The following sentence comes from an interesting article (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/opinion/sunday/the-blessings-of-atheism.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1):

“The secular community is fearful of seeming to proselytize.”

Do our atheist friends here agree that not only those of the “secular community” but also of other, religious, persuasions should not be fearful of seeming to proselytize?

Another quote from that article:

“We do want our fellow citizens to respect our deeply held conviction that the absence of an afterlife lends a greater, not a lesser, moral importance to our actions on earth.”

Fair enough. Can we also “want our fellow citizens (including atheists) to respect our deeply held conviction that the belief in God (usually, but not always, accompanied by a belief in “afterlife”) lends a greater, not a lesser, moral importance to our actions on earth”?

George wrote: Can we also “want our fellow citizens (including atheists) to respect our deeply held conviction that the belief in God (usually, but not always, accompanied by a belief in “afterlife”) lends a greater, not a lesser, moral importance to our actions on earth”?

Dear George,

I respect you as an individual. I would not harm you, do anything to hinder you or interfere with you maintaining any convictions you have.

However, I think your conviction is a mistaken one and see no reason that I should respect it although I respect your right to have such a conviction. I also respect the right of anyone to have a Ptolemaic view of the solar system, but I see no reason to respect the conviction itself.

I believe that every human deserves respect. I do not believe that every human conviction deserves respect.

The fervour with which a conviction is held has nothing to do with the validity of the conviction.

Dear George,

It would be a shame indeed if we all "became fearful
of seeming to proselytize." We should not discourage
people to think about the issues involved. We need to
encourage anything that teaches people to think for themselves
and having a wide variety of opinions on "heavy issues,"
(because they are "head" issues) should be encouraged
not discouraged. Isn't the purpose of education to teach
us to be problem solvers, to gain new insights, and
to determine our own positions?

We need to think about our imperfect but real world
as it is, as it was, and also as it might be.
Through open and shared discussions we are provided with
vicarious experience, to extend our knowledge of people
and places. They help compare, alter, or strengthen our
values and behaviour by learning about individuals and
groups with different beliefs and practices.

We should have a whole culture, 'not just the plums,'
and learn the art of comparison and subconsciously
acquire critical standards. We need to be able to succeed
fully and freely in discussing openly the important
issues of the day. Great ideas and great societies
afterall, are the products of free inquiry. They must
continue to remain free.

Dear David,

Thanks for your reaction which reminds me of the Catholic “respect the sinner but not the sin”.

However, the quote, that I tried to construct a mirror image of, had nothing to do with respecting scientific “facts” or theories that have been shown untenable (your Ptolemaic view of the solar system). Here we would hardly differ.

It had to do with convictions that “absence of an afterlife”, or “belief in God” respectively, ”lends a greater, not a lesser, moral importance to our actions on earth”. These convictions are on a philosophical or moral, not scientific level, they are about tolerating other peoples’ conviction that their belief or unbelief in afterlife/God provides a good motivation for actions accepted by both sides as good.

Of course, not every conviction deserves respect - there are absurd, evil etc world-views that cannot be respected. However, I made it explicit what was the alternative world-view I contrasted with the author’s. Your blunt last sentence seems to indicate that you can respect only world-views and philosophical positions (again, we are not talking here about science, or politics) that agree with yours. This is certainly not my position and, I would have thought, neither yours.

Dear Lexi,

Thanks for the wise words. Of course, I agree with them. Am I right assuming that, you (although not being a self-professed atheist), would answer my two questions with YES in both case, that you agree that in general theists and atheist should have the same rights to proselytize and deserve the same respect for their world views (with the same restrictions applying to both in both cases)?

Dear George,

Definitely yes in both cases.
I'm not an atheist. My views have been
well documented on this Forum. It shall
be interesting to read what other points
of view are expressed on this topic.
Should be a robust discussion.

Dear George,

I respect some worldviews that do not agree with mine and do not respect other worldviews that differ from mine. Those I differ with and respect are those in which I feel I don't know enough to be sure of my opinion. However, I feel that belief in God has no more validity than a belief in the Ptolemaic system.

Of course I may be wrong in my opinion, but there I stand. Martin Luther is sometimes quoted as saying: "Here I stand. I can do no other." I say the same.