Have you ever lost respect for someone

[dolo amber]

due to their being a 'believer' or religious?

I know I have, but it really depends on the level of respect I had for them in the first place...the ones I *really* respect, it kinda hurts, but I try to see past it. Athletes, celebs, etc whose work/talent I admire...as soon as they start in with the "I just wanna thank my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for this win" or whatever, I'm usually like..."Riiiiiiiight..."...:eyes:

[fshrink]

1. It's my main problem with being a non-believer.

I can't respect believers past a "certain point", which comes unfortunately pretty fast. The only friend I have is somewhat of a believer and, him kinda knowing that I'm not, we sorta avoid the issue. I respect him, but I'm still held back some by this difference, although he's not a stupid lord/saviour crap believer. In fact, the point I'm talking about comes faster when you have more things in common with the person. Each knowing that there is this difference, and yet wanting to avoid confrontation, we dance around the issue, never tackling it head on. Still. There is this limit. Which wouldn't be there if he was a non-believer. I would add that with women (I'm hetero), I just couldn't put up with it... Guess the "limit" would be reached too fast!

[Az]

5. Its when we are closer to people that small differences make

the biggest differences. Its merely a psychological defense mechanism. Those who are similar to us are considered safe by our constructed world view. But if there is a minor differenc and if it is at a critical location then it can be percieved by the mind as a perversion. It will naturally respond with a stress reaction and attempt to distance itself lest it become tainted by the difference.

[AmyJCNJ]

2. You mean like Dobson?

oh you mean like people I had respect for in the first place.

no, I really don't care what peoples religious beliefs are as long as they don't try to proselytize me.

As far as people like that freak Jackass Dobson, he should be censored from spewing his hateful garbage.

[immoderate]

3. Depends on context.

I know some believers that I can hang around with comfortably. they live like me, they just believe in god.

I presume that those that I wouldn't want to hang with, wouldn't be comfortable either, with someone with a more hedonistic philosophy.

I don't socialize with anyone who is orthodox or fundamentalist, but I've worked with them, and we get along fine.

I have no problems unless somebody wants to "get religious" with me.

--IMM

[southpaw]

4. Yes... but more often it's just plain puzzling...

Like when the person in question is otherwise intelligent... not gullible or prone to foolishness. It's downright amazing how such intelligence can be suspended when it comes to religion.

[toddzilla]

6. i have a friend that is firmly convinced ...

when we talk about stuff he basically says anyone that believes in god is an idiot, and truly intelligent people can't believe. i'm not quite that bad, but i agree to a certain point. It's just a total lack of critical thinking, and the desperate need to think you are somehow more special than your dog is in an overall world view.

[southpaw]

7. I'm not that harsh, either...

It's just the disparity that bothers me... Intelligent people who have no problem applying critical thinking and healthy skepticism to most everything that can, somehow, become unquestioning sheep when it comes to god/religion.

How do such people separate religion from everything else?



edited for spelling

[trotsky]

8. I'm with you, southpaw.

People who will apply a critical thinking filter to everything else in their life, yet accept the incredible claims of their religion without hesitation. Some brains can handle the cognitive dissonance without problems. Mine couldn't, thus I became an atheist.

[progressoid]

9. Yep, it is frustrating.

Maybe I'm becoming less tolerant because it seems to be getting harder and harder for me to put up with it. I used to have a more 'live and let live' attitude but now I can't seem to get past this issue. Particularly with the heavy infuluence these zealots have (or want to have) on society, politics, etc.

Ignoring celebrities for the moment, it is especially difficult for me with my own family members. I'm floored by their ability to simply shut of reasoned thinking when it comes to their faith.

[Taxloss]

10. A lot of it is PR Bullshit.

Atheism has a persistent history of being under-reported; people will tell pollsters, and census forms, their religious background rather than their present beliefs. It's partly ignorance about atheism and partly fear of being "outed".

[sybylla]

11. Yeah, in the olden days the census taker was likely your neighbor

and throughout the process more than one person in the region got to look at those answers. Confidential or not, how long do you think it would have taken for word of an atheist in the community to leak and spread?

Wouldn't have been too bright to admit to atheism.

[Az]

12. The word still carreis a lot of stigma

We have an argument going on right now over in the religion thread with someone defiantly holding to the agnostic title.

A lot of the problem I suspect comes from the fact that the bulk of society defines terms and the word atheist is defined by those that believe in god. Thus an atheist becomse someone that actively denies the existance of god rather than someone that simply does not believe in god. The entire issue is created such that it turns the logic on its head. And all this from a simple semantic twist.