When dealing with religion, why do people insist on using the word "ignorant"?

Question

I keep reading answers and theists calls atheists "ignorant" or "immature". Then there are answers where atheists attack theists and their faith. I have questions, i ask them, but i don't refer to others with different viewpoints as "ignorant". Does anybody else get irritated by this attack? Religion is like a battle for people who just want to be right!

I want to clarify. I'm agnostic, for one. And secondly, I didn't say everyone would just magically get along, but disagreeing with someone doesn't require that you attack them. Alot of people on this site give intelligent, thoughful answers, but others just call names. That's all I'm saying. Why is it so hard to just have a discussion/ Q & A and accept that just because someone else thinks differently, they are not any less intelligent than yourself.

Answer 1

The reason why the term ignorant comes back so often is because most people who talk about other religions often don't know enough to start with to say anything about it, besides hearsay from the media.
Obviously you can have educated people who studied and read other topics and can discuss them but it's so often not true when you read some things that are said.
First people need to educated themselves by reading enough and learning enough about religions, then they can have the right to really talk about it and back up their words, and it doesn't matter if you're agnostic, atheist, believer or else.

Answer 2

There are ignorant Theists and there are ignorant Atheists. Ignorance lurks across a host of view points and is not exclusive to any belief system. Unfortunately, the ignorant are usually the ones who throw about the work ignorant most liberally, without properly backing up their assertation. They usually use the word stupid in the same sentence.

Ignorant Theists generally have blind faith and willfully ignore the views and reasoning of other Theists and Atheists alike. They have made up their minds without exploring other possibilities, or questioning the validity of their chosen belief system. A true Theist has no problem answering questions about their faith, or exploring other faiths. An ignorant Theist ignores questions, or refuses to explore other belief systems. They will usually refer you to scripture rather than answer the question through their own reasoning.

Ignorant Atheists are generally Atheists who have decided they are Atheist because they willfully ignore the plethora of spiritual and super natural beliefs that exist across every culture, because they think they know it all. They generally jump on a bandwagon established by Atheists who have actually done extensive research into other beliefs, but the ignorant Atheist does not actually attempt to understand anything. They have decided on a whim that they don't like religion so therefore there is no possibility of a higher power, or anything of a spiritual nature.

For a Theist or an Atheist to expect their views to garner respect, they should at least explore others' beliefs before picking a team. Otherwise genuine accusations of ignorance are actually correct. Too many on both side of the divide demonstarte an interest in others views comparable to sticking their fingers in their ears and shouting lalalalala. And then call the other ignorant when they do the same.

Answer 3

Stating that someone is "Ignorant" is not necessarily being mean or negative, it just means they are lacking information or knowledge about a particular subject. So, don't always take it as an attack. However, I have never called someone immature, because I do believe that is more of an attack, and that is never my purpose.

If I told someone I hated statistics, they may disagree with me and may even say I am ignorant of the matter, and that is why I don't like it. This would not be wrong. I took one class in statistics, which really wasn't that bad, but it was just too much for me ("seemed" too complicated or crazy). So, I really am ignorant of statistics, because I'm sure if you have a good undertanding of it it is an amazing subject. This is no different then many people and religions.

I have studied hundreds of religions and have great respect for many (if not most), but would still consider myself ignorant of a lot of those; I am unable to provide an educated and responsible answer as to their correctness or of their affect on the individual. Often we obtain merely a surface understanding of something (maybe even touching lightly upon things that we should really have a more basic foundation prior to studying) and make a judgment based on this grazing. I believe this is incorrect and inappropriate. In the mean time, we should all be respectful of each others' beliefs and their way of living. I definitely respect expert statisticians.

Answer 4

The people who are using the word are doing so because it is the only appropriate word to describe the situation. It isnt really an insult..only ignorant people use it as such. The word ignorant describes a person who has no knowledge of a subject. For example... if someone asks "If we all came from monkeys, then why are there still monkeys?" and I reply.." That is an ignorant statement, you obviously have no knowledge of evolutionary biology" That is not an insult its the truth... I myself am ignorant in many things and so is everyone else on the planet.... none of us know everything, so everyone is ignorant about one thing or another..

Excerpts from Wikipedia...

Ignorance is often misinterpreted as a synonym of Stupidity, and is as thus often taken as an insult, when really it is, in its correct form, not an insult at all but more of a criticism. Hence the derogatory aphorism "You can fix ignorance but you can't fix stupid."

For instance, saying, "I'm not ignorant, I just don't know things," is a prime example of ignorance.


