this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2025
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[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 72 points 1 week ago

You can have respect for somebody's right to hold whatever beliefs they please. But that doesn't mean you have to respect the nonsense.

[–] Lemming421@lemmy.world 64 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I don’t have to respect people for their beliefs.

Some people believe vaccines cause autism. Their beliefs are stupid and actively dangerous to society, and I will call them on that shit.

[–] blargh513@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago

How DARE you not respect the obvious stupidity of others??!?!

I heard that the act of comparing two things immediately gives the lesser of those two things some validity simply because they are being compared. I didn't believe it at the time, but I sure do now.

Case in point: vaccines cause autism vs no that's fucking stupid.

Somehow we all thought it was fucking moronic, but now we live in a world where it is somehow NOT immediately dismissed as bullshit.

Is it wrong to hope for a nearby nuclear disaster? Seems less painful than current conditions.

[–] olafurp@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

That would be so nice. We'd actually have a nice public transport system everywhere if vaccine caused autism.

[–] 7U5K3N@lemmy.dbzer0.com 42 points 1 week ago (1 children)

What's the difference in a cult and a religion?

2000 years.

[–] ODGreen@lemmy.ca 28 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Well it took 300 years between Jesus allegedly being around and the emperor Constantine promoting it as the dominant religion. So way shorter than 2000.

[–] porksnort@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 week ago (3 children)

A lot less. The mormons are rich enough to buy an army now and they were founded in 1830.

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[–] 9point6@lemmy.world 34 points 1 week ago (1 children)

People can believe whatever they like as long as it stays in their head

As soon as their beliefs start negatively impacting anyone or anything, that's when we have a problem

[–] FenrirIII@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

The problem with most belief systems is that people want a tribe that believes what they believe, so they naturally spread like a disease.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

All religions are, by definition, cults. It is like that.

[–] Flickerby@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 week ago

Religions are just cults with better PR.

[–] BroBot9000@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

Absolutely!!

All religions are damn cults and primitive. Always been used to control the uneducated ignorant masses.

Sunday school is a child grooming institution.

[–] Pat_Riot@lemmy.today 16 points 1 week ago (5 children)

I have equal disdain for every religion. There is no worse disease plaguing the human race.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago

I'd argue greed.

[–] yogurtwrong@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

How dare you talk to our god and savior flying spaghetti monster like that!

If you don't obey our religion, you will... actually... still go to heaven with stripper factories and beer volcanos. Flying spaghetti monster loves you no matter what

R'amen!

[–] Pat_Riot@lemmy.today 3 points 1 week ago

Y'all might get a pass, but only cause y'all not tryna stick your noodles in my business.

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[–] s@piefed.world 15 points 1 week ago

Exactly how rude is it to ask “Do you guys actually belief those obviously false and absurd things or are you just trying to maliciously gaslight me?” ? It gives the benefit of the doubt of Hanlon’s Razor.

[–] olafurp@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (2 children)

You can respect the cultural aspect of a religion without respecting the "facts" it claims.

[–] BogeyTheSwear@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago

Yes all the wonderful cultural aspects! Like the inquisition, book burnings, destruction of local temples, and changing their story to fit better into all the new conquered territories 🤷‍♂️

The cultural impact of any religion is mass control.

[–] porksnort@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You can, I guess. Culture is shaped by beliefs significantly tho. Dumb beliefs often result in dumb culture.

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 3 points 1 week ago

Dunno, I like the idea of meeting up with my neighbours in my local community once a week, singing in harmony with them, and then arranging small community projects to better the area

(I'm obviously skipping over the judgement of others, the financing, the general right-wing narratives that are peddled, the power structures and the abuse that comes with it)

I'm not religious, so the closest thing I have is volunteering at my local park once a week and working alongside a few of my locals, and though it's nice and we're definitely doing a universal good for the area... I just wish there were more people to actually make it feel like a proper community

I was speaking with a colleague in the US, and he mentioned that he was brought up Mormon (and thankfully escaped), but he missed the community aspect of it and so he joined a Unitarian church, which as far as I understand it brings all the community benefits of church groups but basically ignores any bible preaching. It sounds nice.

[–] Berengaria_of_Navarre@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I don't respect any religious beliefs.

[–] Muaddib@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 week ago (10 children)

Do you respect the identities of the Bissu priests of Indonesia as mixed-gender emissaries to their god?

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[–] Blubber28@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I have given up on that. I will respect individuals who follow the buffoonery unless they give me reason not to, sure, but I will never respect a book that says I should be stoned to death, and the surrounding culture that such a book is about love and acceptance.

