yes, there _are_ atheists in foxholes

[winterbadger]

a thoughtful article about having the courtesy to respect others' beliefs

Thanks to vonandmoggy for posting the link.
As I said in replying to their posting of the article, I don't really know where I am yet in terms of belief, but I think that it's important to avoid the sort of cruel and dismissive discounting of someone else's beliefs that they recount. Toleration is, actually, a lot harder that I think is generally recognised. It doesn't demand that we accept other peoples' beliefs for ourselves, or even that we refrain from debating them and trying to persuade someone of our own belief. But I think it does require that we behave with civility to each other and try to refrain simply attacking someone else because they disagree with us.

I myself sometimes find that almost impossibly hard when it comes to politics, I admit. I try to maintain a separation between what I think of what a person espouses and what I think of that person, but maybe that's just an illusion of a difference. And if someone isn't prepared to meet me with the same sort of respect I'm striving to maintain for them, it makes it very hard to meet my own internal standards of courtesy. I suppose that's part of what I found impossibly difficult about being a Christian--how does one find the strength to meet anger with calm, hatred with love?

Comments

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

I think in terms of actual *war*, it should read "there are no agnostics in foxholes", because my grandad lost any religious faith he had as RAF groundcrew in WWII clearing out what was left of his comrades coming back in the fighters and bombers after the German bullets had richoted around inside... *shudder*

[winterbadger]

What a nasty experience for your grandad! :-(

But then, there might be people with really strong faith who had the same experience and it just left them very confused, torn between their feelings of faith and their horror at humans suffering.

More than anything, though, I take away from that article her point that each of us has our own reasons for the convictions we hold (whatever they are) and that it's not respectful to assert that someone else's beliefs can't be genuine and will *necessarily* be altered by the first serious shock they encounter.

As a digression, death is not something that I myself feel as if I fear much; I don't feel very certain about what comes after life, but we're all going to die at one time or another, so the imminent approach of death doesn't have that electrifying effect on me (or so I say now, having never consciously faced it). Other things I *know* I would fear, like pain, disability, harm to or loss of a loved one. And there have certainly been times that I faced those things that I have said variations on, "You know, I really wish I believed in you right now, because I so wish there were someone I thought could help right now." :-(

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

"More than anything, though, I take away from that article her point that each of us has our own reasons for the convictions we hold (whatever they are) and that it's not respectful to assert that someone else's beliefs can't be genuine and will *necessarily* be altered by the first serious shock they encounter."

This, exactly. Its the only tolerant and intelligent approach to take.