A Rant About Respect and Religion

A question posted in the PATAS forum.

Some PATAS members said they do no respect religion. Does that mean they are:

A) Disrespectful to religion.
B) Lack of respect to religion.
C) They respect theists but not their religion.

How can Atheism in the Philippines flourish without being "blasphemous"?

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Here's my reply to it.

First we must tackle what the word "respect" means.
According to www.dictionary.com here are just a few definitions of the word respect which relates to this post:

*the condition of being esteemed or honored.
*esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.
*deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy
**Deference - respectful submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion, will, etc., of another.

I do not believe any religion should be honored or esteemed by the government and the people. It is nothing but a mind-control tool that people in power like to use to impose their will on others.

For someone therefore to claim that they are religious is not a sign of personal good quality or ability because religion limits the mind. It abhors freethinking, it prevents people from implementing responsible acts to be done because one responsible act like planned parenthood by using contraceptives goes against their doctrines. It impedes the growth of science and reason. It has committed many atrocious crimes against humanity throughout history!

I will therefore never "respectfully submit" myself to its doctrines, teachings and indoctrination. I will speak out against it. Support any one who encourages others to think freely for themselves like artists and their works questioning the current doctrines and practices of the church and I will never yield to any of the Church's pressure.

/rant