I live in a very pious town- we have 30 churches serving just over 20,000 people and a Christian university. I was born and raised Christian, but realized it's not for me around 4-5 years ago. Recently, I've been kind of running up against a dilemma: I'm not really sure how I feel about the beliefs of some of the strongly Christian here. I've always been leaning towards tolerance and acceptance that you know, none of it can be proven or disproven, but goddamn some of these beliefs are just flat out dumb. So on one hand, I want to respect that their beliefs are as valid as mine, but on the other hand it just seems stupid. I wanted to see what all of you thought and the rationale behind your thinking, because that normally helps me to better understand what I believe. All relevant comments welcome.
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Howdy dw!
There's a big difference between respecting someone's beliefs and respecting their right to hold their beliefs. For instance, a white supremacist holds the belief that they are better than someone with a different skin tone than they have. Do you respect that belief?
The problem with tolerance, in some cases, is that it can lead to a situation where some can gain the power to foist their beliefs onto others. This is something against which we should guard. Tolerance too often partners with apathy.
CyberLN
I see what you're saying, and I agree. I guess to that it's sort of a matter of what they believe and their logic behind it whether I can respect their particular belief. Some beliefs have more backing behind them. Other beliefs, I guess I can only really respect if the holder of the beliefs isn't pandering their beliefs to me.
Well, dw, despite not asking my advice, I'll offer it anyway. :-)
Be very careful about that pandering. Some of it is invidious, hidden, disguised, underground. It can effect your life and liberty in unobvious ways.
Also, there is a big distinction between someone 'believing' something and someone 'thinking' something. What is belief? It is the acceptance of something as true without the benefit of facts. A believer frequently eschews acceptance of actual data lest it undermine that belief.
As we evolve, our perspective towards religion. Respect is important but we should not concern with what others beliefs because what is important is our own belief.
Thinking that tolerance is respect for a belief is erroneous, tolerance is only respect for the person, not acceptance of the rationality or validity of their beliefs. We tolerate people, not there beliefs, only their right to have a belief. In turn, if we do not agree with those beliefs, we ARE allowed to discuss or offend those beliefs as we wish. It is a two-way street, however, so we should expect to have our own beliefs discussed and offended in the bargain.
Well put, Travis. I, in no way, have to tolerate anybody's absurd ideology, but I can find tolerance for the person (to a point), if someone cannot at least try to present their side using a well thought out and reasonable argument without taking an idiotic stance including resorting to personal attack then I don't waste my time. Because once they take it there I know every one of my words are going to fall on deaf ears. I'm more interested in having an exchange with someone who isn't in it for any other reason than to make personal attacks. First one must show me he's open and interested in more than making personal attacks.
That is a good policy, if we dig down deep enough most people disagree about something; what matters is not how strongly they hold their position, but how reasonably they can defend it. How strongly we hold a belief, how good it makes us feel, nor how much we want it to be true makes a position good; only a sound reasonable argument can do that, and that is the entire purpose of these discussions.