Belief and Questioning

(disclaimer - if you think I am talking about you, go look in the mirror and reflect upon that. People
trigger events, thoughts and ideas and here it is events, thoughts and ideas that are being addressed)

We are told frequently to respect everybody's beliefs. In theory this seems simple
enough, although in practice it becomes complicated and sometimes spoken of but rarely
implemented.
What of the belief in the right to challenge another's beliefs?
To ridicule the belief?
What happens in the case of conflicting incompatible beliefs?
Hitler believed the Jews were a significant factor behind problems in Germany.
Westboro Baptist Church believes that gay marriage is a problem that will bring the literal
destruction of America. Al Queda believed that flying planes into the Twin Towers was what
Allah wanted to speak against the decadence of the western world.
Other beliefs have less of an effect on the world in general - Jesus is the way the
truth & the light, meditating will lead you to enlightenment, like attracts like, everything
happens for a reason, what goes around goes comes around, the best things in life are
free, all you need is love, money talks bullshit walks.
An interesting thing happens when you question peoples beliefs, they become
defensive and begin to attack you as if you had pointed a gun at them. Amina Tyler in
Tunisia was persecuted for posting topless pictures of herself with messages criticising the
prevailing morality, her own family beat, kidnapped & drugged her, she is in fear of being
raped and killed. Are we to criticise her for disrespecting the prevailing beliefs of Islam in
her country?
We have the story of Lilith claiming her equality with Adam because a medieval
writer choose to satirize the Jewish culture he lived in. The Alphabet of Ben Sira has been
deemed offensive and only portions can be found translated to English.
In the middle ages many were tortured and executed for heresy. This type of
practice has carried to the 20th and 21st centuries in religion as well as politics.
You are perfectly entitled to say you do not agree with me, to say I am completely
wrong and every piece of information given is erroneous, you can label the opinions here
in whatever manner you choose. What crosses the line is when you start to disrespect me
as a person, suggesting that somebody is somehow inferior to you based on the conflict
between your belief and their belief.
If you believe you are chosen by (pick your authority, be it spiritual or otherwise) to
speak, act and pronounce judgement, be it good or bad, the onus is on you to prove you
have that authority and that power. I may be disrespecting your belief, but you are
disrespecting me as a living sentient being. You are not your imaginary friend, if you want
to insist upon the reality of your friend let them defend them-self by all means.
If you have special abilities, what difference does it make if I or anyone is skeptical?
Does it diminish your powers? Isn't your mental energy better spent on putting those
abilities to good use then on getting upset at a challenge to what amounts to egotistical
bragging anyway. A grandmaster martial artist does not need to defend his credentials to
every street punk, responding to violence from those street punks is another matter.
A quote "8 words the wiccan rede fulfill
an it harm none, do as ye will"
Is there more harm in beliefs or in questioning them?