Reading through quite a lot of posts in the religion forums I made an
observation. Most people have shown that having a different belief
doesn't mean that one can't accept another person for what he/she
believes. There are a few though that think their belief and their
religion is the only right one. Does the reason for that lay in the
religion itself or in the people that practice it?

Religion, spirituality, and tolerance.

People are as diverse as each grain of sand, each snowflake...


And for me personally, with my experiences, the people guiding
religions, set and teach for there to be intolerance...only one religion
allowed...theirs.

This would have to have some impact to followers of organised religions.

Human ego drives intolerance...a sense of superiority, of separation.

My beliefs are mine, and I have no desire to ram or force them down
anyone's neck.

Conviction is admirable when accompanied by tolerance.

When I moved here first, the village I used to live had a fairly young
parish priest. Over the two years he was there we got to talk quite a
lot, both curious about the other ones beliefs.
One day he said to me: " You know, I think some people are jealous
because they are locked in a box and you are not."
I have been thinking about it since and to some point I could agree with
him.

When I moved here first, the village I used to live had a fairly young
parish priest. Over the two years he was there we got to talk quite a
lot, both curious about the other ones beliefs.
One day he said to me: " You know, I think some people are jealous
because they are locked in a box and you are not."
I have been thinking about it since and to some point I could agree with
him.

i am not one to say which religion is better. i can only treat each
person with respect and dignity. you can tell me about your religion
but dont impose it upon me. we all learn from everyday experience and
never stop learning. we should all be good to eachother and realize
when we have done something wrong.
always try to make what is wrong into something right. then you will
see what spirituality is about.

Thank you oceanbreeze, that is where the tolerance comes in, but some
people just don't seem to have that and keep trying to impose their
religions and beliefs onto us.

As an American I understand it to be my patriotic duty to be tolerant
toward anyone else’s belief. To not just allow them their right to
worship and believe as they wish but to even protected and if needed to
die for each one of our rights to believe they way each wants to
believe.

This fundamental belief is why a Jew, Muslim and a Christen can live
next door to one another here, in peace and even be good neighbors.

I don’t believe this way just for patriotic duty I believe this way
because I feel no, I know this is the right to be at least for me.

I’m certain that many people on this forum misunderstand me. I am
actively anti-religion on these forums. I am not anti-religion in my
daily life. At least not actively. I never talk to anyone about
religion outside of these forum unless they bring the topic up. And I
would absolutely never participate as an anti-religion moment.

Also, my motivation to be anti-religious doesn’t stem from religious
values or beliefs. I view it more as a humanitarian thing. When I
speak out against a religion I do so with the hope of revealing the
negative aspects of it to other people. So of course, I’m going to
always appear to be picking on the negative. I’m not a negative person,
it’s just that you don’t speak about the good points of something that
you’d like to see people abandon.

I really have no desire to change people’s minds who are already
involved in a religion But I would be absolutely thrilled if I thought
I was helping to deter people from choosing a religion in the first
place.

Just this morning I was listening to a show on NPR where they were
talking about the rights of artists. Their main question was whether or
not an artist has the right to create art with the express intent of
disparaging a religion or religious belief. The consensus seemed to be
that they do have the right to express their views, even if those views
are anti-religious. In fact one artist was very clear that she feels
that religion is a cancer of the mind and that has a long historical
being the cause of human suffering and pain. Therefore she feels the
right to speak out using art or any other form of communication against
something that she views as detrimental to humanity.

I feel the very same way. It’s not my intent to challenge anyone’s
views on a personal level. That’s a very unfortunate side-affect when
you attack something larger than the individual. Three will always
been individuals who feel that they are part of this larger thing and
feel personally attacked by attacks made on the larger concept.

Politics has this same characteristic problem. If I bash George Bush
am I bashing every American? I hope not, I *am* an American!

And in much the same way, when I bash a region I am not bashing the
followers of that religion. I’m quite sure that there are many very
good and well-meaning people who follow the religion I bash. It is an
extremely unfortunate fact that those people are offended by my actions.
But at the same time it’s totally unavoidable.

To not bash the religion would be to ignore what I see as a cancer on
humanity. Not to imply that it corrupts every soul it touches, but
over-all, in the Big Picture, it’s harmful to humanity as a whole, and
this is why I bash it. I will continue to do so because I firmly
believe that on the big picture it genuinely is a cancer of the mind.
Not just the religion that I bash, but all religions. Which does not
equate to a belief in god I might point out.

