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Respect
If someone tells me that they believe that the Earth is flat, there are many ways that I can be expected to respond. One of the less likely ones would be for me to declare, “I respect your belief.” If, on the other hand, someone tells me that they believe in a virgin birth, then the only socially acceptable response from me is to say, “I respect your belief.”
In neither case do I actually respect the belief. Feigning respect for something that I see as a silly belief is no way to respect a person. Indeed, it is quite the opposite. It is patronizing.
As long as there is some expectation that we respect certain kinds of beliefs, then those beliefs are, to an extent, shielded from scrutiny. After all, those who would publicly criticize those beliefs will be dismissed as “disrespectful.”
So for those religious people reading this, please know that I respect you enough to tell you that I find your beliefs silly.
