# Why do we have to put up with Religious People? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 7, 2020, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474 "2020-08-07T06:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 41
**Author:** ![razordance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e47774/32.png) [@razordance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/razordance)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/803 "2020-09-15T01:36:27Z")
There is a theory, I think, that Yahweh was once part of a trinity with two goddess-wives. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/804 "2020-09-15T01:49:04Z")
> [@urbanredneck2](#): > > Ok, so you dont want Christians and other religious people to have any input into government, entertainment, education and just in general in all of society. So what do you want people of faith to do? > > Do you want to ban churches and arrest believers like they do in China and North Korea? > > What DO you want? Who are you addressing this to? You didn’t say. I hope that was just carelessness on your part. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/805 "2020-09-15T04:09:41Z")
One stone carving mentions Him and his “spouse” or companion or? One **Asherah**. The “Queen of heaven” is mentioned in Jeremiah 44:19. But in Deuteronomy 12 all her names, temples, shrines ect are ordered destroyed. Not certain what the relationship was. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/807 "2020-09-15T17:22:56Z")
Post #791. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/808 "2020-09-15T17:23:39Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And if anyone said that, sure… Post #790. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/809 "2020-09-15T17:41:37Z")
Nope, not there. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/810 "2020-09-15T17:41:46Z")
Not there either. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/811 "2020-09-15T18:42:21Z")
The post numbers that show on the slider bar are different from the post numbers that are visible if one clicks on the time of the post. It’s 793 and 795 according to the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/812 "2020-09-15T19:45:04Z")
Thank you. I didn’t know post numbers could be seen that way. The slider numbers annoy me, because of their ambiguity. And I’m willing to drop this hijack, if it’s so important to @DrDeth that he didn’t say in Post 793 that the Israelites were henotheists - meaning, believing in the existence of multiple gods, but only worshipping one - but not polytheistic - meaning, believing in the existence of multiple gods. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/813 "2020-09-15T21:42:17Z")
I have a question for **DrDeth** : do you believe that the ancient Israelites worshipped more than a thousand different gods? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/814 "2020-09-16T03:04:46Z")
I did state they were henotheistic. _This is technically true, but simply saying they were polytheistic gives the wrong impression and is not precise._ _Henotheism may be a type of polytheism, but Henotheism is the more correct and precise term._ ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/815 "2020-09-16T03:06:45Z")
No, do you? They seem to have worshiped only one, but perhaps before recorded history things were different. There is no record of them worshiping more than one, except of course occasional heretics and backsliders, roundly condemned by the priests. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/816 "2020-09-16T03:14:11Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > No, do you? Well, no; if someone asks me whether I believe they worshipped more than a thousand gods, I have no problem replying with a “no.” And when you’re asked whether you believe it, you respond in much the same way; you lack that belief, and so your answer sensibly kicks off with a mundane and workmanlike ‘no’. Which is, as far as I can tell, the same way that atheists reply when asked whether they believe there’s a god: if they lack that belief, they can sensibly kick off their answer with a mundane and workmanlike ‘no’. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/817 "2020-09-16T11:20:05Z")
Oh, for Og’s sake. You said they were henotheistic but not polytheistic: > [@DrDeth](#): > > That is only a theory. Certainly the ancient Israelis were Henotheistic, and He had a Female helper or wife, or something, but it’s only a theory that it was a Polytheist faith. Maybe, but- maybe not. I assume you thought _polytheistic_ meant only “worshipping multiple gods”. I merely pointed out that you were mistaken, that henotheism is one form of polytheism, which is, as @Czarcasm showed, “belief in, or worship of, multiple gods.” You simply made an error, just as when you thought atheism was strictly “the positive belief in the non-existence of God or gods.” Just say “Whoops, I was wrong”, and move on. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/818 "2020-09-16T17:32:13Z")
Henotheism is different than polytheism , which is why there is a different word for it. Polytheism implies worship of more than one god. Indeed, that is part of the defintion, while henotheism makes it clear. It is a more precise term and more correct. Not did i ever say "atheism is the positive belief in the non-existence of God or gods.” I quote a cite that said _one form of atheism_ is that. Just say “Whoops, I was wrong”, and move on. ---
**Author:** ![razordance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e47774/32.png) [@razordance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/razordance)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/819 "2020-09-16T22:48:59Z")
The kind of relationship where you burn all your ex’s pics. ---
**Author:** ![razordance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e47774/32.png) [@razordance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/razordance)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/820 "2020-09-16T23:01:19Z")
See Ezekiel 23. Quite the bitter divorce. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2020, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474/821 "2020-09-16T23:21:11Z")
That is a metaphor, of course, see wiki _It presents an extended metaphor in which [Samaria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samaria) and [Jerusalem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem) are compared to sisters named Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem), who are the wives of God and accused of “playing the whore” in [Egypt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egypt) (Ezekiel 23:1-4).[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezekiel_23#cite_note-nrsv-2)_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-put-up-with-religious-people/917474.md?page=40)