I'm with Persei and Maxinquayne wholeheartedly.
I cannot and do not respect religions--but I may be willing to respect an idea or concept within a religion if it is actually worthy of respect. That aside, I try to adhere to the "don't be a dick" rule and treat people with respect unless I have good reason to be disrespectful.
It's been argued that religion is an idea about the world, and like any idea, it should be open to criticism. That's how I see it. I am under no obligation to respect an idea, whether political, cultural, social, religious, philosophical, etc etc. I'll simply respect others enough to listen to the idea, measure it against the facts and other ideas, and shift and adjust my views accordingly.
Wherever there's a high probability of heated argument or contentious debate, which essentially means any political, religious, or social issue whatsoever, I do my best to determine whether its the appropriate time or place (which isn't always perfect). And I think that's a much more practical application of respect than giving undue deference to ideas that go against the core of my being.
I cannot and do not respect religions--but I may be willing to respect an idea or concept within a religion if it is actually worthy of respect. That aside, I try to adhere to the "don't be a dick" rule and treat people with respect unless I have good reason to be disrespectful.
It's been argued that religion is an idea about the world, and like any idea, it should be open to criticism. That's how I see it. I am under no obligation to respect an idea, whether political, cultural, social, religious, philosophical, etc etc. I'll simply respect others enough to listen to the idea, measure it against the facts and other ideas, and shift and adjust my views accordingly.
Wherever there's a high probability of heated argument or contentious debate, which essentially means any political, religious, or social issue whatsoever, I do my best to determine whether its the appropriate time or place (which isn't always perfect). And I think that's a much more practical application of respect than giving undue deference to ideas that go against the core of my being.