Should I respect other people's religions?

Question

My point of view is that there is no reason to believe any god exists without evidence. So I find religions a very irrational idea and I mostly heard people saying > We have to respect other people's religion But I have barely heard: >We don't need to respect other people's religion but just respect people despite it is not unheard for me. My question is: Is either of them correct? If so, why? **Edit for Clarification:** When I say 'not respecting a religion' I mean talking badly about or discrediting it, both of which I think differ from not tolerating a religion or its practitioners.

Answer 1

Yet you don't have a drop-dead "there is no God" argument either so you contradict yourself.

The God you don't believe in might not be the God that someone else does believe in, that is another problem.

You are not making an argument about religion but about conscience. If someone else has the inner voice that commands belief then you must -- to be consistent -- support that. I have known so many atheists who became Christians/ Catholics that I think you block off one of the most serious revisions that a person can experience in life.

Now, I say "not everything a person calls religion is religion" Satanic worship I do not respect. And I don't care what you call it.

Answer 2

Respect is not the same thing as subscribing to another's beliefs. Everyone is free to choose to believe in whatever they like. You, for instance, are free to believe that religious beliefs are irrational and that no supreme being exists. There are valid arguments that support your point of view. That said, your point of view has yet to be definitively proven. In short, the jury is out.

The same is true for the beliefs with which you disagree. As far as I know, there is no definitive evidence that proves that the teachings of a particular religion are true. So, here too the jury is out.

In short, we are all in the same boat. We may feel certain about our beliefs, but none of us can actually prove that what we believe is indisputably true. With this in mind, it behooves us to act towards one another with humility.

Again, respect is not the same as agreement. But there are different ways to express one's disagreement with someone. One can view another's beliefs as seriously flawed and let them know where you stand without hurting their feelings. This is because one can view another's beliefs as seriously flawed while respecting the person who holds these beliefs as a human being.