Shouldn't Atheists learn to accept religion?

[BlueGirl]

I'm not trying to upset anyone here. This is my personal opinion and I just want to know if anyone agrees with me. I see so much hate flying around on the internet from both atheists and religious people and I really don't think any of it is nessesary.

I don't know what atheism is to you, but for me it's just a simple view: I don't believe in God. I get very annoyed when religious people try to convert me back to faith (I have one very devout family member who really irritates me) and I think that needs to stop. There's nothing wrong with not believing.

But I also don't have a problem with faith.

It really surprised me to see that atheists on the internet seem to have very little respect for religion. I understand that perspective- there really is no sense of logic to it, it's seems silly, and it can be dangerous. But I also think that in moderate amounts it can be a very good thing. Some people (most people) are comforted by faith in a god, and I really think it's something many people need in their lives to feel whole. I think that's probably why they so often don't understand how atheists can go without a God. Religion isn't required by all people to feel happy, but for some people it definitely is. I don't feel that this is a failure on the part of those people, but apparently many other athiests do.

I think religious faith can contribute a lot to a persons life. Not every persons life -I certainly dont' want it- but why else would it have persisted so long if it didn't mean something? Tolerance of differing beliefs isn't just for athiests. I think it's important that we remember that all beliefs should be respected, even if they seem ludicrous to us.

So what do you guys think?

[Gawdzilla]

We've had to live with it for all our lives. We've also lived with rape, child abuse, war, over-armed drug dealers, and the disintegration of society.

[Alex K]

What does it mean concretely to respect a belief?

[pocaracas]

I think it's important that we remember that all beliefs should be respected, even if they seem ludicrous to us.

Two words: anti-vaccination.

Most beliefs are wrong and, as such, deserve no respect.

[ignoramus]

The parents give their children drugs from a young age to get them addicted.
Of course they're gonna need it to feel good as adults....

Imagine a world where this didn't need to happen?
It has evolved into something which probably does more harm than good for society.
Living in Australia, religion is almost non existent, yet we still see people murdered here over its ideological differences.

[Aoi Magi]

Atheists do accept religion, they fully accept it exists.
But respecting religion is not gonna happen as long as one wants to hold on to their self-respect.

Religion is a broken crutch, if you lean on it too hard, you'll fall.

[madog]

I have no problem with people believing in anything ..... The problem is when part of that belief is to make others believe in what they believe and to force their interpretation on the rest of society.

Not all the religious are hateful, but they give support to those that are.

It is easy to say religion should be respected if you are not effected by their doctrines of hate ....

And be very clear, almost all religions operate by hating others that won't assimilate into their interpretation of what is good.

[Minimalist]

Frankly, I'm sick and tired of religious bullshitters telling me how holy they are.

Screw 'em.  They cause far too much trouble in the world.

[BlueGirl]

I think religious belief is different from things like anti-vaccination in that it doesn't cause any bodily harm to people. Whether it causes mental harm is something people disagree on, but it's really a decision for the individual if they want to believe in something that may be damaging.

I disagree with the drugs comparison in that I think religious belief is a good thing and so nothing like drugs at all. I also don't think it causes more harm than good in society. I think it's only harmful when taken to extremes, as in the case of terrorism, when people try to impose their beliefs on others or when they take their sacred text literally. Not every person with religious faith does these things -the vast majority of them never hurt anyone.

There have also been murders in my country over ideological differences. During the late twentieth century and even the early 2000's thousands of people were killed in Northern Ireland because of conflict between Catholics and Protestants. While that was also down to political differences religion definitely had something to do with it. So I understand that religion can be a cause for violence. But so can race, and football, and those things aren't considered inherently damaging.

And by respecting a belief I mean respecting a person's right to have it and the validity of that belief. Many atheists I have seen online are openly scornful of religious people and insist that having a belief in god is the result of stupidity or brainwashing. They don't consider it a 'real' belief because it is not backed up by logic. But I don't think beliefs have to be logical in order to count for something.

[Losty]

I will respect a person's right to hold their own beliefs so long as their beliefs do not harm others. I will not respect the actual beliefs if I find them to be irrational or delusional or both.