Cultural relativism

To what extent should we respect other peoples' religious or cultural views? Is it somehow offensive or even imperialist to challenge a religious conviction? Or, are religious views as open to debate and discussion as political views?

I think that religious views should be as open to debate as anything else. Anyone with strongly held convictions should welcome those convictions being challenged. After all, if you believe something strongly, then you should have strong reasons for believing it which should withstand questioning. Believing something strongly just because "I grew up to accept it" isn't good enough! Recently, there has been too much pussyfooting around religious beliefs for fear of causing offence or embarrassment, and this has led to the situation where creationists can peddle their views in science lessons, and some Muslim women accept oppressive methods of dress as a free choice. It's not possible for all religious and non-religious beliefs to be correct simultaneously, as many of these beliefs directly contradict each other. Therefore, some beliefs are true, and some beliefs are false. As a society, we shouldn't shy away from this. However, we should also accept that people are entitled to hold different opinions, and should be able to express them in reasonable ways.