On Oct 25, 4:43 pm, "Triple" <rhag...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> "Throws like Mary" <yank_ees_s...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
messagenews:1193344838.679710.270390@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> > On Oct 25, 2:19 pm, "Fred Burton" <fbur...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> "Throws like Mary" <yank_ees_s...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
> >> messagenews:1193338975.679869.245230@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> >> > On Oct 25, 12:03 pm, abe slaney <abeslane...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> >> I don't give a hoot about any given athlete's religious beliefs or
> >> >> lack
> >> >> thereof. Lots of them give thanks or whatever in post-game
interviews,
> >> >> etc. Curt Schilling included. That's not a problem for me.
>
> >> > I do. I have a problem with the hypocrisy behind most religion.
I
> >> > don't find hypocrisy to be nearly as noble a trait as it's deniers
> >> > would have us believe. I'm not saying all people of faith are
> >> > hypocritical, but most are. God leads us to victory, but has no
hand
> >> > in defeat. Our god is better than your god. It's idiocy. People
> >> > are free to believe what they want, but in anything, when a belief
> >> > becomes irrational it become subject to criticism. That is a
human
> >> > right. Don't wish to be criticized, don't assume irrational
beliefs.
>
> >> And you're a pathetic bigot.
>
> > Well, that's irony. I knew someone would use the term inaccurately.
> > I even suspected it might be Fred "who-doesn't-understand-Black-
> > Letter" Burton.
>
> > It has nothing to do with not respecting belief, it has to do with not
> > respecting irrational belief *inconsistently applied*. That's not
> > bigotry, but you wouldn't understand the difference, Fred. You
> > struggle with the meaning of words all day long.
>
> Correct me if I am wrong but you don't care if someone believes
something
> you deem irrational. You simply want that belief system consistently
applied
> or not at all and you certainly don't want any straight-forward or
> underhanded attempt at conversion.
"Consistently applied" would be the operative term. My primary
objection isn't to religion at all, but to the hypocrisy that is often
concomitant to religious belief. And just to show I am an equal
op****tunity critic, I find that atheism shares at least a fundamental
hypocrisy with belief. (I'm an agnostic, because it is the only
position that is logically sup****ted by my beliefs, more accurately
the lack of belief.)
That said, I don't fall into the common trap of equating religious
freedom with the assumption that we must treat religious beliefs with
respect, but rather that we must treat the *right* to those beliefs
with respect. (I don't harbor significant respect for any belief
system based on faith, or a belief system based on lack of evidence,
which includes atheism, but I respect people's right to those beliefs.
That is my right. You don't have a right to expect *my respect* for
your beliefs. That would be foolish. Dissent is also a fundamental
freedom.)
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