Do people have a right to believe any old bollocks?

[Platypus]

They have that right. They don't have the right to expect anybody else to believe it, though. When it can be clearly shown that their belief is a load of old bollocks, and that the contrary belief is correct, they should be allowed to carry on in their merry way, but only as long as they do no harm to others.

We don't allow people who believe the Great Panjandrum is going to feed the world with Air to starve their children, or other people, on those grounds; though they have the right to starve themselves.

For an equally stupid belief that is causing harm in real life right now, take the anti-vaccination brigade. The only way their beliefs can be justified is if one is prepared to abandon all sense of reason. So while they should be allowed to believe that garbage if they want to, their children should be vaccinated no matter what the parents believe, as otherwise both their children and others (adults as well as children) are put at risk of serious harm from disease and the diminution of the protection provided to society as a whole by herd immunity.

And don't even get me started on crazy stuff like Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientology, and Capitalism…

Good stuff. For me, a more interesting question is do we have to respect their beliefs and tippy toe around so as not to cause offence? We might take the P out of believers in the FSM or Socialism or Capitalism or Jedi-ism, but we 're not allowed to do the same to Christians, Scientologists or, Allah forbid, Muslims or Jews.

It's that I have to respect the beliefs of a few nutjobs that irks me. And that other nutjobs have jumped on that bandwagon and demand respect for their looney beliefs.

Why can't everyone be normal?

[Ticktock]

Good stuff. For me, a more interesting question is do we have to respect their beliefs and tippy toe around so as not to cause offence? We might take the P out of believers in the FSM or Socialism or Capitalism or Jedi-ism, but we 're not allowed to do the same to Christians, Scientologists or, Allah forbid, Muslims or Jews.

It's that I have to respect the beliefs of a few nutjobs that irks me. And that other nutjobs have jumped on that bandwagon and demand respect for their looney beliefs.

Why can't everyone be normal?

You are allowed to take the P out of any religion or its followers. Unfortunately, this isn't what normally happens. Normally it turns into what is basically bullying, turns to nasty insults and accusations of stupidity. People seem to persist in the belief that religious belief is a sign of low intelligence. It is not. It is a sign of ignorance to equate the two.
The other thing that happens is the, frankly, boring practice of trying to pick apart the holy books of whatever faith you are arguing with to try to say "Oh look, there is a contradiction here, how do you explain THAT, noob. Obvioiusly I know your religion better than you." Most people of any faith would probably say that their belief is in the whole, not in the detail, and as most are not theologists they may not have studied these points in detail.

While you are, of course, still allowed to do this, don't be surprised if the intelligent people who you accuse of stupidity react and stand up for themselves.

[suityou01]

You do rather seem to Doodab.

HTH

[tractor]

..

Only those with massive penises. Like me.

Which lets Max Clifford out allegedly...

[doodab]

You do rather seem to Doodab.

HTH

Going to take the kids to buckingham palace later, maybe we'll see the queen and her magnets

[SteelyDan]

Discuss....

Probably, and the same right to talk any old bollocks too....politicians, CUKers, et al

[suityou01]

Going to take the kids to buckingham palace later, maybe we'll see the queen and her magnets

I think you've gone a little bit mental.

[Platypus]

You are allowed to take the P out of any religion or its followers. Unfortunately, this isn't what normally happens. Normally it turns into what is basically bullying, turns to nasty insults and accusations of stupidity. People seem to persist in the belief that religious belief is a sign of low intelligence. It is not. It is a sign of ignorance to equate the two.
The other thing that happens is the, frankly, boring practice of trying to pick apart the holy books of whatever faith you are arguing with to try to say "Oh look, there is a contradiction here, how do you explain THAT, noob. Obvioiusly I know your religion better than you." Most people of any faith would probably say that their belief is in the whole, not in the detail, and as most are not theologists they may not have studied these points in detail.

While you are, of course, still allowed to do this, don't be surprised if the intelligent people who you accuse of stupidity react and stand up for themselves.

Good points, but probably reflecting that I made my point badly.

No, the thing I find irksome is when people state that they have a right to have their beliefs respected and that therefore I must respect [i.e. not criticise] their beliefs even if I disagree with them.

[doodab]

I think you've gone a little bit mental.

Get back under the stairs. There's gaps in the tinfoil wallpaper that need patching up.

[EternalOptimist]

People are easily brain washed, thats a fact. programmed. first by their parents, then by their peers and then by themselves. After all, you dont see many christian kids growing up in a moslem household in Pakistan or moslem kids in Christian housholds in the bible belt.
I can guarantee that 5,00 years ago any person with a strong religious belief would have worshipped the oak tree if they had lived on one side of the forest and the ash if they had lived on the other.

And they probably hated each other for being thick and had big wars where they murdered each other.

Once you realise that everyone else is brain washed, it would take a prime-time wazzock not to realise that HE must, therefore be equally brainwashed. Of course, everyone believes something else as well, that they are right. So, what to do ?
I have come to one conclusion about this, its the extrmists that are the problem. the fanatics.

Most people are brainwashed but dont really give a toss about much. The fanatics who have to get their hands on the levers of power in order to get everyone else doing what THEY believe are the real danger.
A loop fruit who wants to sit on a bus and dribble, well, thats ok by me