Do we have any obligation, or any right, to question someone's beliefs?

Question

Religion guides some people's lives.
In extreme cases, it makes them do awful things to other people.
In more moderate cases, it may make them try to pass laws based on personal dogma, which have ramifications on every member of society.
Religion has, at one point or another, been used to justify murder, torture, slavery, etc...
Based on this, do you feel that we should be questioning people's faith? Do you think it's important that we do so?
She we be having more public discourse on why people strap bombs to themselves in the name of their god?

Answer 1

You really should cut-and-paste this entire question every time someone asks "Why do you come to Religion and Spirituality?"

Because it matters, deeply! Religious beliefs are, right now in my country, determining what we teach in our schools about science, sex, what books they can read, what they learn about history and they begin each day by pledging to a nation that is "under god." Religion determines which medicines we can take and which cures we can research. It determines who we give aid to,as a country, and to a large part who we go to war with.

At this sad juncture of my country's history, it's hard to find something MORE important than this.

Answer 2

This question has two parts:
- Questioning anything is legitimate: Starting from "Where do babies come from" till God's existence. I questioned Christianity, God, Heaven and Hell, and I left Christianity at a young age (12) because we didn't click. I can't deny that I questioned the very existence of God, and came to a conclusion as an adult (22 years old) to believe in the existence of One Deity. So in general questioning is fine and great.
BUT:
Defaming other beliefs is wrong and not OK. I may not agree with Christians, but I don't hate them or anything. And I call for Church-State TOTAL separation, not because I hate Christians but because of this:
1- Not everyone in the US is Christian, so it makes it unfair to apply bible-based laws on them. And it's impossible to apply ALL religions on the law since they conflict in so many areas.
2- As the old saying goes "Religion is for God, and the country is for everyone". Spirituality is a personal matter, same as relationships, and it shouldn't exceed that.

Answer 3

This is the problem that happens I assert when people's belief about an afterlife about which they can prove NOTHING is allowed to become part of citizenship in a societal association of responsible adult persons. The beliefs in someone's head are no one else's business. What someone does about those otherworldly beliefs become any man's business who has to deal with that person
That is why secularity--real space-time and not otherworldly concepts, standards of value and their applications and regulated non-fictional information exchanges, hirings, idea-level leadership promotions, elections and appointments must all be made WITHOUT recourse to pseudo-religious pretensions.
It's simple enough. If you're real, you live in reality and check your idea against scientific concepts of the inner workings of reality prioritized by importance and evaluated for accuracy--do they work or not.
If you want to believe in an otherworld, any other, you get out of the world, enter a monastery and give up political selfhood in a secular world where you've said you do not belong.
No other divisions, choices or values are possible. Earth matters to you, or it doesn't. Earthly life is your choice, or otherworldly life in a monastery is your choice. You can believe what you want, practice personally what you want--that's called liberty. But practicing on children, others and victims of your beliefs must be outlawed. That's what a marketplaces of those living on Earth must have--and until we do, the poisoning of our lives by pseudo-religious bigots, discriminators and potentially murderous thugs of postmodernist intellect and thugs of faith and thugs of imperial power will go on unchecked.

Answer 4

Question peoples faith......No......
Question their interpretation; that bears further study.....why do people do horrible things in the name of their God......
Question their propensity to push it on others Yes....

In most cases it isn't really a question of Faith.....It is more to the point as to how people interpret their Faith. Ones religion should not be pushed on others....

Each person has a right to believe in which ever Religion they choose.....it becomes a gray area when they decide that others should ultimately believe as they do......it becomes the problematic when they decide that acts against God should be committed in his name.....So don't question the Faith, question the interpretation.

Answer 5

If they begin to try to pass laws which affect those of us who do not adhere to their beliefs; if they infringe upon the rights of another person with those beliefs or endanger the lives of those of other beliefs, then we have a moral obligation to question and to stop that from happening.

Answer 6

I think the only time we have the right, or obligation to question someone's beliefs is if they're preaching it to us. If they are going to look down their noses at us as having inferior morals or hold us up to their expectations or impose their religious laws on us forcibly - then we should have every right, and should feel obligated to question those beliefs.

Answer 7

A person's right to belief ends when it imposes actions on those who do not hold to the same beliefs.

This holds for any belief, religious or otherwise.

Any belief that cannot stand up to scrutiny does not deserve to be held.

Answer 8

The religions have demanded that we respond to them.

They are not content to not meddle in other's affairs. In fact, it goes against the very nature of their religion. They called down the thunder, and here we are. None of them suspected however, that we could so easily destroy their faith.

They're used to debating each other, not us. And the razor-sharp logic of the atheist is exponentially destroying their faith... all around the world.

Ramen :)

Answer 9

Easy. Yes. My friends and loved ones who are unsaved have great conversation with me all the time. They know it's because deep down I believe in the God of the Bible, and an afterlife and that I have concern for their soul. And it's just so EASY! I can never seem to get that point across...

Answer 10

No, we actually don't have any obligation, not unless you are mercenaries (it is your job to do so). However a lot of peoples do so in here, including myself.

Maybe we didn't question someone's belief but to justify our stand.