A serious question for everyone about religious tolerance ?

Question

A two part question for you.

1. Most people I've met always push their beliefs as "the truth". If you're one of these people, what do you think gives you that right? I'll grant you that you have the right to believe what you want. I'll also happily admit you have the right to voice your beliefs, but I don't think you have any right to go around telling other people that they are flat out wrong just because their beliefs don't match yours. Voicing/discussing your beliefs and attacking other people's beliefs are not the same thing. What are your thoughts?

2. Also, I've found most people I've met are incredibly closed minded. Why do most people just shut out anything that conflicts with their beliefs? I think people should allow their beliefs to be challenged and actually consider what all the different sides are saying. If afterwards you keep your original beliefs, then your beliefs have been strengthened. If you don't keep your original beliefs, then you have seen that something you thought you believed really didn't make any sense. What are your thoughts on this?

Answer 1

1. I agree with your thoughts on that. I don't like it when people push their beliefs on me, so I would not push mine on them.

2. Yeah I have been in discussion about religion with someone of another religion but I never put down their religion, I think that is wrong.

Answer 2

I'm very tolerant.

Believe what you wish but don't harm others, and respect each other.

Answer 3

You just said that others have no right to......

Isn't that the same thing? Your telling others to believe and or act as you think they aught.

Answer 4

Islam is an evil religion that loves to abuse women. Speaking of women, the bible of muslims says this.  '

And regarding women, from the unholy qur’an, surah 4:15 “If any of your women are guilty of lewdness, take the evidence of four witnesses from amongst you against them; if they testify, confine them to houses until death [by starvation] claims them.”

Women, see this, see what muslims consider you.  ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚€ÂœTREAT WOMEN WELL FOR THEY ARE LIKE DOMESTIC ANIMALS and they possess nothing themselves. Allah has made the enjoyment of their bodies lawful in his Qur’an.” Tabari 9:113

Islam says wome are to be treated like dogs.  And you ask if islam, which tells muslims in black and white more then three hundred times, to murder all non-muslims (women and children included) should include the freedom of good religions that teach love and life?  Islam teaches death and hatred.  It should not be allowed the rights of good religions, like Christianity and Judaism.

Answer 5

K-now the truth makes "you" free of all beliefs,

and of condemning yourself with your own mouth,

by law accusing or law condemning any others.

John 3:17... John 8:32... Romans 2:1

God neither makes nor takes sides,

since sides wars have side effects,

the most notable being a body bag.

Being right to make others wrong is a blame game,

and the result of it is induction to the hall of shame.

Whether playing "their part" or "your part",

it's still only part-iality, and not pefect-ion.

When perfect-ion comes, part-iality done away.

When man kind, children vs children vanishes.

I do not tolerate any who try to control me,

since they can't even control themselves,

but are often taken captive by devilish law.

Law vs Law is as Loser vs Loser.

Laws vs Grace is as Losers vs Winner.

But in pure grace there's no losers, winners all.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with you all. Amen.

Answer 6

I'll answer #2 first.  My beliefs as a Buddhist are challenged on a regular basis.  This is cool with me because it helps me to grow and learn. This is aside from my beliefs being misrepresented by party B in order to prevent party C from adopting them.  I've had more than one to reconsider my paradigm.  I've had more than once to step back down to earth and realize that my paradigm is not ultimate truth, and that it can change with time.

Now for #1.  I agree that it is wrong to proactively go around telling others that their beliefs are wrong.  It is wrong to attack other people because of what they believe.  Nevertheless, when someone misrepresents my beliefs, I have the right and obligation to speak up and correct the misinformation.  When someone else thinks that their beliefs gives them a right to interfere with public policy or people's private lives, I have a responsibility as a citizen to speak up against that.

This may not be strictly a Buddhist perspective, but no one is a door mat, and being a Buddhist or even a Jain is an excuse to let someone else run rough-shod over us.  

Answer 7

If by "beliefs" you mean "faith" than I agree -- if faith is what you're willing to believe without proof, then acts of faith should be limited to those you're justified in doing without proof.

You don't need proof that it's right to feed poor people.

You do need proof that getting an abortion should be illegal.

Answer 8

Hi!

1. My beliefs, as you stated, are truth to me, so if someone asks for my opinon or what I believe, that is what they get. If soomeone is seeking and ask my opinion, I share the Truth in my life and tell why I believe the way I do, because I have not always believed this way. But I agree - attacking is not OK. And at some point I am sure we have all been guilty of that.

2. I somewhat agree. When one's beliefs encounter opposition, then the person actually becomes stronger in what is Truth for them. But.... it can backfire in someone who just adopted certain beliefs, because if you do not know enough about what you believe and why, your beliefs can be tainted from mere ignorance on what you stand for. I think that sometimes what people see as "closed minded" is simply a person who has been tried and found that their beliefs have stood the trials of time.  

