I can no longer believe or trust anyone with a faith in any relgion.

This is not a spur of the moment thing or something said simply to offend anyone or intice argument, it is simply a statement of fact.

For some time now I have been becoming more and more bemused by the concept of religious belief or any form of organised religion.

This makes me a little sad because so many brilliant people with amazing insight, knowledge and expertise leave me distrusting of them due to a completley unfounded and flawed(in my opinion) reasoning.

It has got to the point that I feel that if I ever needed a life saving operation then I could not trust a surgeon who was a follower of a religion.

This is not an easy thing to come to terms with as I always try and allow anyone the right to choose what to belive in but the basis and history of religion either organised or personal leaves me unable to comprehend.

I encourage and anticipate your polite and well structured replies.

How can you think these people are "brilliant" and have "amazing insight" if you distrust them out of hand because of their religion?

originally posted by: ProfessorChaos
How can you think these people are "brilliant" and have "amazing insight" if you distrust them out of hand because of their religion?

Because maybe they say or do things that I find brilliant or insightfull before I then discover they have religious beliefs.

I hope this clarifies the statement.

a reply to: nonspecific

Serious question:

If Gandhi, Mother Theresa, or someone to that effect were to have a conversation with you on the subway about the issues of poverty or hunger in the city, and overall it was an objective discussion (with perhaps some religious undertones - such as an allegorical reference to a biblical legend, just to illustrate their point), would you discredit everything they said simply because they hold religious beliefs?

a reply to: nonspecific

originally posted by: FamCore
a reply to: nonspecific

Serious question:

If Gandhi, Mother Theresa, or someone to that effect were to have a conversation with you on the subway about the issues of poverty or hunger in the city, and overall it was an objective discussion (with perhaps some religious undertones - such as an allegorical reference to a biblical legend, just to illustrate their point), would you discredit everything they said simply because they hold religious beliefs?

Serious answer.

I would take on board there opinion and give it any credit it deserved.

I would have an issue with the reasoning that made there opinion so.

I am not sure if this is a good enough explanation so please let me know if it is not.

originally posted by: nonspecific

originally posted by: ProfessorChaos
How can you think these people are "brilliant" and have "amazing insight" if you distrust them out of hand because of their religion?

Because maybe they say or do things that I find brilliant or insightfull before I then discover they have religious beliefs.

I hope this clarifies the statement.

If you don't mind me saying, that's a little pathetic, by the same argument you could say someone who is an atheist would have motives based on their beliefs - or lack of them, it gets a little confusing. Someones beliefs in anything - faith, politics, sports etc are part of their whole - not the whole in itself, unless it's someone who is absolutely geared towards a particular ideology whatever that ideology may happen to be.

Faith...Believing in something without personal and irrefutable proof.

Some have faith in religion, some in science.
The preacher, the scientist.

I'm sure very intelligent people have been dupped by both.

Each and everyone of us has knowledge and ignorance making up our beliefs. I don't really believe in religion, but to dismiss someone for having faith is hypocritic in my point of view.

What makes you think YOUR beliefs are better, "truer"?
I hope you change you prejudicial point of view.

That's too bad because I often enjoy your viewpoint, and now I am just another religious whackjob in your eyes.

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
a reply to: nonspecific

Would it be possible for you to add some form of comment to your post so your opinion can be understood correctly please.

Many thanks.

originally posted by: uncommitted

originally posted by: nonspecific

originally posted by: ProfessorChaos
How can you think these people are "brilliant" and have "amazing insight" if you distrust them out of hand because of their religion?

Because maybe they say or do things that I find brilliant or insightfull before I then discover they have religious beliefs.

I hope this clarifies the statement.

If you don't mind me saying, that's a little pathetic, by the same argument you could say someone who is an atheist would have motives based on their beliefs - or lack of them, it gets a little confusing. Someones beliefs in anything - faith, politics, sports etc are part of their whole - not the whole in itself, unless it's someone who is absolutely geared towards a particular ideology whatever that ideology may happen to be.

I most certainly do not mind you saying so.

My lack of understanding faith makes me question those that do, how can I trust someone that belives something with no factual basis whatsoever and who will more than likely judge someone badly who has a similar but "different" belief.

As I said no ill intended I simply fail to see any logic in religious belief and that causes me concern.

originally posted by: theMediator
Faith...Believing in something without personal and irrefutable proof.

Some have faith in religion, some in science.
The preacher, the scientist.

I'm sure very intelligent people have been dupped by both.

Each and everyone of us has knowledge and ignorance making up our beliefs. I don't really believe in religion, but to dismiss someone for having faith is hypocritic in my point of view.

What makes you think YOUR beliefs are better, "truer"?
I hope you change you prejudicial point of view.

You raise a good point in my predudice and this is partly what bothers me.

I will have a think about that and thank you.

originally posted by: ketsuko
That's too bad because I often enjoy your viewpoint, and now I am just another religious whackjob in your eyes.

Those were your words not mine.

"whackjob" was never in my OP although I must admit that knowing you hold a firm religious belief does make me second guess your viewpoint.

The reason I started this thread was to try and gain insight into this not to judge or be judged.

originally posted by: ProfessorChaos
How can you think these people are "brilliant" and have "amazing insight" if you distrust them out of hand because of their religion?

how can you not? Im an atheist, but ive met some really smart religious people. Some of them, which i look at as only following religion cause it was passed down traditionally. Some people cant break out of that sort of brainwashing, but ive met some with really brilliant outlook on certain things.

I can agree with you though OP, nice post

a reply to: nonspecific
If you trust anyone, whether they are religious or not, you are gambling.

originally posted by: LongishLongo

originally posted by: ProfessorChaos
How can you think these people are "brilliant" and have "amazing insight" if you distrust them out of hand because of their religion?

how can you not? Im an atheist, but ive met some really smart religious people. Some of them, which i look at as only following religion cause it was passed down traditionally. Some people cant break out of that sort of brainwashing, but ive met some with really brilliant outlook on certain things.

So does you athiest viewpoint make you question there reasoning or are you able to put it aside?

As I said this is what I currently strugle with.

a reply to: nonspecific

Would it be possible for you to add some form of comment to your post so your opinion can be understood correctly please.

That simple little vid had a response that you may consider reasonable and acceptable because you have already stated that people that have a religious belief have no value to you . The vid had some points and you may have got a laugh out of it as well . Maybe you take yourself way too serious to be able to laugh or cry .Maybe you are a bot . one thing is for sure is that I can just skip over your posts from now on and not waist my time to think that my comment to you might have a valid point . all the best though ....peace

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: nonspecific
If you trust anyone, whether they are religious or not, you are gambling.

I agree but as the OP stated I feel that it is getting harder to "trust" someone with a religious viewpoint than one without.

It's not something I am happy about and that is why I brought it up to discuss.

I am not sure, but I get the feeling you are saying that you believe that people with very strong religious beliefs allow those beliefs to influence every opinion they have. Right? That seems to be the case with religious fundamentalists, of any denomination but...
I don't agree with the idea as a whole, as there are quite a few religious people I know who absolutely embrace science and critical thinking (yes, their faith is not contradictory to critical thinking, it is quite separate). It seems that those people have come to the conclusion that science and religion are not mutually exclusive ideas.
I am not religious in any way, but I would give you some advice anyway, if you are not offended.
Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.