Religious Bigotry Sucks

[demwing]

If you insult people based on their religious beliefs, you are a bigot.

If you believe all, or most, people of faith are fanatics, you're probably just ignorant of the truth. But if you know that this behavior is wrong, and yet engage in it anyway, you're a bigot.

If you group all religions and all beliefs sytems together, and refuse to accept that they have different goals and understandings, you are a bigot.

If you think you are better than someone just because they believe in something that you do not, you are a bigot.

And if you use your religion as an excuse to persecute the non-religious, or those of other religious beliefs, you are also a bigot.

Bigotry sucks. Religious bigoty sucks.

Thanks for reading.

[ck4829]

1. Bigotry is pointless and stupid.

[Shoeempress]

7. I must respectfully disagree in some cases. I am hopelessly bigoted

against hypocrites.

[ck4829]

12. That actually might be the one form of acceptable bigotry

[dave29]

35. everyone is a hypocrite

I've not met one person who isn't at some point in their life. Hypocracy is a poorly defined phenomenon.

[Liberal Veteran]

2. On the flip side, if you believe that religion gives you a free pass...

...to persecute others because your particular religion says that trait "x" is bad, then you are also a bigot.

[demwing]

3. good point, and added /nt

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. I agree. Judging people because they are Muslim is wrong

[demwing]

36. As is debasing people because they are Christian.

Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Daoist, Hare Krishna, Wiccan, Pagan, or Atheist, or adherents to any other belief system.

Who are we to judge them?

[atreides1]

5. My Feelings

I don't believe that all people of faith are fanatics, I don't believe that all religious or belief systems are the same, and I
have never believed that I'm better then sommeone else because of
a difference in our beliefs.

But we know who the fanatics are, Falwell, Robertson, Dobson, Phelps,
and the other "religious" leaders like them. And if their followers
believe in what their masters are telling them, then the term fanatic
applies to them as well.

Not bigotry, just the facts!!!!!

[demwing]

6. Blame

"I don't believe that all people of faith are fanatics, I don't believe that all religious or belief systems are the same, and I
have never believed that I'm better then sommeone else because of
a difference in our beliefs."

Thats because you're not a bigot.

Calling things as they are is not the same as calling things as they seem. We DO know who the fanatics are, but there are times when we get so upset with them that we let the line blur, and cast aspersions like a great trolling net of blame.

[mitchtv]

8. if you share a religion with bigots, and

allow them to dominate , without speaking up, or leaving, you are a bigot. Evil flourishes when good men stay silent.

[demwing]

9. The reverse bigotry of fear?

or guilt by silence?

True fear is a difficult emotion. Sometimes we have to remain silent or risk death. Granted, sometimes, death is the better of the two options. Let's all be grateful that we are not currently in a position to choose between silence and death.

But those who sit silent while bigotry consumes their community?

They have no real fear, unless you count the desire to fit in as the pathetic fear of being left out. Regardless, they have no excuse. They share the blame.

[mitchtv]

10. fear or willfull ignorance,

"I never knew what was happening"- Germany 1945

[undeterred]

11. What do you mean by "sharing a religion with bigots"?

The reasonable fair minded people who believe in a particular historic faith are no more responsible for the bigotry of the fundamentalist bigots who also claim to believe in that faith than is the atheist next door. We are each responsible for our own choices first of all.

[LittleClarkie]

16. My first thought to that line of thinking was

how the hell do I stop being white. Because some of my fellow white people are bigots. So if we follow the same logic, I need to do something about my skin, right?

Okay, that's not fair, but it was the first thing that entered my mind.

Like some Republicans who are struggling to hold on to their party and wrestle it away from the nuts, I'm not letting go either. These people will not be allowed to own God.

It would be different if one of the tennents of the religion was to be a bigot. But I look at people in the Bible like Jesus, and I don't see Bill Frist. I have a button that says "Jesus was a liberal."

Well, let's see. He cared about the poor. Sounds like a liberal to me. He talked to people and didn't shun them. Liberal. He got really, really angry at the moneylenders. Liberal, liberal, liberal.

