Quote:If the question is "can I as an atheist ever find common ground with a theist that leads me to respect them" yup, do it all the time.
I think that we, as humans, can find common ground with almost anyone. Most theists reject the worst parts of their religious beliefs and actually leave according to common sense and empathy, just like most atheists do.
No one, not even the most fundamentalist of the fundamentalists, can actually believe everyything that is written in the Bible. Indeed, most theists build their morality case by case, cherrypicking quotes who suit their ideas. The Bible is so long that you can find quote that support every kind of moral disposition.
The only main moral difference between atheists and theists is that we can easily acknowledge that the sources of our morality are ultimately other men, who are no less prone to failure than ourselves. The theists, to be consistent with theiur beliefs, postulate a supreme moral authority.
Defining this moral authority and what it entails, however, leads to many paradoxes and contradictions, so by the end of the day most theists just identify their own personal sense of right and wrong with a god, and they live in the exact state of moral uncertainty and social change that we all experience.
Sure, there are exceptions. Some literalist branches reject modernity and doubts in favor of a misguided search for eternal absolutes. Even they, though, have to compromise with reality. Those who don't end up getting themselves in serious trouble.
