We’re in the 21st century, and the vast majority of us still believe in an utterly and obviously fictional creator deity. Plenty of people, even in developed countries with decent educational systems, still believe in ghosts or magic (e.g. voodoo). And I–an atheist and a skeptic–am told I need to respect these patently false beliefs as cultural traditions.

Fuck that. They’re bad cultural traditions, undeserving of respect. Child-proofing society for these intellectually stunted people doesn’t help them; it is in fact a disservice to them to pretend it’s okay to go through life believing these things. We should demand that people contend with reality on a factual basis by the time they reach adulthood (even earlier, if I’m being completely honest). We shouldn’t be coddling people who profess beliefs that are demonstrably false, simply because their feelings might get hurt.

    • centof@lemm.ee
      79·
      11 months ago

      Yet no one is answering the question. I’m merely pointing out that respect for another’s viewpoint and tolerance are closely related. Yes, I did to make a point. I was trying to make a reference to the paradox of tolerance.

      The paradox of tolerance states that if a society is tolerant without limit, its ability to be tolerant is eventually ceased or destroyed by the intolerant.

      The OP’s title is very intolerant of other people and is a therefore imo a bad take.

      • DoctorMarques@feddit.de
        62·
        11 months ago

        But that is totaly in line with the Paradox. You don’t have to be tolerant to people and their beliefs if they use it in a malicious way. One look at what is currently going on in the US should be enough to say that religion in politics is a very bad idea and should not be tolerated. Idc if a random Dude believes in Jesus, Allah or the flying spaghetti monster, that doesn’t concern me, but if that dude uses those believes to enforce how I and everyone else has to live then that is a problem.

        People are dying because of millennia old beliefs that are way outdated and were highly modified throughout time to fit certain agendas. I think that it is in everyones best interest if we let those beliefs be in the past, where they belong.