by Phizzy 32 Replies latest jw experiences
"Bad ideas do not deserve respect, to pretend otherwise is not a virtue" .
Cofty I am afraid this misses the point. Who of us can rule out the views of others. Especially those of us who have held three of more world views in quick succession! (Jehovah's Witness/Evangelical/Atheist) You'd think, having discarded two world views already, might prompt a little humility over claims for the finality of the third.
Sab, we are not talking about respect of a person here, but their beliefs.
I look at it differently. A person's beliefs are often cherished so disrespecting them would be rude and insensitive to the person. The OP is advocating disrespect to the beliefs of others because they are percieved to be unsubstantial. You are all missing the fact that many people don't see a difference betwen their beliefs and their person.
Lets say you hate pit bulls because every one you have ever come across has bitten you. Naturally you are going to have something against pit bulls. Now lets say you best friend gets a pit bull and you tell him he's being a fool because he has kids and that he is putting them in danger. You say this without even seeing the dog, and pass your judgement not only on the dog, but the dog owner as well because of YOUR bad experiences. You are being disrespectful to the choice of your friend. The fact is that all dogs are safe when trained right and adequate time is spent with it. What happened to you was you ran into a stream of bad dog owners and mistakingly blamed the breed of the dog rather than taking into account all known factors. In reality you have no right to tell your friend that he is putting his family in danger because of your experiences.
After your friend becomes offended you simply say, "I am against pit bulls, I am not questioning your judgement" when in fact you are questioning his fundamental judgement and his honor in one fel swoop. The same goes for when you challenge the long held belief of someone else. You are questioning their honor which is rude and insensitive to the person no matter which way you spin it.
-Sab
Let's face it, saying "I respect your beliefs" is just the nice (PC) way of saying "I think you're a complete moron and a lunatic".
