Why should we respect people’s faith when they have no evidence or proof?
Where else in our discourse do we encounter this? When was the last time that someone was admonished to respect someone else’s beliefs in history, physics, or mathematics?
If I told you I believe there was a diamond buried in my backyard that is the size of a refrigerator, it might occur for you to ask me why.*
What if in response I gave you the kind of answers that you hear from religious moderates, answers that describe the good effects of believing as I do?
“Believing that there is a diamond in my back yard gives my life a lot of meaning.”
“I wouldn’t want to live in a universe where there wasn’t a diamond buried in my backyard the size of a refrigerator.”
Others will tell you that “Medical studies have shown that people who believe that there is a diamond the size of a refrigerator buried in their backyard live longer, happier lives.”
It’s pretty clear that responses of this sort are deeply inadequate. Why don’t we apply this same demand for proof to religious faith?
Now watch this 2 minute video on teapot atheists!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVQoxrrMftA(If you do not watch this video, do not bother responding.)
Why do religious beliefs, or faith, get a pass when everything else in life is held to a higher standard?
Why is faith a virtue?
Why are faith-based beliefs even more of a virtue when held despite evidence to the contrary?
*Diamond analogy borrowed from Sam Harris, The End Of Faith, Chapter 1.
™ Version 4.2