Why Does Faith Deserve Respect

[Whitney]

[youtube:8p1x9kxl]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reQvxWZJURE[/youtube:8p1x9kxl]

[Zab]

What this guy says is interesting, however, I disagree with him.

First he says that faith deserves respect because it one of the most power social forces in the world. So? Killing witches and public executions were one of the most common forms of public entertainment in the world at one point. Does that deserve our respect?

Then he says, billions of people make a tremendous amount of their life's decisions based on faith. That's not a reason to respect it, that's sounding the alarm. The reason faith is so dangerous is because of the mass amount of people that let it control their day to day lives. All they need is 'oh, you must commit this *random atrocity* to prove your faith to god' and rational people worldwide are in for a shitstorm. Now, I know not everybody who has faith and believes in god will actually do horrible things without question, I'm not even going to assume a majority of believers in North America would. However, that doesn't make it any less dangerous when we know that faith spreads faith, and we have no idea what future dogmas will entail.

He continues saying, people live, die and kill for their faith. I don't see how this is a reason for us to respect it.

Then he sates that it is an "incontrovertal" fact that any force this powerful deserves respect. Says who? where does this fact come from? why is it "incontrovertal"?
Yes the force of faith worldwide is indeed very powerful, however it does not compare to a natural disaster which is unavoidable, unpredictable, and uncontrollable. Faith is none of that. Humanity can avoid faith based catastrophes, we can make some predictions about them, with more accuracy than natural disasters anyway(or so I assume), and we can control them because we, humans, can control ourselves.

Lastly he says we need to respect people of faith because they wont respect us, they will resist us and our logic, and we will never connect with them on a deep and profound level. I believe this is really a situational thing, a lot of believes will resister you, regardless of how polite or respectful you are. and, some wont. Atheist discretion is advised.

Also, Faith -was- a deep aspect of the human condition. It isn't anymore. Failing to respect faith(and religion) on a historical and even evolutionary level is disrespecting where we came from. But it is people who continually base their lives around faith based belief in today's world that disrespects humanity, and all we've accomplished.



Now, a faith based belief does deserve some respect, and the dude in the video gave the reason, and that is because it faith dangerous. I don't think Pat Condell or any intelligent person denies this level of respect. That is, we respectfully understand and advocate the danger of faith.

This doesn't mean that crazy pro-lifers trying to strip women of their freedom or stop embryonic stem cell research(I'm assuming pro-lifers protest both) deserve the same respect rational people. It means rational people have a responsibility to understand the dangers associated with such thought patterns.

[JillSwift]

That's a nice answer to Pat's question - but I think Pat meant something different.

I find when I'm being admonished to respect faith, the admonisher does indeed mean to acquiesce and capitulate to it. They have this unreasonable expectation that one can not be critical of faith.

I see no reason to have that sort of respect for faith - any more than I should have that sort of respect for any other idea.

He also seems to confuse having respect for faith with respecting the faithful. I'm all for respecting people, no matter how silly or delusional their ideas. (See what i did there? )

[Sophus]

By all means I have respect for people who faith in any sort of a deity. But not so much when they try to treat facts as opinion such as evolution, or whether or not the US was founded on Christianity or not. It shifts from spreading spirituality to spreading lies.

[AlP]

I think I agree with what he was getting at but I think he could have chosen a better word. Respect to me invokes ideas like "esteem", "admiration", "thinking highly of", etc. I would not apply those for myself to Zab's examples of burning witches and public executions. Or hurricanes that lead to many deaths. The sense in which I would use the word in those cases is "acknowledging as important". I acknowledge burning witches, public executions and hurricanes as important events. I acknowledge that faith is important.

[Squid]

I think I would say I respect faith like I respect a weapon - cautious of what it is capable of.

[BuckeyeInNC]

Here we are talking semantics again . . . anywho .  . .

