How to avoid losing respect for friends

[compass]

I chose to put this post in the psychology section because it refers to my feelings about friends who believe in religion and (shall we say) unproven phenomena.

Over the last four years I have increasingly found it very hard to stay friends with anyone who doesn't think scientifically, which is a problem.

I respect other view points and opinions, but all to often non scientific minds will assumes to know the answer to something without research, which I find arrogant.

Last night I learned that one of my best friends is a creationist. I was shocked and hurt that he would dismiss all the years of research and combined scrutiny that produced the evolution theory. I see him as someone who is therefore arrogant and foolish.

I preferred to see him as a great friend (which he is), rather than someone who I have lost respect for. How do I balance those two thoughts simultaneously?

[Reforged]

You give him a cold, hard stare for about three seconds then you move on swiftly to a subject thats less controversial.
If he has all the facts you have then that makes his ignorance a result of indoctrination and that means he will either break free of it by choice or he will continue to believe it. If he pursues the conversation with you then thats a window hes opening and you can feel free to debate him on it calmly but until then; leave it.

[Nine]

Just don't dwell on that part of who he is. I have a great friend who has Nazi views. I was shocked when I found out but he's still the person I get along with regardless of some of his views. We even have heated discussions about it from time to time but after were done we go back to normal. I like to think he's slowly getting better from this process.

[fr0d0]

Creation science is a science, if hotly contested. It has little to do with religion IMO. Therefore your objection to keeping this person as a friend is based purely upon disagreement over scientific theory. Science thrives on people thinking outside of the box, it's how progress is made. You seem to be as blinkered as your friend.

[Reforged]

Just don't dwell on that part of who he is. I have a great friend who has Nazi views. I was shocked when I found out but he's still the person I get along with regardless of some of his views. We even have heated discussions about it from time to time but after were done we go back to normal. I like to think he's slowly getting better from this process.

If I was in that situation I wouldn't be able to resist telling him I'm Jewish. Must be the troll in me.

[Nine]

If I was in that situation I wouldn't be able to resist telling him I'm Jewish. Must be the troll in me.

Lmao. That would have been hilarious!

[5thHorseman]

Creation science is a science, if hotly contested. It has little to do with religion IMO. Therefore your objection to keeping this person as a friend is based purely upon disagreement over scientific theory. Science thrives on people thinking outside of the box, it's how progress is made. You seem to be as blinkered as your friend.

Creation science is not a science, it's a hypothesis with not a hint of evidence to back it up.

It is also not thinking outside the box. Creation science is done by blinkered Christians who want it to be real, but offer nothing in evidence.

The United States National Academy of Sciences states that "creation science is in fact not science and should not be presented as such." and that "the claims of creation science lack empirical support and cannot be meaningfully tested."

Real science is testable.

[Reforged]

Creation science is a science, if hotly contested. It has little to do with religion IMO. Therefore your objection to keeping this person as a friend is based purely upon disagreement over scientific theory. Science thrives on people thinking outside of the box, it's how progress is made. You seem to be as blinkered as your friend.

Ha ha ha oh wow. Wow. Well there you have it compass. Creation science is a science and not a ridiculously unbacked crock of elephant shit as previously thought. No doubt he has tons of evidence which hes just too modest to present.
Your problem is solved, convert today before its too late.

My feelings towards this statement can be accurately represented by this video.

[compass]

You give him a cold, hard stare for about three seconds then you move on swiftly to a subject thats less controversial.
If he has all the facts you have then that makes his ignorance a result of indoctrination and that means he will either break free of it by choice or he will continue to believe it. If he pursues the conversation with you then thats a window hes opening and you can feel free to debate him on it calmly but until then; leave it.

The trouble is he doesn't have the facts that I have. The reason he doesn't have the facts is because (like many people) he resists studying the facts. I assume that to be the case because evolution is one of the most tried and tested theories I can think of, impossible to refute when looked at in detail I would say.

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Just don't dwell on that part of who he is. I have a great friend who has Nazi views. I was shocked when I found out but he's still the person I get along with regardless of some of his views. We even have heated discussions about it from time to time but after were done we go back to normal. I like to think he's slowly getting better from this process.

Thank you. I want to get to that point because I know I shouldn't judge someone on one aspect of their personality. For some reason I am struggling with this a lot.

The only way I can explain it is this, imagine your friend denied that magnets are attracted to metal. No matter how many times you tried to show him the evidence, he simple laughed, refused to test magnets and considered YOU to be closed minded. How do you enjoy such a persons company?

Whilst that is an extreme example, it is not too far off of this situation. I have friends who believe in magpies predicting the future, yet have done no research into the myth. Are they Lazy? Arrogant? Stupid?

[Reforged]

You give him a cold, hard stare for about three seconds then you move on swiftly to a subject thats less controversial.
If he has all the facts you have then that makes his ignorance a result of indoctrination and that means he will either break free of it by choice or he will continue to believe it. If he pursues the conversation with you then thats a window hes opening and you can feel free to debate him on it calmly but until then; leave it.

The trouble is he doesn't have the facts that I have. The reason he doesn't have the facts is because (like many people) he resists studying the facts. I assume that to be the case because evolution is one of the most tried and tested theories I can think of, impossible to refute when looked at in detail I would say.

Well in that case you could prepare a couple of small pictures of different transitional forms with a simple, easy to understand explanation.
If he brings it up again just show them to him and if he comes out with something ridiculous like "maybe God placed the fossils there to test us" go back to step 1; cold hard stare, change subject.
If someones willing to picture God getting out a shovel and giggling as he prepares a prank for us as rationalization for his belief then there is absolutely no point in pursuing it.