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do you think better or worse of people who are religious?
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when you learn someone is religious, do you immediately think better of him?
It depends on the religion and how the person manifests in it in their life. People don't realize what a vague term "religious" is. To automatically think worse of someone based on such a broad ideological term is prejudiced and likely indicative of the kind of person who is seeking a reason to feel superior to others. If someone feels that way, they're not something I'm all that interesting in getting to know anyway.
or do you immediately think worse of him?
same as above.
if so, in what ways?
If religious values benefit a person, even if I don't agree with them fully, that's a good thing isn't it? But if a person uses religion as a crutch to strip them of personal responsibility, then I start to not have much respect for that person.
does your answer change with the religion he believes in?
Definitely. I belong to a religious organization in which there's a high level of solidarity, based on many shared values and experiences. Of course, I'll think better of that person. But, even if it's a different religion, it really depends on what that religion teaches, and how it impacts the people who are members of it.
Also, @ae1905, I really like the message in your signature. That's how i often approach ideologies. sometimes, I don't feel a strong need to prove myself, because if it's really the truth, the truth has a way of always rising to the surface.
It depends on the religion and how the person manifests in it in their life. People don't realize what a vague term "religious" is. To automatically think worse of someone based on such a broad ideological term is prejudiced and likely indicative of the kind of person who is seeking a reason to feel superior to others. If someone feels that way, they're not something I'm all that interesting in getting to know anyway.
or do you immediately think worse of him?
same as above.
if so, in what ways?
If religious values benefit a person, even if I don't agree with them fully, that's a good thing isn't it? But if a person uses religion as a crutch to strip them of personal responsibility, then I start to not have much respect for that person.
does your answer change with the religion he believes in?
Definitely. I belong to a religious organization in which there's a high level of solidarity, based on many shared values and experiences. Of course, I'll think better of that person. But, even if it's a different religion, it really depends on what that religion teaches, and how it impacts the people who are members of it.
Also, @ae1905, I really like the message in your signature. That's how i often approach ideologies. sometimes, I don't feel a strong need to prove myself, because if it's really the truth, the truth has a way of always rising to the surface.
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I generally have a higher opinion of people who I perceive as living for something higher than themselves. Or even just something other than themselves. Who embody something. Even if it's a secret goal to paint all the sidewalks green that assumes a larger than life necessity to them- Hey, at least they have a vision. But I don't think there's a good correlation between that and whether someone self-identifies as religious.
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I try really hard to let the person, not their beliefs, determine my opinion of them, as much as possible.
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I admire people with good hearts that think for themselves and don't try to force their opinions on others.
I've known good & bad atheists, good & bad Jews, and good & bad Christians. I've known good Muslims, and while I've never met bad Muslims, I've certainly heard about them on the news.
The thing to keep in mind is this: Extremism is generally bad. I'm not a fan of anyone who is so extreme in their beliefs that they treat others like crap.
I've known good & bad atheists, good & bad Jews, and good & bad Christians. I've known good Muslims, and while I've never met bad Muslims, I've certainly heard about them on the news.
The thing to keep in mind is this: Extremism is generally bad. I'm not a fan of anyone who is so extreme in their beliefs that they treat others like crap.
It’s not whether I like or don’t like them based on their religion, but rather when I learn someone believes in God, I feel relieved. I feel relieved for them. However, I have plenty of friends who have different religions from me (or sometimes no religion), but we don’t discuss it and we still get along fine as ever. There’s just always a vague, almost subconscious sinking feeling...because I am highly spiritual. I do not judge, I don’t know anything for sure, but faith does play a huge role in my feeling of relief.
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My religion teaches not to judge people (judging behaviors is fair game, though), so it just doesn't occur to me to think any differently of someone for that. Freedom of religion is still a thing. Let's keep it!
I don't think worse of them (Thinking) so much as I like them less (Feeling) and am much less likely to bother with them socially (which perhaps doesn't mean much since I bother with hardly anyone socially). Religion is way to Feelery for me, and the fact that anyone even feels the need for it to enrich their lives is creepy.
I have this reaction to every religion (that I've ever heard of), but the less supernatural, anti-humanistic, and arbitrary the religion, the less it bothers me.
I have this reaction to every religion (that I've ever heard of), but the less supernatural, anti-humanistic, and arbitrary the religion, the less it bothers me.
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I respect him/her
I find it concerning this is an existing question.
The thought someone either is a better or worse person just because he/she is or isn't religious, is hopefully a thought one does not take very seriously.
I don't judge someone based off their religion, or lack of, at all. That's the perfect way to be proven wrong later, over and over again.
The thought someone either is a better or worse person just because he/she is or isn't religious, is hopefully a thought one does not take very seriously.
I don't judge someone based off their religion, or lack of, at all. That's the perfect way to be proven wrong later, over and over again.
For the most part I take people as they come and their being religious doesn't effect my opinion of them, this holds true for most religions. I've met good and bad people of many faiths and I think most religions do in their way try to make the world a better place, albeit with mixed results.
There are a few faiths I can't really deal with though, for instance when I find out someone is a Scientologist it tends to discredit anything else they say. It seems to me that anyone who buys that it far to credulous to take seriously. They may be perfectly nice people, but I have a hard time crediting them with intelligence or critical thinking skills, especially in light of the many well documented stories of abuse within that organization. Then there's Satanism, while I reject the entire premise of Satan I have zero interest in dealing with members of a faith which fetishizes selfishness.
I fully admit that I don't know the secrets of the universe, so maybe those of faith are right, but if Scientology is the truth then the universe is one colossal bad joke. That's my opinion in any case.
There are a few faiths I can't really deal with though, for instance when I find out someone is a Scientologist it tends to discredit anything else they say. It seems to me that anyone who buys that it far to credulous to take seriously. They may be perfectly nice people, but I have a hard time crediting them with intelligence or critical thinking skills, especially in light of the many well documented stories of abuse within that organization. Then there's Satanism, while I reject the entire premise of Satan I have zero interest in dealing with members of a faith which fetishizes selfishness.
I fully admit that I don't know the secrets of the universe, so maybe those of faith are right, but if Scientology is the truth then the universe is one colossal bad joke. That's my opinion in any case.
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I try not to let it cloud my judgment, but I know that at least on some subconscious level I tend to have a poorer opinion of strongly religious people. I don't actively mean it, but that and really any form of following somewhat blindly anything like that automatically crosses my own logic. The same goes with people who are very determinedly a given political party or very patriotic, etc.. I think that too much "blind" group mentality can lead to a lot of unintelligent, immoral, and painful outcomes, because some form of logic-free faith is in charge rather than pure and objective reason.
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Worse, I'm afraid. And I refuse to apologise for it, for I have seen religion cause too much death and suffering. I cannot possibly imagine forming any sort of relations with them. There are, of course, exceptions to this. I know a few genuinely intellectual and decent theists who do not let their scripture impede or corrupt them or those in their charge. Also, they do not take the scripture literally, but rather allegorically. To these people, religion is somewhat a tradition more than it is faith. However, these people are a small minority.
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My opinion is basically the same as this.
For Satanism and Scientology, yeah I can't deal with that. I mean what they promote...
Freemasonry is not a religion, its monetary, but I can't deal with them either. They might as well be Satanists though. There are some well meaning one's, but you get the point.
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