I have seen this meme making the rounds on social media lately. The purpose is to justify disrespectful behavior toward non-Christians. The underlying message is we can treat practitioners of other religions however we want because the do not hold to the truth. However, this meme both makes a false claim and misrepresents Scripture. I want to start with the use of Galatians 1:8. In this verse Paul is speaking to people preaching in the Church. He is not talking about those holding other beliefs.
I’m amazed that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ to follow another gospel. It’s not really another gospel, but certain people are confusing you and they want to change the gospel of Christ. However, even if we ourselves or a heavenly angel should ever preach anything different from what we preached to you, they should be under a curse. I’m repeating what we’ve said before: if anyone preaches something different from what you received, they should be under a curse! Galatians 1:6-9
Paul is not telling the Galatians it is allowable to disrespect others, he is telling them not to proclaim or believe another Gospel. This passage has nothing to do with what people outside the Church teach or believe and everything to do with what is accepted within the Church. Further, to be “accursed” doesn’t impact how we treat people but it means let that person be separated from God. So again Paul is not discussing how we treat people. Rather Paul is saying that a person preaching a different Gospel is separated from God. This does not encourage us or even allow us to be disrespectful of others. The message is about the separation from God that results from proclaiming a different Gospel.
But what does Paul say about encountering unbelievers? First, we can look to his own example in places like Acts 17:16-34. When Paul goes to the Areopagus he is distressed by what he encounters but he remains respectful of the people and their beliefs. We do not see any kind of righteous anger displayed by Paul except against Christians and Jews, both groups he saw as believers. The only time we see anything approaching disrespect from Paul is when he confronts people who he considers his own.
Second, Paul does instruct his readers to be respectful. Romans 12:17 “Don’t pay back anyone for their evil actions with evil actions, but show respect for what everyone else believes is good.” Does this mean we accept other beliefs? No. But it does mean we seek to live at peace with others as far as it is possible with us (Romans 12:18). Paul wants us to recognize that we can tolerate living with others who hold to differing beliefs and be patient with them as God is patient with us. Respecting others is a way to gain their attention. If I feel respected by a person I am far more likely to listen to them than if I am not respected. Treating others with dignity and respect, even when I know they are wrong can be challenging but this kindness, gentleness, and patience demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit living in us. The type of crass behavior and self-justification represented by this meme demonstrate a disregard for Paul’s writing.
Squinting in the Light 
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