Which is more important to you: Love or Truth?

[Whitney]

I don't care what others believe as long as those beliefs aren't somehow a hazzard to humanity.

You can't live in a world without truth and still have love....well, unless you are comfortable with love that isn't true.

[johnny]

It worries me greatly that you have respect for despicable people simply because they are human.  There is no reason to respect someone simply for being alive, they need to demonstrate that they are deserving of respect.  The difference that you are missing is that I have respect for ALL people until they prove otherwise, so no respect from me for GW Bush, Hitler, Stalin, etc.

You missed my point entirely. GW Bush does not respect Iraqi civillians,
Hitler did not respect jews, Stalin did not respect anyone who disagreed with him or got in his way - I respect ALL human beings because I am better than GW Bush,Hitler or Stalin - I would not commit genocide because I respect all human beings. That is not to say that I like,love or
admire all human beings but that I believe in a world where people respect each other regardless of who they are or what they believe
. If I were to torture or spit upon a Stalin or a Hitler then how could I show to him what kindness,mercy and respect are.

Every sexual encounter and relationship should involve mutual respect - SARCASM

Yes,actually, I believe that it should and to believe otherwise seems not only moronic to me but wierd and frightening,I think that I have just lost all respect for you. If I ever have a daughter then I sincerely hope that she never runs into you. Don Quixote,you are not, because atleast he had respect for the peasent woman whom he saw as Dulcinea.

[donkeyhoty]

Yes,actually, I believe that it should and to believe otherwise seems not only moronic to me but wierd and frightening

Lightning and thunder are weird and frightening to me, Are the Gods perhaps bowling?

Sometimes sex is just sex, you don't need a deep connection, just an attraction, one night stand - because you have no want or need to spend more time with that person.
Do I bang girls I don't respect? No.  I actually have to respect someone I have sex with, and not your delusional, patronizing "respect" where if a girl is pretty you can disregard her beliefs that you find moronic.

If I were to torture or spit upon a Stalin or a Hitler then how could I show to him what kindness,mercy and respect are

How WOULD you show them what kindness, mercy and respect are?  Is that even possible?  Guess what, Hitler was kind and respectful to children especially, as long as they weren't Jews, Roma(gypsies), disabled, etc.

What would you do to a war criminal?  Give them a time out, put them in a corner with a dunce cap on? Perhaps hit them on the head with a newspaper?

Not everyone is deserving of respect.  Also, you are confusing tolerance with respect.  I tolerate the fact that people believe in god, and would defend the right to Freedom of(and from) Religion, but I do not respect their belief in god.  The same with astrology, accupuncture, phrenology, and so on, I tolerate people who partake, but do not respect their belief.
I do not tolerate nor respect those who destroy, demean, or otherwise dehumanize members of the species we call Man, such as G-Dub, Pol Pot, Pat Robertson, for their own self-agrandizing goals.

[Whitney]

Johnny, can you define what you mean by respect, please?  I assume you are meaning:

.   deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment: respect for a suspect's right to counsel; to show respect for the flag; respect for the elderly.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/respect

specifically: having certain rights or privileges

If so, I can agree to an extent....yet, the actions of some people arguably take away their rights to certain privileges.  For example, we can all probably agree that humans have a right to freedom...yet, we might also all be able to agree that if a person commits a crime they forfeit a part of that freedom and it's okay to put the person in jail (as restriction of freedom).  In this same way, I can't respect Hitler like I could someone else because Hitler did things that forfeited his respect.

[johnny]

I agree that a person like Adolf Hitler has forfeited their right to freedom but aslong as they were incarcerated and punished then I would have no qualms about respecting their human rights or showing them a little courtesy because,unlike Adolf Hitler, I believe in human rights and I believe in showing courtesy to people,to ALL people without exception. I believe that showing respect to people is nice,civilized and an application of the golden rule, "Do to others as you would have them do to you".

[johnny]

I respect all people,Donkyhoty and everyone that I have sex with is a person. I wouldn't like to think that a person who had slept with me thought that I was beneath them or, that because I wasn't their intellectual equal, I was therefore no more than a sexual object. My primary interest in,for example, Pamela Anderson,might be sexual but I still automatically respect her because she is a human being,because it is nice to respect people and to live in a world where people do not merely tolerate each other but have respect for each other. Yes I have respect for a person,regardless how insane their beliefs, I don't respect their beliefs but beliefs are not a person. I would treat a paranoid schizophrenic with a level of respect and so why not a person who believes in Astrology. As an atheist I think that religious and cult leaders and people who write horoscopes have no respect for the people that they are trying to con, why should I look down upon the people whom I would wish to free from such ideas, if I don't respect them then why should I even bother trying to help them to change their ideas - surely the fact that I wish to help them shed some superstitious belief means that I believe that they are capable of changing and improving and this potential in them to change is worth respecting. Perhaps an individual might be genetically predisposed to believe in ideas like Astrology and thus it would not be their fault that they held crazy ideas and it would just
be unnecessarily mean and hurtful for me to treat them disrespectfully and telling people that they're stupid isn't really an effective way of educating them but if you respect a person then you might actually be more persuasive to them.

Furthermore,I really hope that it is possible to change someone who thinks like Adolf Hitler, if we could achieve such a thing then there would be no more
genocides and yes, he was selective about which human beings he treated with respect,unlike me but not unlike some other people on this thread.

[donkeyhoty]

everyone that I have sex with is a person

Really? and I have sex with animals.

I would treat a paranoid schizophrenic with a level of respect and so why not a person who believes in Astrology

I will say again, mental illness has no place in this discussion.  Unless you are equating moronic beliefs with mental illness.(lack of respect for the morons?)

if I don't respect them then why should I even bother trying to help them to change their ideas - surely the fact that I wish to help them shed some superstitious belief means that I believe that they are capable of changing and improving and this potential in them to change is worth respecting

Of course, if they are pretty you can excuse their astrological leanings as long as they don't talk about it too much.

Perhaps an individual might be genetically predisposed to believe in ideas like Astrology and thus it would not be their fault that they held crazy ideas

WHAT?  Are you joking?

Hmm, genetically predisposed?  Hitler and the Nazis, anyone?  Do I need to edify?

unlike me but not unlike some other people on this thread.

Aww, now that's disrespectful.

Furthermore,I really hope that it is possible to change someone who thinks like Adolf Hitler, if we could achieve such a thing then there would be no more genocides

What if he was genetically predisposed to believe in genocide?
-Oh, I forgot, SARCASM.


Moreover, I find your statements show your 'holier-than-thou" respect to be disingenuous.  Tolerance is far greater than your patronizing, "Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together,
try to love one another right now". (bonus points for identifying the quote)

Finally, I've grown weary of this discussion.  Anyone else please weigh in.