Religious people "win" in every circumstance. For example if something happens to another person's child they would say "I thank god that didn't happen to me" . Yet if it did happen to them then it would be "It's in God's hands". And no matter the outcome it's either "They are in a better place with God" or "It's a miracle that they are now alive".
No you are describing yourself here. Your need to taunt and ridicule religious people is puerile and insulting to them. As soon as you insult them, they stop listening to you. You are wrong. I object frequently when they use faith to determine reality. I defend science a lot. What I do not do is ridicule them when they use faith for determining their beliefs. There is nothing wrong with an imagination. It is because you are obsessed with the ridicule-based atheism of Dawkins. Not all that is faith is religion. The concept of faith does not require a deity and is closely tied with concepts of trust, conviction, and determination . . . which are human virtues.
i i "imagine" that elvis is alive and make decsions based on that you would say i was a crazy kook, deserving of ridicule. if this was a "religion" because lots of folks agreed and were also kooky, then you would respect it. how are the two beliefs, the kooky one, and the respected religion, different, if both a product of "faith" and imagination?
"When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called a Religion." -Robert Pirsig Weather it is insanity or religion, it is not about the input (beliefs) it is about the output (actions). Human interaction is all about actions, not beliefs. Evangelicals would say that actions alone are not good enough, if you don't have the right belief then your are damned and they are here to save you.
It's not a matter of respect, it is a matter of civility. I never said I would respect it. I said that I would have no need to mock and jeer Elviscopalians over their beliefs. I like to talk with them about it, the ones with the stones to discuss it logically anyway. I find their beliefs interesting. I have odd beliefs of my own and I know that you do, too. Unnecessary ridicule is a detriment to the conversation.
definitely a double standard. manchas quotes are correct. if enough people call their delusion a faith, people like you will lose the ability to give them the lack of respect their views deserve. even while jeering other political vies that are less irrational. we as a society have a very cowardly way of dealing with faith. and i think you are onto something here: "I have odd beliefs of my own and I know that you do, too." and that is the reason most people cant be critical of faith, for example, as it related to muslims. because most americans themselves are idiots just like muslims. we asw a society cant call out faith, because we are almost all christians or some other stupid faith. and that is the tragedy. well, not me sir, all my beliefs are based on reason. and if they are irrational, like perhaps if i have an irrational fear of heights or something, then i admit that i am irrational and accept that i am trying to fix it. i would be completely ashamed if i had a position about something and my argument was based on faith. when you make arguments based on faith you are not really an adult.