Ignorance 1) is a lack of knowledge. Ignorance is also a "state of being ignorant" or unaware/uninformed. Ex: "In debate class Bill lost the debate because he was ignorant in (without knowledge of) that subject." In such a case the term is not pejorative, and may even be used as a self–descriptive term, as in "I am ignorant of (some subject or topic)". Ignorance can also be more than a lack of knowledge.

(pejorative definition) Ignorance 2) is the choice to not act or behave in accordance with regard to certain information in order to suit ones own needs/beliefs."I know better but I choose to ignore that and do/say/act in a way that behooves me."

Answer 5

I remember a joke on this topic I heard a while ago. A reporter asked the politician "Sir, people say you are ignorant and arrogant. What do you say?" The politician replied "I don't know and I don't care!" (Sorry, back to topic...)

Whenever you hit on religion, race, or politics you will have people that disagree with your beliefs or policies. Just as you may be steadfastly convinced that your religion is the right one and others are wrong, there is just no actual way to tell who is right without physically moving on from this plane of existence, is there?

Many people (myself included) sometimes refer to people as ignorant when in actuality we really mean something more along the lines of "disrespectful" or "inconsiderate".

For example, when someone does not care enough to signal their intentions to come into my lane on the highway and cuts me off, I may refer to them as an ignorant something or other. In other words, if that person believes that they are the only person that matters in the world.

As for religion, I would say that anyone who has not read the Bible, the Koran, and any other holy books to compare and understand the religions and their points of view are ACTUALLY ignorant, because they believe what they read and will only see the world from their limited point of view. This leads to misunderstanding and intolerance, which begets war and racial hatred.

Let's go to an extreme: Imagine if you grew up and all you were ever exposed to was the teachings of someone who believed that snow was holy and that anyone who built snowmen were guilty of building an effigy in the eyes of the lord. If the entire community believed this, and someone from out of town came in and the first thing they did was create ol' Frosty on the front lawn the very next winter, they might be ostracized and their house might be burnt down for being "unbelievers".

It is always dangerous when you attack the other religion or other person's beliefs. It is important to respect each other and perhaps "agree to disagree".

My only problem comes with any religion that tries to force its views on someone who thinks differently because they are trying to "save" your soul. In these cases, I can't tell you how to react or behave, since that is a sort of an attack on your own beliefs. But if people would read their holy scriptures and truly understand them, you would see that nowhere does it call for the death or persecution of your fellow man.

Answer 6

I think most of those people find it easier to "attack" someones ideas with " you're ignorant", than to come up with a real, meaningful, response. Yeah, it can be irritating at times, especially when I read or receive responses that are obviously just hate mongering. I may ask some questions purely for the knowledge, and don't believe I deserve to be called ignorant, whether or not my question isn't what someone else believes in. Religion has fostered more wars than anything else in all of world history, and I don't think there will ever be an agreement between everyone.

Answer 7

Ignorant is a perfect descriptive word for most situations. In such a context, the person is saying "You are wrong because of what you do not know, not because you are stupid or unintelligent."

For instance, when someone uses the casualty count in Iraq as an indicator that we are losing, I instantly know that they are ignorant, because anyone with a basic knowledge of recent history would know that losing 3000 men over the course of a 5 year war is a hallmark of brilliant leadership, not an indication of failure. Their views are based on a lack of historical knowledge, not a poor mind.

When you think of it that way, telling someone they're ignorant a way of expressing how wrong you think they are without insulting their intelligence. Just don't use it as a way to get out of answering a question.

Answer 8

Sometimes, ignorant - lacking education or knowledge is the most appropriate word. So many times people utter horrible things about other religious beliefs simply because they do not take the time to really research and learn about the religion. They have one idea in their mind, and that is the only idea that they care about. Do not be ignorant. Educate yourself. I feel that in religion there is no 'right' answer. It just comes to what you believe and what I do. We are both right, and yet, both wrong. I believe what I believe, I may be wrong to you - just as you may be to me. It is a battle, and a pointless one. We should live and let live.

Answer 9

People are 'ignorant'. Anyone they see that doesn't seem to agree with their point of view and choose to ignore their validations for being right, they choose to call these people ignorant.

People have trouble accepting the opinions of others, that differ from their own because they are afraid that the other people's opinions may force them to question the validation of their own opinion. This happens a lot with religion because their is no known scientific facts that support anybody's personal opinion.

Answer 10

Irritated? No. Because it's what I expect. You are right about religion being a battlefront. What's that common advice for polite conversation? "Don't bring up politics or religion." Ignorant is just a phrase to try and bring more validity to their own argument. I used to get heated and irritated because I have my own strong beliefs, but now that I am more seasoned, I realize you can't win an argument with words. My ways are more sublte. Actions. Not violent of course. You know, being kind, doing good, all that. Actions speek louder than words.