I wonder how Bill Frist will explain that Jesus is against people of faith.

[mitchtv]

26. Well, as far as I can see Christians, Muslims in particular

and to some extent Hindus and Jews have allowed the 'extreme fundamentalists"(IE bigoted scumbags) to take control of the religious dialogue in their communities and basically take over the driver's seat.Moderates and truly religious people have allowed zealots and Pharisees to use the resources to threaten the very foundations of democracy. These people are in the minority and until they cut the purse strings and take a stand, and speak out, we are in deep doodoo.If your parish, preacher, etc. starts telling you what to think, instead of how to live, watch out

[LittleClarkie]

15. I've seen groups stand up, but I don't think they get any press

Their problem is our problem. The media is not on our side. And these right wing groups have been organizing for a long time. I've started seeing groups on the other side like catholicdemocrats.net (I think it is), as I say, but they're just starting, and like the Dem Party, aren't as organized as they need to be yet.

And then there are those who get upset that ANY religious group, no matter what side they're on, are getting involved at all. Some folks would rather there was NO involvement at all from religious groups, even the ones on our side.

I remember wearing my Kerry button in church, not because I was mixing church and state, but because I'd told myself that I was not taking it off ever, I found that the majority of the people I go to church with felt as I do.

There was a lawyer who said that he could see the middle class shrinking.

There was the elderly ex military guy and his wife. At first they didn't want buttons and bumper stickers and signs, but toward the last month or so, they changed their minds and I got them some stuff. Too many Bush signs in the neighborhood not to answer them with some Kerry signs, they said. And when the sign was stolen, I got them another one. The wife said she felt like we were in a fight for our democracy.

My pastor voted for Bush in 2000 but said he couldn't do it again. I don't know if he voted for Kerry, but he was surely a lost vote for Bush. And he does NOT approve of what's been going on in the name or religion in the government.

We had Catholics for Kerry and People of Faith for Kerry, I remember.

But why is it born again Christians look at people like me, those of us on the left, as if we were second-hand Christians. The Republicans at the pub I go to saw a picture of me praying on Nov. 2, and made fun of me, saying God is a Republican.

I think they may be in for a surprise later.

I speak out. I called my Senator and I wrote a letter to the editor when Frist said Dems were against people of faith. God, I was angry. I don't know if it did any good though. But they can't own God. I won't let them. He's equal opportunity, and they better remember that.

[RevCheesehead]

25. Hi, Li'l Clarkie!

:hi: excellent posts! :thumbsup:

[LittleClarkie]

29. I do try

Thanks!

[mitchtv]

28. Its been a long time coming, thank tou

I hear Dr Dean use a word today that should be used more often,"Pharisees" that is what we have today running the show in politics and sadly in much of the religious community.

[Syncronaut Seven]

13. Bigots suck! That makes me a bigot.

Don't be ashamed, I'm learning it has a time and place.

Hate pedophiles?

Hate fascists?

Hate rapists?

Does that make you a bigot?

IT'S JUST A WORD! Someone calls you a bigot? you may be winning the argument.

Wingers love to throw the buzzwords back in your face. Do they understand the base concept? or they being purely reactionary?

I used to be terrified of the word, now I know better.

[demwing]

14. No, that doesn't make you a bigot

That makes you discriminant.

discriminate: "To make a clear distinction; distinguish: discriminate among the options available. To make sensible decisions; judge wisely."

Bigot: "One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ."

Thanks to dictionary.com

If you oppose that which is clearly wrong (rapre, fascism, pedophilia, etc.), you discriminate wisely.

If you are intolerant of those who are DIFFERENT, you are a bigot.

There is nothing good about bigotry, regardless of how you protest.

[Bluerthanblue]

18. i'm intollerant of people

who take advantage of others, particularly those in positions of
increased vunerability, or lack of 'power' like children, aged, infirm....

does that make me a bigot? if so, i'll take the charge- or 'label'-

[Syncronaut Seven]

19. Thank you, perhaps my interpretation was a bit sloppy.

I feel better now. :spank:

[demwing]

20. Smile. You're one of the good guys

minor grammatical errors, spelling errors, and errors of definition are not counted.