I don’t bash a belief in god. What I bash are religions that claim to
SPEAK for god and tell people how they should or should not live.

Only when the world can believe in god without any moral doctrines
attached can they ever live together in peace.

As long as they continue to believe in doctrines that SPEAK for God they
will forever be at war.

I will denounce any and all religions that claim to SPEAK for god.

Anyone who has faith in their religion should also have the confidence
and conviction to speak of that religion as the truth. Only someone who
doesn't have confidence and conviction in their religion would take
offense that someone else was confident that their religion was correct.
I work with Muslims and Hindu people, should I be offended that the
Hindus set up altars in their cubicle / office? Should I be offended
when a Muslim pulls out their prayer rug five times a day? Take offense
that I have faith in my Lord and I will have pity for anyone who's faith
is so weak that it blows like a leaf in the wind.

I see the difference in the way you go about it here.
You just try to impress the rightiousness of you religion on everybody
else. I know that you religion is right for you, it just doesn't mean
that it is right for me. I have my own beliefs and
I surely don't need anybody to tell me how and in what I have to belief.
I don't try to impress my religion on you because I know it doesn't suit
you, and I expect the same tolerance from you.

invisible,

Please show me where I have tried to "impress my religion on you" I
openly admit that I speak with conviction about the truth of my
religion, but I don't attack other people's religions. There is a
difference. If you don't have faith in your relgion, I'm truely sorry
for you. I am not offended when a Muslim talks about Mohammad. I'm not
offended when a Christian talks about infant baptism, I will surely ask
questions, but I won't attack their beliefs.

Spider have you noticed my faith 'blowing like a leaf in the wind'...
On the contrary my strength of faith has givin you pause on more then
one occasion.

Perhpas you might find people have much stronger strength in their
individual faith if you quit shaking thier tree to bring down the fruits
therefrom.

Inv -- I believe it is in the individual and not inherently within the
religion itself. I have known all kinds of people of different
religions who were tolerant and open-minded enough to respect other
people's beliefs. There is a way to express one's religious views (or
any other subject, really) without being condescending or abusive.

Unfortunately, there are some here who simply lack the ability to see
things from any other viewpoint. There are a few who like to pretend
they know everything, and would like others to believe this as well.
They present opinions as facts, pull their "facts" out of thin air; they
know everything, and are always right.

I don't know if this is because they feel a need to recruit others
(apparently unaware that this kind of behavior tends to drive people
away) or because of a need to appear to be some sort of "expert."

Not long ago, one of there guys posted an observation about something in
the Bible that supported a contention of his. It didn't look right to
me; I grabbed a Bible, and sure enough, there it was in black and white,
the exact opposite of what he had claimed.

With certain posters, I will make a post of my own and ask for some
clarification. There was no point in doing so with this fellow, though,
so I just let it go.

But I would advise everyone to do their own research. Don't just accept
what *anyone* posts as being automatically legitimate. Because a lot of
times, it simply isn't.

AdventureBegins,

Being offended when I speak of Christianity as the correct religion,
that's shaking in the wind. Responding "My religion teaches X", that's
standing firm.

You have never given me pause, you flatter yourself.

Spider, what makes you think that I have no faith in my belief?
What makes you think you have to feel sorry for me. My belief is so
strong that I don't have to shout it at others, it is within myself. I
feel sorry for you, that you have to shout in order to reassure yourself
of your own beliefs.

Well you shure do spend an inordinate amout of time trying to take apart
my posts.

I have no reason to flatter myself.

You have done a fine job of that for me.

invisible,

You are offended by my convictions. Hell, this whole thread is about
what an a-hole you think I am. I didn't say that you didn't have faith
in your religion, I stated that anyone who is offended by the
convictions of others has weak faith in their religion.

Since some of us have offended you by the way you post. Perhaps then by
you own reasoning your faith is weak.

Spider, you certainly have a great way of twisting and turning the words
of others to suit your needs. Take for once the words for their true
meaning. The only thing I don't want is somebody shouting about his
religion like a child would do in the dark, when it is afraid. And that
is exactly what you are doing.

Good thread Invisible....



"Conviction is admirable when accompanied by tolerance."

Is all I have to say, again.