I would never say that I respect faith.  Rather, I think a more appropriate word is to "recognize" faith.  I recognize that faith exist and that people hold it dear.  I recognize faith for what it is, but I do not respect it.  Respect implies a deference.  I do not think that faith should be provided any deference.  Rather, it should be challenged at every opportunity.

[Heretical Rants]

I think the old "Respect other's beliefs" thing only applies when you hold beliefs that are equally chimerical.

[thiolsulfate]

I respect individuals. I can respect individuals as a whole regardless of their having some kind of faith. Their faith, however, is totally unrespectable. Faith is an admission of accepting something based on nothing. It is not an acknowledgment of ignorance, which is reasonable and respectable, it is a willful self-accepted ignorance and is totally worthy of disdain; it is not a badge of honor, it is shameful.

I can bring myself to respect individuals of faith, that is not hard. The faith that those individuals have I cannot respect, it does not deserve respect.

If individuals do not feel that I can respect them without also respecting their faith, then that is their problem. Perhaps they should just have faith that I respect their beliefs as well.

[Sophus]

I respect individuals. I can respect individuals as a whole regardless of their having some kind of faith. Their faith, however, is totally unrespectable. Faith is an admission of accepting something based on nothing. It is not an acknowledgment of ignorance, which is reasonable and respectable, it is a willful self-accepted ignorance and is totally worthy of disdain; it is not a badge of honor, it is shameful.

I can bring myself to respect individuals of faith, that is not hard. The faith that those individuals have I cannot respect, it does not deserve respect.

If individuals do not feel that I can respect them without also respecting their faith, then that is their problem. Perhaps they should just have faith that I respect their beliefs as well.

Well said! Man, I wish we had the karma points inactivated. I have taken a hasty liking to thiolsulfate.  

[sunshineacre]

Why faith deserves respect... this is an interesting topic. We all have our beliefs in life and it includes faith no matter if you are anti-religious or not. The mere fact that we have something to believe in, we must respect it. It's like a social protocol.

[AlP]

Interesting post...

Why faith deserves respect... this is an interesting topic. We all have our beliefs in life and it includes faith no matter if you are anti-religious or not. The mere fact that we have something to believe in, we must respect it.

Though many here might rally against me, I will agree that, in the face of the absurdity of our predicament, faith is unavoidable. But it need only be faith in our interpretation of the world, in the subjective. I have found no necessity for faith in the objective. Faith is belief in the absurd or the impossible. If it isn't absurd or impossible, faith is unnecessary. Straightforward belief and knowledge apply.

It's like a social protocol.

Social protocols (you mean conventions?) are objective. Faith is not applicable here in my opinion.

[thiolsulfate]

Why faith deserves respect... this is an interesting topic. We all have our beliefs in life and it includes faith no matter if you are anti-religious or not. The mere fact that we have something to believe in, we must respect it. It's like a social protocol.

I must disagree.

If a faith-belief is benign, it can be dismissed; if it is dangerous, it must be.

Simply because something is believed does not then necessitate that it also be respected. In Nigeria children are being burned and beaten by priests who believe that they harbor witches. In parts of Africa there is the widespread belief that sex with a virgin cures AIDS -- a bad belief with obvious consequences. In America children are kept from lifesaving medicines because of the religion of their parents. In the whole of the Western World parents are declining MMR vaccines for their children because one non-peer reviewed observational study of 12 children in a hospital and an endorsement from Oprah linked MMR vaccines to autism. Polio nearly joined Small Pox on the list of diseases humanity had quashed until witchdoctors told people the Polio vaccine induced impotence and was a conspiracy of the West.

I do not have to respect those beliefs or any such like them. Any social construct urging me to do so is worth breaking. I will never and can never see them as anything but idiocy coupled with stupidity employed to manipulate or abuse. They most certainly are not worthy of the respect of anyone in any place anywhere. If any beliefs can or should be placed in the realm of dangerous and not worth having much more respected, those above are.

