11th March 2009, 01:59 PM
Quote:quote:Originally posted by Oddie
Please remember. Ideas that seem radical to some are very different from militancy, and many archaeologists are also very spiritual people with privately held beliefs that should be respected.
<edited for AUP>
Rebury our dead
Paul Davies /|\
Reburial Officer
This Council of Briths Druid Orders is not Arthur Pendragon or Rollo Maughfling B)
Oddie
Hi Oddie
Not really sure what your going on about here! Seems to be basic brawling by aggressive violent people with fixations on fantasy figures dreamt up by medieval novelists!
However, your first point is interesting: "and many archaeologists are also very spiritual people with privately held beliefs that should be respected"
Should all privately held beliefs be respected? I'm not so sure! I know you are referring to harmless spiritual beliefs concerning the nature of the divine, but I question the basic premise that people's beliefs should be respected.
For example I have no respect for a belief that white people are superior to black people upheld by many right-wing christian organisations. I have no respect for the belief held by some evangelist?s that the Jews killed Jesus and should be punished. I actually don't have any respect for christians who believe that anybody not of their denomination will go to hell. I don't have any respect for the belief that creationism should be taught in schools and that Darwin's ideas are just "theory". I don't respect new age nonsense beliefs that encourage developing countries to abandon HIV medical practices because of some hocus about "super foods" or the healing power of shaken water. I don't have any respect for many of the new age ideas that science is a conspiracy of a ruling elite (a favourite of many. many websites) as I am fundamentally in agreement with making decisions based on empirical evidence rather than just accepting what a religious leader says.
Should these privately held beliefs "be respected"? Or should they be challenged?
Steven