Is it fair to say that any belief or ideology is bigotry?

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I wanted to make a new topic based on: "Why is it fair to say Conservatives or Christians are Bigots?"

The reason I wanted to make it a separate thread is that the discussion is somewhat different, instead of applying it to individuals, it puts a thought in the belief system itself and the consequences of following such belief system as it demands.

This is primary a response to this:

The issue is that *tolerance would be intolerant towards intolerance.* would that be a contradiction? I see your point here but the issue goes beyond that, and the roots of the problem (if you can call it a problem) are belief systems and ideologies, themselves, in which they demand you to be a... well, what you would consider a 'bigot'.

If your belief system states that homosexuals are sinners, isn't homophobia a consequence, and not just that, but actually a *duty*? otherwise you should renounce such ideology.

So, if someone says 'conservative christians are bigots', well... isn't there a biblical command to despise gays in the first place? Following that, if a conservative christian isn't a bigot then he isn't a "real christian" by those standards.

It's bigotry when you start judging people based on their sexuality, gender, status, etc, based on fundamentalist beliefs.

I myself see my personal Catholic belief as a pretty accepting one. I don't judge people based on their sexuality, gender, social status, disability, etc. I will judge you when you start insulting others based on that or if you have harmful beliefs.

The simple fact that every religion seems to have some doctrine that separates "Us" from "Them" makes every religion doctrinally bigoted.

Thus religion, by its very nature, is faith-based bigotry.

well bigotry is usually associated with 'discrimination', and, a belief system would demand you to apply some sort of discrimination towards certain people, because they are considered a bad seed within a belief system.

I was talking with a christian last year (yeah somewhere in 2014) that he was blatantly stating that "we should discriminate gays", and he used the word discriminate, it's funny though because he visits prostitutes, and not exactly to evangelize them. This is only an anecdote though, but many people honestly believe that this is the right thing to do because this is what they believe in.


well, the issue goes beyond that, as with a lot of things, you would disagree with others to what extent something is bigotry or not, and you would use your belief system to justify it as others would.

Given that bigotry is associated with discrimination and discrimination has been extended towards same-sex marriages, so while probably same-sex-marriages advocates wouldn't necessarily call you a bigot if you are against it, your belief system would be associated with it.


well I am using gays as an example, so if your belief does not accept their lifestyles, it wouldn't be considered "a pretty accepting one".


Having said that, I would put my lines of though here

I can't say I'm playing devils advocate here, the issue is that as I am aware that definitions vary from different perspectives, I think that Christianity (being myself agnostic) has advocated for injustices and still does to some degree, even though I am aware that few denominations are friendlier than others, so I am inclined to agree with Fnord here.

For the most part, the answer is probably Yes. Most religions are a framework detailing how to live your life as well as conditions that must be met for some kind of Salvation.

There are a few interesting exceptions to this. Some spiritual movements try to be flexible and have the ability to change. I think some sects of Buddhism try to do this or claim to, while others have violent conflicts with other religions like Islam.

I think most Pantheistic religions are fairly laid back and try to avoid contention with other people.

Bigotry in part stems from ideologies, but is not caused by them. Ideologies are not the root cause.

The root cause is in how humans group. Inherited from ancient tribalism, human groups are frequently exclusive, because that aids the survival of the group. A group will circle the wagons, even when a threat is imagined. For the same reason, human groups will cast out their own, if members threaten the cohesion of the group.

Ideologies are just one of the tools used to strengthen the bonds in a group. In more modern times, we get to choose our group and our ideology, which makes it all seem more civilized. But without grouping, most humans would struggle to feel safe.

All ~ism and religions are just the easy way out of thinking. You just want to be apart of a group that you mostly agree with rather than thinking about ideas yourself. Thus, one should stripe oneself of ~ism and religion and create your own path.

As for that gay hating, prostitute visiting "Christian," a certain someone once said to not judge the speck in your neighbor's eye before you take care of that timber in yours.