onlinn
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January 14, 2016, 09:02:09 AM |
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Well, You are the exception when you state: " I am a Christian but have no problem with people who are gay,atheist, or from a different religion."
I would gather from this statement -- as opposed to the stand of many Christians -- that you would allow an atheist to hold public office -- NOT allowed in many areas of the country, and agree that gays TOO have the civil right to marriage.
Too often, some "religious believers" DO have such trouble with opposing beliefs. And when they characterize people with different beliefs, (or no religious belief) as sinners and immoral, and worse not even capable of living a moral life, then many people, including atheist, start to object.
Too often these "religious believers" practice unjust discrimination toward people who believe differently.
In some fanatical cases it even escalates into violence.
You ask about RESPECT? I am sorry. I CAN NOT respect anyone who because of their irrational and inherently contradictory "beliefs" bring unjust suffering and pain into this world. When "believers" teach their children to ignore logic and reason in favor of bigotry and blind faith, then this is destructive to society.
Too often the phrase "I love the sinner but hate the sin" leads to hatred of the supposed sinner. Some Christians (and others of other faiths) may STATE that they love their fellow man, but their ACTIONS prove otherwise.
When bigoted "believers" start spending millions to pass hate legislation and to deny segments of our society their JUST civil rights in the name of their "religion" THEN sorry I simply can NOT respect their beliefs.
And they are correct, too often in the past, religion HAS led to unjust war, persecutions, violence, and such" just read some history. When religious fanatics obtain secular power, all manner of injustice and horrific persecutions Proceed. Just look at the history of the Catholic Church in the Middle ages.
It is BECAUSE many people of 'religious belief" CAN NOT in fact respect the differing beliefs of others which causes the problem.
And even when egregious actions do not take place, just by the fact that so many "religious people" condemn and judge others around them, and make every effort to alienate from family, government, and church, and other societal institutions, those who "believe differently" this itself brings too much unnecessary pain and suffering to innocent people.
Just read some of the replies on this forum concerning abortion, gay rights, gay marriage, and even something as inflammatory as evolution, and you will see my point.
When a child is taught to ignore scientific evidence, to ignore logic, to ignore reason, and make their moral judgments based on ignorance and bigotry and moral codes which no reasonable person can follow, and on obviously UNTRUE statements (or untrue interpretations of statements) found in writings 2000 years old, this is itself seen by many (including atheists) as IMMORAL and damaging to the very children they are raising.
Bad psychology is bad theology. Yet many people of religious belief totally ignore the consequences of their beliefs and the forcing of these beliefs on too many vulnerable children.
For just one small example, the suicide rate in this country of gay teens is not 4 to 10 times that of non-gay teens because of nothing. Violence towards gays did not increase 4 fold in CA after the fighting over Prop 8 for nothing. People's beliefs have consequences, and when these consequences bring harm to innocent people, then sorry I can NOt respect those beliefs.
And you obviously do not know your 10 commandments. Please explain which one speaks of do not hate your fellow man? And this brings in an important issue. NO ONE today, NO ONE follows the 10 commandments as they were understood by the Hebrew when they were FIRST written. MORAL CODE changes!
People today do NOT follow the Bible -- and for this we should be VERY thankful. But to claim that the Bible is an inerrant source for moral code today IS A LARGE PART OF THE PROBLEM! First of all, nothing could be further from the truth. But on the other hand, most people FIRST formulate their beliefs, and THEN use the Bible to validate them.
PLEASE -- this is WHY atheist so adamantly dislike your religion. STOP formulating moral code based on an ignorant so-called book of revealed truth formulated by ignorant men, when such moral code brings unnecessary pain, harm, and suffering.
There is much of human wisdom written in the Christian scriptures. But to claim that ALL of this scripture is to be used as a conclusive source of moral code is the height of ignorance, irrationality, and limits the pursuit of justice in today's society..
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