Conceptualization is not merit enough for respect. No one should ever be compelled or impelled to show reverence for a belief simply because they are had.

[Sophus]

Why faith deserves respect... this is an interesting topic. We all have our beliefs in life and it includes faith no matter if you are anti-religious or not. The mere fact that we have something to believe in, we must respect it. It's like a social protocol.

All beliefs should be respected?

[iNow]

All beliefs should be respected?

Ah... One thing I respect is Godwin's law, that's for sure.  


As per the thread topic:

Atheists Should Respect Religious Differences and the Right to Disagree - People, not Opinions, Beliefs, or Ideas, Deserve Respect & Consideration

What does "respect for religious differences" mean, though? This is a very important question because "respect" seems to mean very different things for different people. Too often, religious believers will behave as though "respecting" one's religion and religious beliefs doesn't mean mere tolerance of a religion and acceptance of different religious opinions. Instead, they behave as though respect actually means deference to, if not some measure of admiration for, someone's religion â€" solely because the religion is important for this person.

It should be granted that a person's religion may be very important to them, even fundamental for the way they view the world, but this isn't enough to expect others to show admiration or deference towards their religion.

What is Respect? What Does it Mean to Respect Religion or Theism? If Irreligious Atheists Should 'Respect' Religion, What Does That Mean?

What does it mean to 'respect' someone's religion or religious beliefs? Many religious theists insist that their religion deserves to be respected, even by non-believers, but what exactly are they asking for? If they are simply asking to be let alone in their beliefs, that's not unreasonable. If they are asking that their right to believe be honored, then I agree. The problem is, these basic minimums are rarely, if ever, what people are asking for; instead, they are asking for much more.

The first clue that people are asking for more is demonstrated by the fact that no one who asks to be let alone is denied this and few Christians in the West have any trouble with their right to believe being infringed upon. The second clue that people are asking for more is how they accuse atheists of "intolerance" not because atheists are infringing on anyone's right to believe, or because they are going around badgering others, but rather because atheists are being very critical of the content of those beliefs. It can be argued, then, that what religious believers are really asking for is deference, reverence, high regard, admiration, esteem, and other things which their beliefs (or any beliefs, opinions, ideas, etc.) are not automatically entitled to."

<...>

"Respecting religion in the sense of tolerating it is usually a fair request; but such minimal respect isn't what religious believers usually want. After all, there is little danger in America of most religious beliefs not being tolerated on a basic level. Some religious minorities may have legitimate concerns in this regard, but they aren't the ones making the most noise about getting respect. Religious believers also don't appear to be interested in simply being "let alone" to go about their religious business.

Instead, they seem to want the rest of us to somehow admit or acknowledge just how important, serious, admirable, valuable, and wonderful their religion is. That's how they regard their religion, after all, and sometimes they seem unable to understand why others don't feel the same way. They are asking for and demanding much more than they are entitled to. No matter how important their religion is to them personally, they cannot expect others to treat it in the same way. Religious believers cannot demand that nonbelievers regard their religion with admiration or treat it as a superior way of living.

There's something about religion, religious beliefs, and theism in particular which seems to increase a person's sense of entitlement and the demands they make on behalf of it. People can act brutally in the pursuit of political causes, for example, but they seem to act even more brutally when they believe that they have religious or even divine sanction for that cause. God becomes an "amplifier" for whatever happens to be going on; in this context, even more respect, deference, and reverence is expected for religious beliefs and claims than other sorts of beliefs and claims which a person might have.

It's not enough that people in the religious community want something; God also wants it and wants it for them. If others don't "respect" this, then they are attacking not just the religious community, but also God â€" the moral center of their universe. Here, "respect" can't possibly be thought of in the minimalist sense. It can't simply be "tolerance" and instead must be thought of as deference and reverence. Believers want to be treated as special, but irreligious atheists should treat them like everyone else and, perhaps more importantly, treat their religious claims and opinions like any other claim or opinion.