They should be insulted. Religion is a drain on humanity’s resources that offers nothing in return which couldn’t be done better through non-religious organizations. It offers bigotry a place to hide and provides a ready excuse to oppose things like advances in medical science and progress in fighting climate change. What symbols do the anti-abortionists rally behind when they harass women seeking medical care, bomb clinics and kill doctors? Who led the charge on restricting stem cell research? Where do anti-vaccine advocates look for justification when seeking exemptions to safety rules? Why should we bother to preserve our only known habitable planet’s environment when the rapture is just around the corner (or the next corner, or the next corner, …)?
Religious belief is treated as a virtue for historical reasons when it should be seen for what it is: a sign of gullibility or the result of a lifetime of manipulation passed on through generations. Insulting it is an early step toward driving it out and making the world a better place.
I agree with almost everything you said except the first sentence. I think the idea of religion should be insulted, not the people themselves. I see the vast majority of religious people as victims of a global cult. Most of them are not bombing abortion clinics, and those who do belong in prison along with anyone who bombs a church, though maybe not in the same cell. Attacking the institutions seems like the high road to me rather than the individuals.
Sounds like we still agree, I could have been more clear that the “they” in my first sentence refers to all religion. There are still individuals who deserve to be insulted and mocked but most, as you say, are victims of whichever religion they grew up under.
I see those people as human shields that the nefarious actors hide behind. Guide them toward freedom and you’re left with the ones who are in on the grift. One part of this can be ridiculing the beliefs but different people respond to different things.
They should be insulted. Religion is a drain on humanity’s resources that offers nothing in return which couldn’t be done better through non-religious organizations. It offers bigotry a place to hide and provides a ready excuse to oppose things like advances in medical science and progress in fighting climate change. What symbols do the anti-abortionists rally behind when they harass women seeking medical care, bomb clinics and kill doctors? Who led the charge on restricting stem cell research? Where do anti-vaccine advocates look for justification when seeking exemptions to safety rules? Why should we bother to preserve our only known habitable planet’s environment when the rapture is just around the corner (or the next corner, or the next corner, …)?
Religious belief is treated as a virtue for historical reasons when it should be seen for what it is: a sign of gullibility or the result of a lifetime of manipulation passed on through generations. Insulting it is an early step toward driving it out and making the world a better place.
I agree with almost everything you said except the first sentence. I think the idea of religion should be insulted, not the people themselves. I see the vast majority of religious people as victims of a global cult. Most of them are not bombing abortion clinics, and those who do belong in prison along with anyone who bombs a church, though maybe not in the same cell. Attacking the institutions seems like the high road to me rather than the individuals.
Sounds like we still agree, I could have been more clear that the “they” in my first sentence refers to all religion. There are still individuals who deserve to be insulted and mocked but most, as you say, are victims of whichever religion they grew up under.
I see those people as human shields that the nefarious actors hide behind. Guide them toward freedom and you’re left with the ones who are in on the grift. One part of this can be ridiculing the beliefs but different people respond to different things.