French Prometheus

Of course, that's OK with me. I don't run around trying to deconvert people ("save" them) from what I perceive as a mistaken belief. If you respect others and don't try to force your beliefs/lifestyle on them, you have every right to expect them to reciprocate.

Yahzi

Correct, you bind your faith by reason. Not doing so would be insane.

The point that confuses you is that your binding is illegitimate. The reason you use to bind your faith actually kills it. You prevent this by arbitrairly limiting how reason may bind your faith. Yet you complain when other people arbitrairly limit their bindings in different ways.

I am accusing you of special pleading: demanding that deviations from reason not be allowed, unless they happen to be your deviations.

If it were harming no one else, there would be no problem. But in case you hadn't noticed, it is harming people right now.

Are you in favor of legalizing crack cocaine? Do you realize your argument, above, could be equally applied to cocaine? The problem, of course, is that we are social animals. Some of us are quite capable of using cocaine and not hurting others. But because most of us are not, none of us get to.

Religion is exactly the same way. I grant that your religion is not harmful, and I wish you could practice your personal religion. But all those other people that are doing it are harming people. Religion, like cocaine, is simply too strong of a drug to be sold over-the-counter.

Faith

Maybe you could point out where I was special pleading.

And tell me how my faith is harming people right now?

Godless Wonder

threads like this one are an all too common example of the type of harm that faith causes.

Faith

You could just as easily blame a breakdown in communication or a failure to appreciate one another's differences, but you cite faith as the problem. Why?

Biff the unclean

Because it is not a "failure" to appreciate her husband's differences. It is a refusal to tolerate his differences. A refusal based solely on her faith.
Notice when she slips and starts to use reason she admits that he is still a good moral person. Her faith, however, demands that he isn't. Her faith demands that she deny reality, and her own family, in support of the institution that fosters her faith. That's a common theme in the NT, screw your loved ones, follow this faith.

Faith

I believe the common theme is not putting off that which is important, ie commitment to God.

My faith demands that I be tolerant and respectful of others, regardless of their beliefs. Common sense tells me morality isn't dependent upon faith. I've known highly moral atheists and entirely immoral theists in my lifetime.

Biff the unclean

And not honoring her commitment to her own family in doing so. That's one reason why faith is so harmful

No, your own good sense made you decide to ignore the many commands of the institutional aspect of your faith that demands that you not tolerate others beliefs at all. Jesus repeatedly tells you straight out not to. God the Father in his very first commandment tells you not to. You have substituted reason for faith, so why do you still cling to the idea that it is faith?

Heurismus

Ignorance!
PS I became a Christian cognitively when I must have been 5 years old.
I became a human being when I realised all on my own, that God is a simple construct of human ignorance (about 9 years old), and that ignorance is closest to godliness but goodliness is closer to intelligence.
Quite progressive really!

Biff the unclean

Matt: 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. (35) For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. (36) And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. (37) He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.