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Should we be equally as critical of dislike or hate towards religious groups as we are against racial groups?
@freemo No. You can't control your race, you can control what ideas you believe in.
@DavidBond True to a point, you certainly do have more control over your choice of religion. But religion, like culture, is something you are born into. The vast majority of people will adopt the culture and religion they are born into. Yes they can change, at least in theory, but in practice no one ever will. How much of this is their own fault and how much of it is just brain washing (to use a negative term) that was instilled at a young age and therefore largely out of their control.
@freemo People should be free to criticize bad ideas. "Religion" is just a word for a bundle of ideas.
@DavidBond the original point was regarding hate, not critique. The problem with your argument is that these religious and racial groups are usually vaguely defined. No one full of hate will stop to conduct genetic tests or thorough discussions of individuals beliefs, before causing harm. They will just pick someone who "looks" like they belong to the rival group and hate on them.
Someone who has never went to church, read the bible, or even heard about god, can be deemed "christian" just because they were born and raised among "christians".
Two people who both call themselves "muslim" can have completely different worldviews.
From that angle religion and race are equally invalid reasons for hatred.
This kind of hatred towards nebulous groups is disseminated for no other reason than for the leaders to point at anyone they wish, call them a word, and their indoctrinated vassals to attack with no questions asked, and for the whole thing to look more or less justified to bystanders.
@namark
Well said. I think I'd be accepting of any sincere and compassionate claim about race too, critique or otherwise, if it was considerate. Just as I might about religion. But as you say, when it is hateful thats where it crosses the line for me and is no longer acceptable.
@DavidBond