(January 19, 2017 at 2:03 pm)Tartarus Sauce Wrote:(January 12, 2017 at 11:19 am)Catholic_Lady Wrote: As I said on a different thread, one of the double standards I see among some people here (not all) is that they are quick to attribute a person's bad actions to their religious beliefs. But when a person does something good after being inspired/influenced by their religious beliefs to do so, all of the sudden religion has nothing to do with that person's actions.
This is one of the main reasons I don't post on atheist boards that often anymore. There is a legitimate prejudice against theism that goes beyond criticism and skepticism and enters the realm of bigotry. Being a theist, any kind of theist, is seen as more than just flawed belief by some, but as an intractable character defect that compromises everything about the individual. There are certainly some theists whose convoluted beliefs make this a reality, but a non-insignificant portion of atheists on online communities like this one incorrectly project the psychosis of fundamentalists onto theists of all stripes.
Especially when you see many of the same intellectual flaws being carried out by atheists when discussing a completely different subject. It's understandable though. Being raised in a religious environment, or a scientifically literate environment, doesn't just determine what you believe to be true, but also how you think about new things. So if you're raised to respect figures of authority, you may eventually realise that your religion is incorrect and ask awkward questions of your priest but still fall into the same trap when evaluating what a government official, public speaker or corporation has told you.
Conditioning takes a long time to break.