[usregimechange]

17. Or...

"If you believe all, or most, people of faith are fanatics" you live in Southwest Missouri?

[murielkane]

21. "Truth is one, the sages call it by many names"

Anybody who believes that one religion has a lock on truth and all the others are wrong -- is a bigot.

Anybody who believes that all religions are false -- is also a bigot.

Every religion expresses a different facet of the same ineffable truth.

Every religion offers a slightly different path towards that truth.

The real cure for bigotry is humility.

[arKansasJHawk]

30. All religions are false ...

"Anybody who believes that all religions are false -- is also a bigot."

Really? Does that also mean that anyone who believes ANY religion is false is a bigot? Because that description applies to about 99 percent of religious people. After all, the only difference between me, an atheist, and your average Protestant is that they believe in exactly one more religion than I do.

Now, that doesn't mean your average religious person can't be "tolerant" of other religions, but if your belief system includes tenents such as "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," and "Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven," then you've pretty much made your judgement on all the other religions right there.

So why am I a bigot because I believe in one LESS religion than the average Christian?

[sybylla]

34. Exhibit A - let's try a little logic

If Anybody who believes that All Religions are false is a bigot
And All Atheists believe that All Religions are false
Then All Atheists are bigots.

Nice little bigotted syllogism there. Bet you don't have many Atheist friends.

I would argue that the real cure for bigotry is knowledge. But TRUE humility would be a start.

And on edit: where's the humility in Every religion expresses a different facet of the same ineffable truth. Every religion offers a slightly different path towards that truth.

If my religion dictated that my husband could marry multiple times even to girls as young as 12, that's better than having no religion at all? That's an equally acceptable path towards enlightenment as, say, being a Bhuddist or Mennonite or Muslim or Baptist or whatever? Surely there must be analysis and discernment of right an wrong, even in religion. Reflection and judgement on the self is the key to humility.

[Skittles]

22. religious intolerance sucks more

nt

[demwing]

23. Religious intolerance IS religious bigotry

practiced by the religious.

There's no difference...

[alittlelark]

24. 2/3 of my Christian friends are WAY COOL... the other 1/3 are

not friends anymore, because they are brainwashed bigoted fools.

[RevCheesehead]

27. How about "if you think ALL people...

If you think ALL people who share something in common are inherently the same, and you hate and despise all for sharing that commonality, you are a bigot.

Fill in the blank. When you throw all people into one pot and say they are all the same, you are engaging in prejudicial behavior, whether they are people of color, disabled, homosexual, religious or non-religious, people who live in a particular state, what someone does for a living (or the unemployed), etc.

We can, and should, be better than this.

[JackDragna]

31. Then I guess I'm a bigot.

I have no tolerance for Scientologists or Moonies, at least the one who know what they're doing. I have no tolerance for members of the Christian identity movement. I respect all religions who treat the rest of humanity with kindness, decency and tolerance. If, however, a religion exists primary to swindle people (Scientology), brainwash them (Unificationism) or movitate them to do violence (Identity), then I'll gleefully label its members as idiots, dupes or just plain mean.

[demwing]

32. How does that make you a bigot?

"I respect all religions who treat the rest of humanity with kindness, decency and tolerance"

That's not the motto of a bigot.

[sojourner]

33. Religious bigotry is no different than

any bigotry. If we condone (or participate in) the blind hatred of any group we are no better than the very people we so despsise (for their actions).

And we are giving energy and support to a continuance of intolerance -- all sorts of intolerance: racial, sexist, etc. I saw an example of this on another thread...people expressing extreme views about religious folk, without taking a moment to consider that not all religious people are supporting this terrible administration.

Not only that, but with those kinds of sentiments I fear that REAL persecution of people "of faith" is looming as a backlash for the admitted evils committed by the fundie "wingnuts" supporting Bushista. Not a very enlightened reaction in my opinion, as it just propagates more hatred and intolerance in return.