Answer 9

I think you're correct on both accounts. All the Christians I know do not push their beliefs on anybody and they are extremely open minded. I thought most were this way. Thanks for sharing!

Answer 10

I will share what I believe and explain why I believe that way using Bible Scriptures but it up to them to make it their own, I plant the seed and someone else may do the watering, but it is God that will make the truth grow in their hearts if the soil condition is right.

Answer 11

I agree wholeheartedly. I've been found guilty of both, from time to time, and try to reconsider my actions for next time. I try and remain open minded, and I try to respect other beliefs. Rather than bash a religion, I'd rather have a well thought out debate on the subject. I'd consider what the other said, sometimes for hours or days, and get back to them when I have an answer. If I didn't have an answer, I would revise my current beliefs.

I will admit though, it's hard staying open minded and non forceful when someone is calling me an idiot without hearing the reason for my beliefs and then trying to cram theirs down my throat. I'd imagine everyone has these same limitations in the same circumstances.

Atheistically yours,

JM Gendron.

Edit: There is an interesting book called "God?" I would recommend to everyone. It's an intelligent debate between a christian and an atheist. Definitely worth the read for anyone interested to hear from both sides.

Answer 12

I like this, you got a star.

I recently moved to Bedford, VA from Philly and WHOAAAA! big difference. It was really hard for me at first, especially since we are only 20mins away from Lynchburg(Jerry Falwell land) and I was going to school there. There is a church her for every 5 people and they are just NUTS for Jesus. Where I am from there are so many different kinds of people and religions that if you were not tolerant you wouldn't have a single friend because was nearly impossible to find someone who had the same exact beliefs as you. It just amazed me when I moved here how pushy and hateful some Christians could be. I am an atheist because that is what is right for me, it is what I believe and I do not expect anyone else to believe it. I don't care what people do with their Sundays, as long as they are good people.

Answer 13

1. I know the distinction and agree with you.

2. The average person does not like being wrong, no matter what the issue is.

Answer 14

I usually do not push my faith down on others, except for when they are trying to push theirs down on me.

Answer 15

Until there is hard evidence for a god, atheism is the only logical choice.

Answer 16

The truth is what you want to be true. "Men will believe what they want to believe. Let them believe"  

Answer 17

You'll find that people who desperately cling to religious beliefs are poor, shallow souls who have no other meaning or purpose in their lives. They build their whole existence around their belief system; it's all they have. So they fight off different-thinkers because that represents a threat to their universe.

Answer 18

I would not call myself tolerant of religion.  The only truth I will believe is there is no one truth.

Answer 19

one: George Carlin once said we either have every right or we have no rights. I guess he meant that either we are absolutely free (incl. free to stop other people from using their freedoms) or that rights are illusionary.I think the problem is that we make S****y people. Across the board. Sjjitty people.At least some few people (those who meditate and don't belong to a dogma) are trying to improve themselves.

two:I've actually been trying to tell the liberals this very thing. Before you go off on me I should say that I'm what most people would consider a liberal par excellence. I came up with the belief that 'I am you' but I still have a rift between me and the liberals. Not all of them but some of them seem to parrot stuff off without really analyzing their beliefs.I used to believe Muslims were just desert hippies and I'd get all huffy if I thought a Christian fundie (or Julia Peculiar) was trying to give them **** but then , for some reason, I actually looked into it for a few months, and I found it 'impossible' to go back to thinking of Islam as harmless or even less malignant than fundie Christianity. I didn't like it. It kept me up nights. I even cried a few times but I couldn't just believe what was comfortable. And maybe I'm wrong but I have yet to see a reason to think so. This 'maybe I'm wrong' bit is the mark of openmindedness, not the parrot list of typical liberalism.

Answer 20

1. If I think I have the truth, in a world full of lies, why wouldn't You listen to me? Its not attacking other people's beliefs by telling them yours, and yes other people do have other beliefs, that's fine, but if there is a truth, someone has to be wrong, there can't be more than one truth, Its not pushing my beliefs by telling them the its the truth, when it is the truth or could be.

2.If question two is based on question one, then maybe they aren't shutting it out, but just disagreeing with it, if I know the truth, and I'm almost positive I do, then I'm not going to listen to lies. I'll way them against my truth, and find a reason to disagree with what I think is a lie. I agree that people should allow their beliefs to be challenge, so that they can find the truth, compare faiths and religions, and see which one is the most definite. But once you've found the only truth(because if there is such a thing as the truth, then it only makes since that there can only be one correct faith) then why would you try out other religions when you know that what you have now is the real thing? If the truth is real, and this religion is real, I'm going to share it with everyone I can, not all people are closed minded.  

Answer 21

I noticed that the atheists all agree with you.  Surprise surprise.

The reason I disregard other beliefs is for one reason, and one reason only.  God's Word commands that I live IN the world, but not OF it.  Others are welcome to whatever beliefs and practices that come down the pike, as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

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