[–] stormeuh@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

"Be kind to individuals, but ruthless to institutions." ~ Michael Brooks I think this is useful advice in general, but especially in this case.

[–] AlteredEgo@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago

What if "respecting the buffoonery" is the real cult?

Join today and become a tankie! Religious freedom is the opium for the masses!

[–] lobut@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 week ago

I think it's mainly to not get into an argument. It sours things. It's non-religious but I got into a climate change denier that worked at my company alongside two Trump supporters. They were also talking about red pill content.

Now I can't respect any shit that comes out of their mouths.

Earlier in the conversation we were talking about shows in London and what west end shows we've seen. He's lived there for 11 years and said he hasn't seen anything because he had no friends to go with. I didn't piece it together until later on.

[–] HamsterRage@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 week ago

Religion. Ruins. Everything...Every. Time.

[–] BilSabab@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

it was the end of the line as soon as religions moved out of basic "don't be a dick or you gonna be struck by lightning" lane into political domain. You can respect historical Jesus but hoo boy it is hard to respect any iteration of Christian church and their symbiosis with state institutions and crime. These guys are hyporcrites. Like there's a russian orthodox church that literally celebrates war and approves violence against Ukrainians. I don't think that how christianity works but they probably know better.

[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 8 points 1 week ago

But you don't have to respect it

[–] Angelusz@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

You do not have to pretend. Speak the truth, find a way to integrate them into reality.

[–] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I learned a long time ago that no, you don't have to respect those beliefs.

You have to respect the person's right to have them. Nothing more.

I am free and protected to tell people their religion is stupid, but I still respect their right to believe their stupid religion freely.

[–] glorkon@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

While I generally agree with you, it's important to draw the line when these beliefs become dangerous and harmful to others.

If people believe they should wear silly hats because their religion commands them to, they are welcome to. I don't respect that belief, but I respect their right to hold it.

Refusing to get vaccination for your kids however... I don't think I have to even respect the right to that belief.

[–] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago

You're absolutely right that it's not a black or white line. Vaccinations are a perfect example of that.

I tend to follow the rule of, and I honestly think it's the prime directive, is "You're right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins". You can believe whatever you want, up until it affects others or public safety is involved.

You don't believe school zones should have a 30km speed limit. Great...more power to you...but you still have to obey the law because it puts others at risk. You freedom is your freedom to believe stupid things, not to act on them.

You don't believe seatbelts save lives. You're free to bitch about it private to your family and friends and make their lives miserable with your rants. But you still have to follow the law.

As far as I'm concerned, Vaccines are the same. You're free to believe they don't work. But if the preponderance of evidence is against you, and public safety is concerned, you're right ends with bitching about it. But you still have to do it because it involves the safety of others.

Can you imagine a world where a whole group of people could up and say "We don't believe it red lights...it's against our individual rights to not stop at intersections..." ?

The idea of the social contract where whe agree to live with certain limitations and rules in order to keep others safe and enjoy the auspices of things like medical care, infrastructure, stability and the pursuit of happiness, is a long held concept. It's only in recent years where (especially in the U.S.) it's been replaced with the attitude of "fuck you as long as I take care of myself."

[–] suodrazah@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago
[–] AlteredEgo@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Fucking Baader-Meinhof Effect, I was just thinking about that!

If music idols can have their own jets and villas people think it's cool, why can't they have their own religious cults!?

[–] Medic8teMe@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They do have their own religious cults. Fame is a cult like no other.

[–] EightLeggedFreak@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Jared Leto has a cult island, iirc.

[–] TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

That's the original definition of meme.

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[–] Muaddib@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Would you not respect a religion if it didn't have many followers?

Fuck that, I love my Wiccan homies

I think having too many followers is a bad thing for a religion. A person is smart, but people are stupid. The more people, the more stupid.

[–] SlothMama@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Yeah, came here to say that major religions are by definition successful cults.

[–] MudMan@fedia.io 3 points 1 week ago

Yeah, because... you know, nobody agrees on which ones make that list.

So the path of least resistance is "I respect your beliefs", instead of "made up magic Kaiju follower battle royale 2025". Worth noting that in previous editions atheists have been significantly outnumbered.

[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 week ago

As a quasi-religious person who also cares about things like scientific accuracy, whether things cause suffering, and like, basic feet-to-the-ground truths; no the fuck I will not pretend about that shit. If your beliefs cause harm I will challenge them.

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