Respect:

“deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment.”~Dictionary.com

Courtesy:

“a courteous, respectful[that is, cordially], or considerate act or expression.”~Dictionary.com

This argument is not pertaining to your rights of free speech, on the contrary, I am exercising them. I do respect, in fact, the rights of every human being and want equality for everyone, theist or not.

When in a debate, I do not wish for respect. Acknowledgment and courtesy, yes. I cannot respect the fallacies in the texts I debate with theists, therefore, I debate them and give my side. If I gave respect, I would not debate, that is, basically, not standing for what I know is right. Courtesy, though, I believe, is the ultimate key in getting your point across. That is, do not insult or be inconsiderate.Some examples of courtesy include providing good evidence to support your claims, be calm and cool(despite what the opposing side says or does), remind them that you have a right to also speak your mind.

Courtesy is an important tool to help have your argument to be taken seriously and keep mudslinging out of the argument/debate. Remember, that yes, theists may be closed-minded, but they are also human beings like ourselves and deserve to be treated equally. If you give reasons to keep their minds open and start to question the unpleasant facts of their religion, without insults(which will most likely close their minds even further), then you have succeeded in breaking down the walls of closed-mindedness and opened a world of reason and rationalism, ultimately making the world a more peaceful place.

Yes, a lot of atheists already observe the ‘rule’ of courtesy, but many do not and blatantly insult theists without providing a reason to, other than ‘they are stupid’. Theists are not stupid in a sense of knowledge-based thinking, but more of rational thinking, which is crucial in understanding the world better. I am beside myself, I will not get deeper into the argument of proof, evolution, creationist v. Big Bang Theory, and morals.

Thank you for reading and please comment your experiences and encounters with theists and other related topics. Follow us on twitter: @oselskyi and @consofreligion