even attempted to adumbrate one. Correlation is enough for you to throw out this canard and then run as if you presented some kind of QED.
If anyone thinks Russia or Hitlers Germany were Secular then they do not know what secular means and they know nothing of history.
I actually find most religions, especially christianity, completely repulsive. Yet when I am in the company of someone espousing their beliefs, I just distance myself and then try to avoid them completely. That's my version of "respect". I don't engage or debate. I just remove myself. But I secretly lose all respect for the person who believes all that crap.
I am not sure I would call that respect. That sounds more like being cajoled into silence. If they are espousing their views publicly you are perfectly in your rights to espouse a counter view.
While I do not advocate banging on the doors of the religious and espousing atheism at them... if they come out with it where you are, you are more than welcome to come out with your side of things too.
In fact I would find correcting people on their errors as being a form of respect. It shows you care enough to divest them of their errors. While sitting back and letting them continue on with them shows no respect at all.
I am not sure I would call that respect. That sounds more like being cajoled into silence. If they are espousing their views publicly you are perfectly in your rights to espouse a counter view.
While I do not advocate banging on the doors of the religious and espousing atheism at them... if they come out with it where you are, you are more than welcome to come out with your side of things too.
In fact I would find correcting people on their errors as being a form of respect. It shows you care enough to divest them of their errors. While sitting back and letting them continue on with them shows no respect at all.
I learned a long time ago that it is an exercise in futility to argue religion or politics. It's been proven that the more you present believers (of anything) with the facts refuting their position, the tighter they will cling to their beliefs. I do not engage because it's a waste of time. I do not sit back and let them continue. I either politely extract myself or announce myself as an atheist and change the subject. That's as much respect as I can muster for their delusions.
I like what you brought up - separating the two - respect of beliefs vs. respect of the individual. I never stopped to separate the two or consider that. However, I find that I'm able to respect both, as in, respect for the individual to have religious beliefs. haha. Anyway, what about respect for the person's behavior? That sounds like more of what you have the issue against. For isntance, i could respect a Christian as a person, but I don't respect them if they try disrespect ME as an individual. Actually, scratch that... I get a lot of disrespect for being a non-believer, and I'm sure most of us do. The instant a Christian says, "I'll pray for you," when they find out you don't believe in Jesus and God, is a sign of disrespect, even though they don't even realize it. And for that reason that they're so ignorant of individuality and differences in beliefs, I find it hard to disrespect them for it. I would lose respect if they did something extremely shocking towards me, or someone I care about. Perhaps, if... my kid was baptized against my knowledge, for instance, I'd lose respect for the individual that lead that to happen. But ya, i don't disrespect people of other beliefs for the sake that they believe something I think is stupid. On some level, I understand WHY they believe what they believe, and you can't really just sit around and say "what a moron," all day, but rather have the ability to understand why and how they got to where they are, and accept it to the point of respecting it.
I actually find most religions, especially christianity, completely repulsive. Yet when I am in the company of someone espousing their beliefs, I just distance myself and then try to avoid them completely. That's my version of "respect". I don't engage or debate. I just remove myself. But I secretly lose all respect for the person who believes all that crap.
I don't necessarily lose respect for the person if they believe in a deity--unless they inject it into their conversations, try to convert me, blather on and on about it, etc. I just give atheists and agnostics points for being enlightened.
Also, for the OP, accepting that someone has a right to a belief is not the same as condoning that belief.
I respect people's right to have beliefs. I don't have to respect the beliefs themselves. It seems to me that religious beliefs get a pass, that they're supposed to be "respected." I say, keep home behind closed doors.
I learned a long time ago that it is an exercise in futility to argue religion or politics.
Thankfully I have learned the exact opposite. Our Atheist Ireland website is forever receiving emails from people in Ireland saying "Thank you for helping me see my errors" and deconverting from religion.
The email accounts of the big names like Harris, Dawkins and Dennett are also filled with such too and they talk about this often in their talks.
Even my Direct Message account here on City Data forum sees the occasional "Thank you for your logical and patient posts, you have really made me see things another way" type emails.
It is too easy to throw up ones hands and say "I can make no difference, it is all pointless" but it seems that when one sticks at it one makes more difference than one thinks. And one is not alone in the struggle either. We are making a difference. It is painfully slow and the fruits of it might not really become evident for several lifetimes.. but the change is there and I am proud to have played my own small part in it.
Yet you think its sane to believe that our personality traits came from materials such as rocks, dirt, hydrogen gas, turning into a vast dense cloud ? And an accidental one celled pond protozoa popping into existence being responsible for all life forms on earth including 'accidentally' working its way up to your human brain which Scientists cant duplicate and are baffled as to how it works (yet random accidents figured it out) ? If those examples arent enough....you 'dont believe in absolute moral laws' until your reaction to when you are morally violated by another all of a sudden proves you most certainly believe in them ?
Your lack of respect needs to be redirected.
Well, I might have an answer for you if you were capable of expressing a coherent thought in writing. I have no idea what you are saying.
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