wildrose62 Offline

Religions of hate

Tolerance. This word tolerance. I see it used negatively, as in "I will tolerate this, but I don't have to like it." Or the strange one -"I have tolerated this long enough." I have decided personally that I am unhappy with this word. I would like to substitute "respect."
There are many versions of what seem to be very similar religions, e.g. branches of Christian faiths and interpretations of various religious books. Often the branches clash on matters of interpretation and strict adherence to one interpretation of an ambiguous text seem to result in conflict of one kind or another. I imagine that the authors of these texts would be unhappy that their lack of clarity has resulted in these conflicts. Maybe I'm wrong.
But my point is that the intolerance for other beliefs, or other interpretations seems at odds with general goals of improving well-being, of compassion and kindness.
So my line in the sand. I respect your right to adhere to your beliefs, as long as they do no harm. I do not respect anyone who tells me it is their right to punish another or treat them as an inferior because your religion tell you that that is alright, or even that that is what is expected. I respect your right to believe in an afterlife, or in the end of days or in whatever divine being that you believe to be in charge of your destiny. That is your right.
And maybe my beliefs are not restricted to the words of any one book, but I feel that the sentiments are common to many - kindness, helping those who cannot help themselves, compassion (for other humans, and all life), respect for the environment, respect for those who have no harmful intent (and compassion for those who do not understand why that is wise), and taking responsibility for the outcome of ones own actions.
And if you are in disagreement, I will listen to your reasons for doing so. But please respect my right to an opinion that differs from yours.