So lately I’ve been doing something that I usually don’t do – because I know it will be like throwing myself headlong into a brick wall, over and over again. No matter how hard you hit the wall, you’re going to come off second-best, because the wall will not be moved. In short, it’s a futile gesture to hit a wall – even if the wall really deserves it.
In this instance, I’ve been taking on a religious fundamentalist (you know, someone who is so absolutely assured of their righteousness via their faith that they are utterly right, and you are utterly wrong if you disagree). To give you some idea of what I’ve been up again, you can check out their ‘response‘ to me, and you can also follow the comment chain of the ‘discussion‘ I’ve been having here.
I quote:
The fact that these people are so misguided and deceived makes it hard to have any meaningful discussion with them or create sympathy for them when they are the victims of attacks. Being told ‘no’ by a baker or wedding venue does not constitute being unfairly attacked or that they are a victim of a ‘hate crime’. What makes things worse is that they wan, or I should say throw a temper tantrum demand, to be respected for their choices, freedoms and beliefs yet they refuse to provide that same respect, that same freedom to those who disagree with them or have chosen not to support their alternative lifestyle.
The irony is strong with this one. Being told ‘no’ by a public business that expects to operate with government support and subsidies, because the owners feel their religious beliefs overrule law in a secular nation, is not a reasonable thing to accept. Whether the site’s author understands it or not, taking such a stance is a means of imposing one’s personal beliefs upon others, irrespective of whether the other party wanted to hear it. For all their talk of a lack of respect for choices, they have no respect for some people didn’t choose, and seem to expect tolerance for that.
I can only refer back to the cartoon I posted earlier:
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You forget that there is such a thing as right and wrong
Yes there is. What you need to understand is, not everyone will share your perspective. This does not automatically make them ‘wrong’, and by trying to impress upon them that they are wrong, be it in terms of lifestyle, or beliefs, you are trying to force your beliefs upon them (in other words, impose your position upon them).