You shouldn't have started...
I am not obligated--morally or otherwise--to respect anyone else's beliefs. Respect is not required to treat them humanely or practice kindness. Suggesting otherwise is ludicrous, and should be met with ridicule. It's merely an attempt to avoid criticism, a bully tactic. "You may not like what I believe, but you'd better stay out of my way or else you're a bigot/hater/whatever." It's absolute nonsense.
Some beliefs are very bad, and can be damaging if spread. It would be morally wrong to give those ideas respect, because then I'm contributing to the harm of others. So, no, I'm not going to shut up or respect your beliefs.
ok balerion..
is that what respect means to you?
"Respect is not required to treat them humanely or practice kindness"
what does that leave?
that is exactly what my definition of respect is, 'To treat people humanely and practice kindness, regardless of what beliefs they hold.'
when I say respect their beliefs, I mean do not go off on what you think is wrong with their beliefs, they have pry heard it millions of times before, and it shows them you have no desire to learn about their beliefs and just want to judge them on your own understanding of things regardless of any understandings that can be had if you were to actually listen.
you can disagree with a persons beliefs and not disrespect the belief or the person, you do this by not judging the others beliefs or at least not confronting them with that judgement.
I digress back to one of my earlier arguments:
u1: 1+1=3
u2: your wrong!
or:
u1: 1+1=3
u2: 1+1=2
which is more informative.
so:
" Some beliefs are very bad, and can be damaging if spread. It would be morally wrong to give those ideas respect, because then I'm contributing to the harm of others. So, no, I'm not going to shut up or respect your beliefs"
yes some beliefs are bad, but they don't become problems until others start believing it.
by trying to defeat their belief, you are only cementing their belief, they have the will to have their beliefs stand up to scrutiny, (note:did not say anything about reasonability)
ignore them and scrutinize your own beliefs like where you get your information, what do you know, what do you think you know, how did you come to know, then you will have your own beliefs, not theirs. if everyone does this, then eventually all those 'bad' beliefs will be no more because no one will just follow someone else's beliefs blindly anymore..