A person's religion says a lot about their epistemology, which in turn says a lot about them. You have to pick and choose your friends somehow (this is not unnecessary meddling) and there are few more substantive ways.
I'm a non-militant atheist, so I generally don't "look down upon" religious people or feel it's my duty to convert them. But I also have a hard time really relating to anyone who is willing to base their morality or political/life decisions on such silly things as the Bible (see http://www.amazon.com/Misquoting-Jesus-Story-Behind-Changed/... for explanation) or logically unsound principles with no factual evidence. Their epistemology is just too different from mine.
Right. It's essentially believing in something because you want to, rather than because evidence or logic points to it. Faith doesn't transcend reason, it is its opposite.
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A person's religion says a lot about their epistemology, which in turn says a lot about them. You have to pick and choose your friends somehow (this is not unnecessary meddling) and there are few more substantive ways.
I'm a non-militant atheist, so I generally don't "look down upon" religious people or feel it's my duty to convert them. But I also have a hard time really relating to anyone who is willing to base their morality or political/life decisions on such silly things as the Bible (see http://www.amazon.com/Misquoting-Jesus-Story-Behind-Changed/... for explanation) or logically unsound principles with no factual evidence. Their epistemology is just too different from mine.
In a sense, it would be very logically unsound to base faith in God on just a book, even if it is "The Book".
Isn't it because faith transcends logic and reason? This is my understanding of the word "faith", any way.
Right. It's essentially believing in something because you want to, rather than because evidence or logic points to it. Faith doesn't transcend reason, it is its opposite.
So, you can't be friends with religious people? Do you and your friends sit around and talk about epistemology all day?
"A person's religion says a lot about their epistemology..."
Where do you draw this from? Have you any citations you can make? This seems like something I'd be interested in learning more about.