Respect. That's the topic here really.. Do we owe religious people any? Under what circumstances do you feel obligated to just keep your mouth shut and let it pass? But first, let me ask you if you are familiar with a musical trio known as Rush... I'm guessing you've heard of them, but if not, arguably one of the best rock bands touring for the last 4 decades. And with said band comes arguably one of the best drummers ever, Neal Peart. Unlike most drummers, he is also a prolific writer. Not only the primary lyricist for the band, but published his last of 7 books in 2016 . And if you do follow them at all, you probably know of their stance on religion. That being said, here's why I posted this. Patheos did a short article on a part of a chapter in one of his books, and it was on religion. The article focused mainly on the last two sentences they quoted; ''I’m afraid tolerance is the best we can be expected to offer. People like that will just have to respect themselves…'' That brings me to my topic. Or should I say question. Do we owe them any respect ? Here's the article, it's quite short and to the point. Lets see what you think.
[patheos.com]
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I respect my religious friends and bussines associates who are religious and try to avoid the topic of religion around them. Even my wife who is somewhat religious and I have agreed not to discuss religion as she is not an atheist. I used to go to church with her just to try to keep peace but she would get upset when I went to sleep in church. She has finally after 42 years of marriage come to accept my atheism and no longer pressures me to go to church.
Trajan61
Level 8
Jan 31, 2018
1
Your're lucky you found someone you love enough to work through that, and congrats on having that much patience.. better man than me..
Tolerance is a show of respect for humanity, not the person necessarily. I think more tolerance is needed in this world. I think we owe each other tolerance.
FYI: Some time in the early '70s, a Cornwall, Ontario, bar hosted a Rush night featuring Rush, Bull Rush/Bulrush, and Mahogany Rush. I remember it was a FANTASTIC night but not much else, and not because of drugs or alcohol.
EllenDale
Level 7
Jan 31, 2018
1
Sometimes I find myself tolerating things that really get on my nerves, just to not make waves. I certainly don't respect what is going on or the people doing it.. If that's what you call ''respect for humanity'', then so be it.. I can easily make the argument that humanity doesn't deserve respect, as morbid and macabre as that may sound.. Man does not have a very good history when it comes to how he has treated each other..
Wow... so you saw Rush back when they were just getting started? How cool is that..
Small world, indeed, @Captain_Feelgood Not many people follow Rush
Mankind has not been nice to each other but we are in a new age where we can and should use reason to make choices, not mercurial emotions.
I always offer respect. That is the starting point in a civilized society, in my opinion. I can, and do, lose respect for those lacking normal societal skills. Bullying would be an example, and that is true whether they are bullying about religion, non-religion, a sport, who picks up the tab, or various other discriminations.
Dick_Martin
Level 7
Jan 31, 2018
1
Agreed... Every new relationship starts out (or at least should) with a certain level of respect just out of common decency. Of course, not everyone abides by that rule of thumb.. you have to pick and choose sometimes within the first few moments whether someone deserves your respect or not.. How you handle it from there can vary due to how the other person/s present themselves.. It can be touch and go sometimes..
I think we owe everyone respect, even when we do not receive it in return.
marga
Level 7
Jan 31, 2018
1
You're just too darn nice, marga.. lol .. and I can easily respect that.. Cheers 
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