Religion
In reply to the discussion: Please note: [View all]MellowDem
(5,018 posts)And it's also my opinion that words have meaning, so no, criticizing Republicans for their beliefs isn't bigotry. Bigotry requires pre-judging. Criticizing stated beliefs or those who hold them is not bigotry, by definition. You know their beliefs beforehand, indeed, knowledge is the basis of your judgment. Yes, the word bigotry is butchered everywhere to the point of being useless, but I'm trying to distinguish between attacking someone for being gay and attacking someone for ideas they hold and promote, because I believe it's a meaningful difference.
Yes, some claim religion is akin to ethnicity or culture, but it's not, definitionally. Yes, some people lump religion in with culture or race or some other group, but they're the ones using it wrong not the other way around.
And yes, by definition, religion is a choice. Religion is a belief system. There are many belief systems. Choice is the mental process of choosing one. A person has the ability to change their beliefs, and everyone does, every day, on a whole host of beliefs. I myself do. Lots of proof. If religion isn't a choice, then neither is any other belief, like political beliefs, and therefore all criticism of Republicans on this site is akin to criticizing homosexuals for being "unclean". It's nonsense what you're proposing.