Whose faith do you respect more?

Question

Yes this is for atheists and agnostics as well, if like me (an agnostic) you can respect faith.

Whose faith do you respect more?

A) someone who believes in their religions and holds fast to the idea that their religion (or book) is 100% correct, even when factual evidence disagrees with it

or

B) someone who believes but are willing to accept that there may be something not 100% correct about a particular text... but who instead thinks that it is the general IDEA that is more important than quibbling over specifics (eg whether Genesis is literal or not)

I respect B more that the fundie "A"

I think that that person "A" has 'brittle' faith. Holding stubbornly and literally to things that are ludicrous to take as fact (eg Noah's ark) is to have a faith that is easily broken

Person "B' has faith like an oak. It is strong and can bend & adjust when reality requires it. It also lasts much longer than faith A



-this ? is in honor of shadowgirl, a christian of type "B" whom I respect

Answer 1

I agree with you. Beautifully said. :)

Answer 2

I would rather be categorized as a type "B" believer, but it is also important to note that in most holy books, specifics can sometimes matter as much as the general idea, or even represent the general idea.

In fact, one has to make some level of assumption in order to claim that one knows what the general idea in a given text, and any general idea is always made up of specifics, so there will always be "quibbling over specifics" among humans.

I admit I like your analogy, taking a page out of Jesus' book if you will, but I have to disagree with your fundamental argument here.

If one believes any holy book to be the words of God, then that holy book must be 100% correct, since God cannot be wrong to any degree, even a small one.

I have a hard time believing that God would have people write a book that is about 50% fact and about 50% fiction, which is what the Bible is according to your opinion.

Answer 3

You seem to be blurring the concepts of belief and faith, which many do. Belief may as well be synonymous with Knowledge.

If I say "I believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" that is the same as saying "I know that God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the one true God."

Faith, is believing in God's Word (His commandments, punishments, promises, testimonies, etc.) or some doctrine including your own set of revelations and epiphanies. Thus for a Christian, faith is believing that the words of Jesus are Truth, He is "the way, the truth, and the life". For a Buddhist, faith is that following the teachings of Buddha will lead you to Nirvana.

Belief is what you have learned about what is and what was. Faith is what you believe will be based upon your knowledge. Many people have weak faith because they have little foundation of beliefs, this includes most people who are devoted to the words of other people (i.e. scientists, church leaders, and other influential members of society). This is the reason cults have such success because the followers cling to every word of the leader. Most major religions were not as such, take Jesu, his disciples had little faith that he would conquer death because their belief in His words was not there.

Answer 4

To be honest, I don't respect either opinion. I find it a lot easier to like people of type B, and in fact the vast majority of my friends are type B people. Type A people are just generally extremely unpleasant.

However, the type A people actually adhere to their religion. The reason I can't respect the opinions of type B people is that their non-adherence to the tenets of their religion, and the apologism for the inconsistencies in their belief system smack of hypocrisy to me - and I cannot respect hypocrisy.

Answer 5

Why does a silly fantasy deserve respect anyway? If I said that the universe was made of taffy and called my religion would you respect it?
Respect for some goofy superstition has been the source of more pain for more people, yet you can't make that claim about facts.

Answer 6

I would suggest "c"
Someone who is religious, and accepts the fact that religion is based on beliefs. Beliefs that are felt and known within them. Not beliefs based on observable fact or reality.
As an agnostic, I can respect that completely.

Answer 7

Type B, of course. I love open discussions with no one telling me that I am going to hell. If we could listen to each other with open minds, we could all learn from each other. I admit that I am not always willing to listen with an open mind. On most questions, if I see a bible verse being quoted, I don't even read the answer and it gets a thumbs down. Is that wrong of me, of course it is.

Answer 8

I respect type B because they are willing to listen to another point of view and they respect that you have it without compromising their own faith in their beliefs.

Answer 9

B more, but I would still find it hard to respect a theist of a more extreme religion

Answer 10

Generally, I prefer people who are type B, but the type A people are more fun to ridicule. Either way, I have a hard time respecting someone who believes in fairy tales.

Answer 11

Affirm