Atheism and disrespect

[zebo-the-fat]

Respect needs to be earned, it isn't automatic. Still waiting for any religion to do that.

[Silver]

Respect needs to be earned, it isn't automatic. Still waiting for any religion to do that.

Maybe they think they automatically deserve respect because they're the boss of the afterlife. 

You know, like how bosses think they automatically deserve respect?

[LastPoet]

Maybe they think they automatically deserve respect because they're the boss of the afterlife. 

You know, like how bosses think they automatically deserve respect?

I have earned my respect from my coworkers as a boss. I need it. Suffice to say, by doing that, I lost respect from the administration. But then, they never worked a day on their lives and they know they can't get rid of me easily.

[Silver]

There's always someone higher up to blame, isn't there?

[adey67]

My take on it is one that I suspect is pretty generic and common among atheists. I respect anyone's right to believe whatever stupid thing makes them happy or enables them to cope, wanna believe in jesus allah or psychics and mediums, or a flat earth then knock yourself out, I DON'T have to respect the beliefs themselves especially not when they are an insult to my intelligence and I reserve the right to SAY both generally and to any individuals why what they cling to is ludicrous or insults my intelligence.

[Angrboda]

I'm drunk now so please take this with a grain of salt.

I really think it is necessary to make some room for those people who do not hurt you but you disagree with.

Unfortunately, we find ourselves in highly polarized times now so that it is easy to look at somebody who disagrees with you as an enemy.

We seem to be at a fork in the road point where one is right and the other is wrong. So how do you look at someone who chooses the "wrong" path?

We got past this same sort of thing in the 1960s and I'm sure we will do so now.

The transition will be awkward but it will happen.

Stand your ground.

I haven't the foggiest idea what it is that you just recommended.

[Brian37]

A lot of my friends, even atheists, view my views on religion as 'disrespectful'. So much that I just don't state them anymore. 
So I'm curious. In real life (because most people behave differently online), what are your boundaries? Where do you draw the line and decide a certain battle isn't worth fighting. When do you think you're unnecessarily going too far?
For example, at a recent overnight retreat with my extended family, people were telling each other spooky stories. (I have no idea why.) So my grandfather had this incredible idea of making everyone sing some long ass prayer later to 'ward off the evil spirits' . Keep in mind, most of my extended fam consists of right wing Hindu fundamentalists, so almost everyone readily agreed. I happen to not know that prayer (we never prayed in my home). So after everyone was done, my grandmother told me to memorize it (keep in mind that it's long, takes about 9 minutes to sing it). I bluntly told her no, and that I considered it a waste of my time. I'd rather spend all that time and effort doing something that I consider more worthwhile. I later decided that I wouldn't say such things. It doesn't hurt to say yes. It's not like she was gonna call me a month later and ask if I'd memorized the stupid prayer. So yeah, that's how I want to behave. I don't think religion (or the lack of it) is worth creating a divide over. 
What about you guys?

I have long since ditched the word "respect". Far too much of the time, regardless of position, the person, left or right, is using it to say, "Know your place," or "Don't bruise my ego".

I use the word "value" instead. I will ALWAYS value things like non violence and open pluralistic societies, and human rights. But that does not mean I am blindly obligated to never say something responding to bad claims.

I love my late mother, she was a mostly voting republican, but if she had kept repeating "The Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the NHL Stanley Cup." it would irritate me to the point of wanting to correct her.

I can love the empathy of Martin Luther King Jr, and still want to say, "UM no sir, there are no such thing as magic babies with super powers." But I certainly would have marched with him if I had been alive back then to do so.

I can love the empathy of Malala but again, you do not need old patriarchal religiously driven clothing to dress modestly.

I can love the empathy of Ann Frank and hate what Hitler did to Jews and still think, "Nice Yahweh you have there, seems to have fallen asleep in that time."

Even with atheists. I can value A Phillip Randolph whom was a black atheist supporter of King, and hate the economics of atheist Ayn Rand.

I see lots of good in my fellow humans, I see lots of bad in my fellow humans, the only difference between me and a theists is that I simply do no assign our behaviors as magically coming from old books, holy people, or magically handed down to us from above.


But in general it depends on the context of the individual situation. I do not value blasphemy laws though. If our species never questioned social norms, our species never would have left the caves.

[AFTT47]

I'm drunk now so please take this with a grain of salt.

I really think it is necessary to make some room for those people who do not hurt you but you disagree with.

Unfortunately, we find ourselves in highly polarized times now so that it is easy to look at somebody who disagrees with you as an enemy.

We seem to be at a fork in the road point where one is right and the other is wrong. So how do you look at someone who chooses the "wrong" path?

We got past this same sort of thing in the 1960s and I'm sure we will do so now.

The transition will be awkward but it will happen.

Stand your ground.

I haven't the foggiest idea what it is that you just recommended.

Neither do I. Keyboard should have breathalyzers built into them.