Hating Religion Is It Bigotry?

by writetoknow 9 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  writetoknow

  Does the term "bigotry" apply only to religious people or can a person be a bigot when they hate religion or religious people?

  The term bigot means to be willingly ignorant or intolerant of another person's beliefs or opinions.
  
  Bigotry is an accusation, which is often used by liberal and marxist types to condemn those people who are not of the same "tolerant" or "open minded" attitude as themselves.
  
  By using this term they create what I call an infinite loop of intolerance.
  
  If someone is accused of bigotry then the accusing party must also be intolerant of the accused persons intolerance; therefore, it is self evident that the term bigot in a sense, can not actually exist in a free society or open debate because of it's self-destructive, self-imploding and hypocritical nature.

  We must put an end to bigotry by criminalizing any dissenting point of view.
  
  Real life application of this "anti-bigotry" includes hate laws, which are no more than Orwellian type "thought crimes".
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  garybuss

  A bigot is one who is intolerant of those who differ. Being intolerant of someone who is abusive is not bigotry it's a character strength.
  
  
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  writetoknow

  Does that mean that everyone in religion is abusives?
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  nvrgnbk

  Being intolerant of someone who is abusive is not bigotry it's a character strength.

  Amen.

  "My feeling is that tolerance can be overdone, as can intolerance"
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  writetoknow

  Agreed, but does that mean "all" religion is abusive?
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  nvrgnbk

  Agreed, but does that mean "all" religion is abusive?

  Good question, wtk.

  Excellent, in fact!

  I wish to thank you for my next topic.

  We'll put it to the board and see what our collective consciousness comes up with.

  I'm looking forward to your comments on it.
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  Satanus

  Religion tends to become intolerant and intolerable, when it's adherents try to propagate it and/or enforce it on others.
  
  S
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  Inquisitor

  Wouldn't that depend on whether "everyone in religion" behaves that way, if such a consensus is possible?

  it is self evident that the term bigot in a sense, can not actually exist in a free society or open debate because of it's self-destructive, self-imploding and hypocritical nature

  By that same token, "hypocrisy" cannot exist in any debate. For who can rightfully accuse another without being a little guilty of that attitude themselves. But we know that hypocrisy DOES EXIST. When a person paints liberally-inclined people and Marxists with the same brush and THEN lectures on about "bigotry", I'd call that hypocrisy.

  To correct the stereotype here, let's clarify that liberals champion the freedom of individual rights (even religious!). Marxists believe in the good of the (societal) whole, where it invests the supreme rights in the state and NOT IN INDIVIDUALS. How these two opposing groups should somehow co-operate to call religious people "bigots", is something I cannot fathom.

  INQ
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  writetoknow

  Can't that be said of any group do to the human nature?
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  writetoknow

  It is true when an individual takes a characteristic and applies it adversely to a group when it is unreasonable to believe that all members of the group have that characteristic.

  A paradigm example of bigotry is found in applying the property of ‘criminal’ to those who are black. Another example involves applying the property ‘stupid’ to those who are blonde. We also see bigotry in those who apply the property ‘without morals’ to ‘atheists.’