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Should We Respect Religion?

SkinWalker

By SkinWalker
in Senate Chambers

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tk102 Newbie

tk102

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Private beliefs should have respect. But when people make a public spectacle of their beliefs, criticism is warranted, particularly when these beliefs affect others. At this point, criticism and ridicule of the person should be expected.

 

Certainly this makes sense to me. Inversely, if public spectacles of belief inspire people to act selflessly, face adversity without fear, and answer questions that science cannot, they are just as likely to warrant praise as other spectacles may warrant criticism. It works both ways. That's what freedom of expression is all about.

 

Though it may blind some to what science considers fact, religion does have some key advantages. For one, most religions provide a quick moral compass. (eg. WWJD?) A scientific mind may arrive at a social Darwinistic point of view and act purely out of self-interest. Other routes might be to try to maximize hedons and minimize dolors in a society or try to figure out the pertinent Kantian categorical imperative. Oy! That would wear you out trying to figure out how to act.

 

A second advantage is the ability to dissolve the ego in critical situations. By believing there is something more than meets the eye, mental faculties can relax during times of stress, in some cases allowing the believer to overcome that stress. Some athletes pray before the big game to help them be prepared to go "in the zone". Again, this isn't exclusive to religion and I'm sure atheists could certainly perform such feats. But I do believe that religion provides a predisposition for such mental states. (eg. AUM).

 

Finally, for the individual, religion can provide hope and relieve fear of death. Maybe in the case of extremists, that's not such a good thing, but for everyday people who lose their loved ones, it is a powerful coping mechanism.

 

Reality is what is believed. The inner reality of a person cannot be measured by scientific means. It can only be experienced directly by the individual. If the individual believes there is more beyond his senses, then there will always be an element of mystery that keeps people striving to become more than they are. Certainly, this does not preclude atheism but religions often provide a quicker means to that end. This does not mean we should avoid scrutinizing beliefs just because they are of a religious nature. We don't believe the sun revolves around the earth anymore. Beliefs that are scientific in nature get scrutinized, after all. But in areas where there is no observational evidence to invalidate a belief, especially those of an inner nature (eg. morality, sense of self, belief a the greater power, hope), there should be temperance and respect on all sides.

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Mace MacLeod Newbie

Mace MacLeod

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Oh, but we do have holidays, even apart from New Year's Eve, Constitution Day and Midsummer Night. We just hijack the celebrations you guys originally hijacked from the atheists - you know, such as December the 25th?
No, that's the pagans not the atheists.

 

Early Christians made sure their important rites and holidays were timed roughly around those of the big pagan Sabbats that were observed, as people were already set to get all festive, and when you get Romans drunk enough they stop caring about what they're celebrating. Christmas was moved to December (21st being the winter solstice, 25th being Jesus's new birthday), Easter was in April right around the spring equinox, etc. And before anybody works themselves into a lather over Jesus's birthday, just remember that in Israel, livestock don't give birth in the winter.

 

And just to let people know where I'm coming from religiously, I'm technically pagan by marriage, although I consider myself more of an agnostic liberal humanist. My wife will describe herself as a witch (although not to her Irish co-workers, for obvious reasons), and she and her sister and close friends had their own little coven going in BC before we moved to Ireland. When we first met, I really thought it was pure nutball stuff, but I've come to respect it as much as any other religion out there. Which really isn't a whole lot, but it's just one of those things Mrs. Mace and I have learned to agree to disagree on.

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Totenkopf Newbie

Totenkopf

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If the first amendment is to have any meaning, then religious speech and expression cannot be proscribed any differently than secular speech. So, just like I can't go into a crowded movie theatre and yell "FIRE!!", neither can I go and try to incite people to burn down abortion clinics or stone the local prostitutes (w/rocks, not weed :) ) w/o there being legal repercussions. On the other hand, like in SW's example, if someone decides they want to bend my ear about their religious beliefs, I merely need to excuse myself from that person's presence or explain that I'm really not interested. Or, if I want to really be a dick, tell em to F off. Of course a very passive-aggressive way would be to completely shut them out by using an ipod or walkman.

 

But as I stated before, there are no obvious prohibitions in this country about ridiculing religious belief. Forums abound for people who detest or otherwise view w/contempt--amused or otherwise--religious beliefs. Also, people of religious faiths, like their secular counterparts, have as much right to try to influence the laws of their nation. As the US is still more or less a democratic republic, EVERYONE who is eligible (>18) has a right to vote to see their view represented in the laws of the country. BTW that doesn't mean that they have the right to make their will law, just to vote for people they believe will represent their particular point of view and encode it in law.

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Dagobahn Eagle Newbie

Dagobahn Eagle

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For the second--ridicule is neither necessary nor effective in fostering debate, no matter how hilarious some of the spoofs/'art'/Onion articles/cartoons are. What do you gain from ridicule that you can't gain from a reasonable debate?
A good joke very often gets peoples' attention far more easily than a serious article. Of course it has its downsides, but it also definetley has its positives.
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Totenkopf Newbie

Totenkopf

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It might surprise you, DE, but I basically agree with you here. Sometimes it's necessary to spark interest in a subject via humor to get people talking about it. Especially if it's one that has been through the mill (think also abortion, war, etc...) a number of times and seems exhausted. Once the discussion begins, then people may want to be more circumspect in how they handle the issue.

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Dagobahn Eagle Newbie

Dagobahn Eagle

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Looking forward to seeing five subsequent "I've changed my mind"-threads come April 1st;).

 

Heh, think I'm going to try it over at some other forum I frequent. GamingForums' "The Pub" sounds good. Come April 1st 2007, I'll be a determined Bush- or Israel-apologist, Catholic, Creationist, or a combination or some or all for a day:D.

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