@Justmartha I have a friend who has looked into the AA circles, and he is actually very put off by the whole religious undertone to it. It’s a tough call because the psychology obviously works to motivate some people, and they need that, but ultimately I’d say they are selling themselves short.

It's just a byproduct of the elimination of state sponsored religion when each colony had there own church. Protestant denominations were unwelcome in other colonies. That was about as far as the respect went though. Those lousy Papists and Jews need not be respected back then. Atheists weren't even thought of. Well, I guess Moslems, Buddhists etc. were considered atheists.

@Seminarian
I'd argue it also has something to do with the fact that, since "religious faith isn't subject to scientific proof", there's a fictional wall that's been erected between those thoughts and all secular thought... even when religious belief contradicts proven scientific fact.

Thus, even though we know how old the Earth is, lip service is paid to "respecting" Young Earth Creationists who keep trying to find ways that it could be only 6000 years old. We let them teach this in their schools instead of insisting they teach only accredited, actual science in science class.

@Paul4747 I try to look at it as similar to animal rights. We must respect the rights of great apes, for example, even though they don't possess our intellectual understanding. I don't think we should allow them to teach in schools though. The Creation Museum makes me want to cry as well. We must find a way to "Forgive them for they know not what they do. "Look at the bright side, if everyone was a genius we'd all make minimum wage.

@Justmartha The psychopaths of religious nature make me uneasy too.