"Revealed faith is not harmless nonsense, it can be lethally dangerous nonsense. Dangerous because it gives people unshakeable confidence in their own righteousness. Dangerous because it gives them false courage to kill themselves, which automatically removes normal barriers to killing others. Dangerous because it teaches enmity to others labelled only by a difference of inherited tradition. And dangerous because we have all bought into a weird respect, which uniquely protects religion from normal criticism. Let's now stop being so damned respectful!"
- Richard Dawkins
Quote Source: "Has the world changed?" (The Guardian Newspaper)
I suppose religion's promise of an afterlife can be dangerous, especially if, as it seems, there isn't one!
From it's very core it teaches people to restrict themselves from many of the wonderful things this life has to offer, in exchange for a better spot in a heaven that no one has ever seen. It will be a sad disappointment to all of those celibate priests when they realize what they missed out on, and for no good reason other than to satisfy earthly religions.
All religious promises are full of lies and completely dangerous to humanity. Nothing has ever been as destructive as religion in the history of civilization.
It's good to be respectful but only when things are really worthy of such respect. If more atheists ran things in politics and in the generela media, we would probaby have more people listening to what needs to be said about religion.
Dawkins puts such an intense spin on religion. I had to give a lot of thought to his claim that teaching children religion is child abuse. It's one thing to abandon religion but to go to the point of calling it abuse! I do feel that teaching religion to children at such a young age is detrimental beyond what it appears at the surface.
Respectful used in the respect by Mr. Dawkins above in noun form is the feeling in verb form is the showing of, admiration for ones abilities qualities or achievements. As such a ward is defined, it is hard for anyone who does not agree with religion to show or feel respect to something that fundamentally disagrees with them, just as it is hard for religion to show respect for atheist.
I personally do not respect religions but rather respect peoples right to freedom of religious belief and I expect the same. Religions these days do not respect the religious freedom it it not possible to respect something you a don't understand and b doesn't understand and respect you. I feel the word is thrown around to easily.
Dawkins is a bit too much of an extremist to me. What he says makes a lot of sense, it;s just how he says it that bothers me.