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Sorry to keep quoting H.L.Mencken but he says it so well as far as I'm concerned. Apologies to those that have seen these quotes from me a hundred times....but I do like them!!
"The way to deal with superstition is not to be polite to it, but to tackle it with all arms, and so rout it, cripple it, and make it forever infamous and ridiculous. Is it, perchance, cherished by persons who should know better? Then their folly should be brought out into the light of day, and exhibited there in all its hideousness until they flee from it, hiding their heads in shame.
True enough, even a superstitious man has certain inalienable rights. He has a right to harbor and indulge his beliefs as long as he pleases, provided only he does not try to inflict them upon other men by force. He has a right to argue for them as eloquently as he can, in season and out of season. He has a right to teach them to his children. But certainly he has no right to be protected against the free criticism of those who do not hold them. He has no right to demand that they be treated as sacred. He has no right to preach them without challenge. Did Darrow, in the course of his dreadful bombardment of Bryan, drop a few shells, incidentally, into measurably cleaner camps? Then let the garrisons of those camps look to their defenses. They are free to shoot back. But they can't disarm their enemy.
-- H L Mencken.
"The most curious social convention of the great age in which we live is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected."
-- H L Mencken,
As you all know, I'm very anti "You must respect my religion" belief. What you Christians need to realise is that you don't have to "mock" the beliefs of another religion to become 'offensive'. The very fact that you say to a Muslim "the Christian god is the only true god" is, in itself, very offensive to him. There is one particular Christian on this forum who regularly posts things about Christianity being the only "true" religion and that anyone who believes otherwise is "going to burn in hell" and there are many that would find that offensive.
I have also seen posts from Christians saying that anyone who doesn't believe in JC/god is either mis-guided or an idiot. The Christian bible itself even describes us atheists as "Fools". Yep! Very tolerate is Christianity.
I'm one of those who says Jesus is the only way but that is my belief. I don't think a belief should be offensive. If a Muslim said Mohammad was God that would not offend me because that is his belief. But, if a Christian said that anyone who doesn't believe in Jesus as God is an idiot...that is different because that is attacking the person and not discussing the issue at hand...whatever that might be. Does that make sense? That is where I think we should just try and get along. Not so much in trying to be so PC that you can't even discuss your belief of lack of faith.
Sorry to keep quoting H.L.Mencken but he says it so well as far as I'm concerned. Apologies to those that have seen these quotes from me a hundred times....but I do like them!!
"The way to deal with superstition is not to be polite to it, but to tackle it with all arms, and so rout it, cripple it, and make it forever infamous and ridiculous. Is it, perchance, cherished by persons who should know better? Then their folly should be brought out into the light of day, and exhibited there in all its hideousness until they flee from it, hiding their heads in shame.
True enough, even a superstitious man has certain inalienable rights. He has a right to harbor and indulge his beliefs as long as he pleases, provided only he does not try to inflict them upon other men by force. He has a right to argue for them as eloquently as he can, in season and out of season. He has a right to teach them to his children. But certainly he has no right to be protected against the free criticism of those who do not hold them. He has no right to demand that they be treated as sacred. He has no right to preach them without challenge. Did Darrow, in the course of his dreadful bombardment of Bryan, drop a few shells, incidentally, into measurably cleaner camps? Then let the garrisons of those camps look to their defenses. They are free to shoot back. But they can't disarm their enemy.
-- H L Mencken.
"The most curious social convention of the great age in which we live is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected."
-- H L Mencken,
Again, I think it's good to criticize the person's beliefs and discuss them without criticizing the PERSON for that belief. That is where I think the respect shoud be...that person has a right to their beliefs...but that doesn't mean we have to respect the belief itself.
"The most curious social convention of the great age in which we live is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected."
-- H L Mencken,
All opinons should be respected, even religous ones.....after all, we lthere is something callsed "freedom of religion"....
Why are you quoting Mencken anyway? I was flamed and attacked for quoting Pope John Paul based on "relevancy".....same goes here? Why should we listen to this guy?
All opinons should be respected, even religous ones.....
So if I said that IMO, black people are inferior to white people or that women are inferior to men or that any baby that was born with defects should be destroyed at birth to avoid the cost of it's medical treatment being a burden on the tax payer or all immigrants should be deported back to their own country or the KKK are doing a fine job....should my opinion be respected? No! Opinions do not warrent respect...the person may but not his opinions.
Quote:
Why are you quoting Mencken anyway? I was flamed and attacked for quoting Pope John Paul based on "relevancy".....same goes here? Why should we listen to this guy?
You don't have to...I just happen to agree with him!
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