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Originally Posted by ShaniFaye
I was referring to Lizra's statement in only being interested in other atheists. And silly as it *might* sound to someone, even if I dont care about something I can still be annoyed at yakk's condescending manner and his overuse of the word ridiculous and his statement that his respect for a person is lowered if they persist in believing in God. A person's personal religious belief or lack thereof is not a factor in respect for that person IMO.
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I think it's a pretty relevant personal opinion on whether or not someone finds a another's personal characteristics to be respectful or not. I'm glad that for you, a person's religion/lack of, is not.
For example, though, a person who is extremely christian may very well have no respect for a person they meet who says they worship satan. Many people in this country, especially in some certain areas more than others, are still disrespected for being Jewish. I think we all make judgments based on a variety of things, and losing respect based on religious affiliation/lack of is just another one of those factors that we could use.
While I don't agree with that line of thinking, and I don't lower my respect for a person based on their religion or lack thereof, It's still common enough that for some, the depth of their religious convictions makes them feel like there is nothing to respect in a person if their religion (or lack of) is not agreeable.
I would think that's a pretty shallow way to judge a person, and unreasonable to cast aside a person's respect just because they're religion X or not religious at all, but everyone has their opinion and some feel very strongly about their religious beliefs.
Now, if I found out there was a religion that sacrificed babies or virgins or did something similarly insidious, then I would not have respect for that person- but that would mainly focus on the fact that their religion is, literally, making them a murderer... and not just that it's religion X.
(Side note: having said that, consider that to some people, any religion/lack of that allows abortion is a religion/lack of that condones killing babies. Think about it.)
For me personally, I lose a little respect for anyone that follows any religion blindly, only because that's not the point of any faith. The reason is that I find it unreasonable for any person to follow a religion like a mindless lemming. If you do that, I can't understand how you can truly say you belong to the faith if you're just going through the motions. This, however, would be a *tiny* amount of lost respect, and It wouldn't change my opinion of them enough to change the way in which we interact, at all. If anything, it would make me curious and want to learn more about them so I can understand their opinion, and restore that respect.