“I think people need to understand this very specific point. Ideas are not sacred. They don’t need to be respected. People need to be respected. So we do criticize ideas and institutions... including religious institutions.”
- Todd Stiefel
Quote Source: Patheos
Another thing people need to realize is that the feeling of offense comes form within, if something bothers us it more than likely is something that bothers us specifically more than it bothers the majority of other people.
Most people wanted to be respected, most people however have no ides what it is to respect others, this problem makes it technically impossible not to offend others with our ideas especially when others consider their ideas to be an extension of themselves. Respect is generally defined as admiration and I will say people do not need to be respected but rather they should earn it.
Our ability to maintain freedom to express ourselves should be respected to some degree but not without consequence. Ideas are not people and Ideologies are not people either, no matter how attached an individual may find themselves to an idea it is not a violation of that person to question or scrutinize their idea.
Our ideas are not a part of us they are simply expressions of our thoughts and a healthy mind should have ever changing thoughts. When our ideas get out of hand and start to effect the lives of others we should be fully prepared to expect the ideas of others to attack our ideas as well. If our ideas violate the living conditions and rights of others we should fully expect to have our ideas to come under intense scrutiny.