It is hard to respect that which one finds repellent. I find almost every God humans worship repellent and I think those who believe in these Gods (like Greg) find the idea of not believing equally repellent. There can be little respect for ideas which go against the core of one's belief. I hope we can still treat each other with humanity- but I have absolutely no respect for beliefs I find cruel and inhumane, and people who hold those beliefs are unable to give respect to my beliefs- or so I am forced to conclude (based on all behavioral evidence). I would, of course, respect the rights of people to hold these beliefs, but in my heart I will never be able to respect the ideas inherent in the beliefs. Cruelty, xenophobia, and prejudice of all kinds, the degradation of women (as I understand the degradation of women), will never have my respect, and alas these things are found in abundance in the literature that spawns human religions as well as in the practices of religious devotees.
Sigh
To the true believer lack of belief in their belief is an insult. To explain the bases for one's lack of belief is a further insult, no matter how rational it might seem to the person trying to explain. The rigid beliefs of all humanity, in so many separate Gods, is quite the large scale joke (imo). |
