“i don’t mind you having a religion but i want you to shut up about it” is not a good attitude towards religion
sorry, you’re still a New Atheist, try again
it’s basically exactly like people who are “colorblind” towards race
sorry, that’s still racist, you’re just erasing race instead of stereotyping it
and telling people that they shouldn’t express their religion around you or publicly is not an accepting attitude, it’s you erasing religion
if you can’t stand to listen to people talking about their religion, well, you need to learn how to get comfortable with it
you’re ignoring the fact that religion is used today in the real world as an oppressive, discriminatory, and abusive force against billions of marginalized people
if you are a member of religion which openly discriminates against and abuses marginalized people, regardless of whether or not you yourself engage in such behaviour, you have a duty to acknowledge the problems within your religion, answer for them, and be prepared to listen to those who have been hurt by your religion
i can assure you that i will never “get comfortable” with people who propound misogynistic, homophobic dogma and if someone is trying to proselytize to me i have the right to say, “no, you are making me uncomfortable, please do not discuss your religion around me or attempt to convert me”
we really do live in a world where religious people stand at the top of a mountain and enjoy tremendous privilege and those who do not have a faith (including those who, like myself, used to belong to a faith but have been ousted due to misogyny/homophobia/etc. in religious institutions) continue to be oppressed by religion as a social and political force
if you are a religious person who cares at all about the station of marginalized people you owe it to them to listen to their concerns and understand why your faith makes them uncomfortable
Okay, there’s a difference between actively trying to convert you, and just talking about beliefs.
Telling people to “shut the fuck up” about it is just rude and hurtful. Yes, religion has been a component of oppression, but that’s not the religion’s fault. It’s the people who practice the religion who are the oppressors, not the belief system. Villainizing the belief system is just as helpful as villainizing race as a concept entirely and blaming race for racism. It doesn’t make any sense.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t be thinking about your own religious privileges — just the way you should with race. But saying religion is evil is ridiculous. Not every Christian decries gay and transgender people (which I assume you were alluding to with your vague stance on religious oppression). Not every church does, either. Christianity as a whole is not oppressive toward LGBTQ* people. Certain subsets are, and certain people are, but the religion is not.
Anonymous
