God-free said:
"Mike" is not a Christian but he attends a Christian school (a decision made for him by his parents). When the teachers and other students stand to pray, "Mike" always remains seated and quiet. Recently, one of the teachers was out for the day and a substitute teacher was brought in. When the class stood to pray, the substitute teacher told "Mike" to stand. "Mike" said no and explained that he is not Christian. The teacher told "Mike" to stand anyway as a gesture of respect. Not wanting to cause trouble "Mike" complied.
As I see it, "Mike" shows more than enough respect by remaining seated and silent during prayers. I also see it as a show of disrespect toward "Mike" to tell him to stand while others speak to a deity he doesn't believe in. Why do so many religious people feel ENTITLED to respect for their beliefs?
Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens often make this point. Why should religion, which is after all an opinion, be respected any more than any other opinion?
Religion, as an opinion, shouldn't be respected. It should be questioned and challenged, and no one should feel obligated to adopt it any more than they would adopt a political opinion or taste for art just because someone else held it. That said,
people deserve respect, whether they are religious or not. Someone can lose this right though their actions, like Fred Phelps has for most people, but everyone starts out with it. We need not directly insult others or force them to do things contradictory to their values, which seems to be what happened in the case of "Mike". The choice to sit quietly was very respectful. He didn't agree with what was going on, but accepted the fact that others wanted to do it, and didn't argue or harrass anyone, he simply sat there. I'm puzzled why the teacher thought he would show more respect by pretending to take part than by declining politely. Participation out of obligation isn't respect, it's mimickry and it cheapens everyone else's experience.
I do feel that in the public sphere, religion can be debated, argued, insulted, ignored -- whatever you like. We live in secular society and we know that not everyone shares the same beliefs. There is no reason to demonstrate respect for something you disagree with when it's in the public sphere. However, if you make the decision to enter a private sphere where religion is practised, such as a home or church, I think you are obligated to demonstrate respect for the fact that the people there believe the religion. In my case, for instance, I am currently living on-campus and attending a beautiful Catholic college and grad school. No one forced me to be here, I came here out of choice because the programs are amazing and the environment is beyond wonderful. I love it here, but I could leave if I wanted to. Thus, I feel that it's right for me to be very respectful. I don't advertise my disbelief while on campus unless explicitly asked, and then I don't debate it at length unless encouraged so to do. I am careful about clothes and don't wear things I know are going to offend except inside my own room or off-campus. Most of my neighbours on my floor are nuns, so I avoid swearing in my building and if I enter the lounge when they are at prayer, I back out again quietly and don't do my cooking then. When I hang out with them, and I do, I don't touch on controversial topics unless they start, and if they ask me to go to mass I either politely decline or sometimes go as an observer because I think it's lovely. That, to me, is respectful and I've not been corrected by anyone on my manners here. With minors it's difficult because they didn't select the environment. That's part of the reason why I abhor the thought of children forced into church or religious schools. Not only does it usually turn them off to religion, but it creates an environment where they either subjugate their own beliefs -- unhealthy! -- or inevitably demonstrate rudeness. In my view, "Mike" shouldn't have been put there in the first place, but he seemed to be handling it the best way he knew how.
