If those beliefs harm other people they cannot be respected. A terrorist may sincerely believe what he is doing is right, but he is killing other people. How can beliefs like that be respected?! JWs hold to shunning, or the no blood policy. These are harmful. If someone simply holds personal beliefs about something that does absolutely no harm whatsoever to anyone else, the person has every right to hold to those views without being ridiculed by others.
"I respect a person's beliefs"
by Phizzy 32 Replies latest jw experiences
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NewChapter
From the above video: Why is faith considered a virtue? LOVE THAT!
The fact is, if someone considers faith a virtue, then they must view a person who lives faith-free as lacking in virtue. No matter what they say, this is the only logical conclusion.
REASON is a virtue. That's what I say.
NC
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THE GLADIATOR
InterestedOne Loved the Pat Condell vidio. Alway enjoy his take of things - he is in a league of his own.
tornapart I agree that peoples beliefs are their own business until their beliefs cause them to act in a way that causes harm, then they must expect a reaction.
Religious beliefs are only the tip of the iceberg. People hold all sorts of weird and wonderful beliefs, opinions, attitudes, and bizarre views. I neither respect nor disrespect any of these mental aberations. As long as they don’t intrude on my freedom, I am no longer interest.
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botchtowersociety
So long as no one forces their belief on me or others and does harm thereby, I don't see any reason to treat them with disrespect.
And everyone has faith in something or another (belief in something empirically unprovable). You cannot function without it.
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WTWizard
I respect anyone's right to believe anything they choose. But, when they start hounding me to believe rubbish, I lose that respect. Religion that goes door to door, or into foreign countries, to recruit people no matter what it takes, does not get my respect.
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tec
It is sometimes the same thing and sometimes different things. Perhaps that is because respecting someone and treating someone with respect are two different things. We cannot respect everyone. We can treat everyone with respect.
I treat people with respect regardless, because it is how I wish to be treated. Because we are all human and we all go through this life with challenges, uncertainties, doubts, mistakes, harships, suffering, loss. I do not insult or belittle others (unless I slip up for which I am immediately sorry)... and if I disagree, I do my best to do so respectfully and with reason.
I can respect people for what they do and how they treat others, regardless of whether I agree or disagree with their beliefs. Most of the time I have no idea what someone else believes. It is what they do that I see.
I can also respect someone else's beliefs even when I disagree with those beliefs, when it is their belief inciting them to act in peace and compassion toward others.
And as someone said above, I can also respect the beliefs of someone even if I do not respect that person, themselves. Perhaps they do not act in accordance with their beliefs?
Peace,
tammy
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Phizzy
What I would like to see is a world where we can mock and deride silly beliefs, and the person would not feel deeply offended.
For example, say there was a group of adults that maintained in all seriousness that the Santa Claus myth was totally true. It would not be wrong in my mind to lampoon their stance, and to put under scrutiny their claims, and then be quite derisive about the belief, without casting aspersions upon the person.
As long as your motive is to simply show the belief as not true, and not to make the person look silly, then I think it is fair enough.
Honestly, how can you respect ridculous beliefs ? They deserve ridicule by sitting in the category.
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tec
How do you know that the judgment of what is ridiculous or not... is not, in itself, ridiculous? Or at the very least, wrong?
Peace,
tammy
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tornapart
Once I went into the house of a Hindu lady, she showed me her gods. To me they were nothing more than ornaments. One included her favourite Ganesh, god of good fortune. She lit incence candles for them, prayed to them etc. To me it seemed silly but she truly believed it. If I had ridiculed her or diminished the value of her sincerely held beliefs it would have deeply offended her and hurt her. As it was we were able to exchange views about things. She showed me her Sanskrit holy writings and it was a very interesting conversation and we left on mutually good terms. We can learn a lot from what other people believe and what it is that makes people tick.
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tec
Tornapart.
Peace,
tammy