Religious Tolerance

[Natachan]

I'm not a anti-theist. If someone wants to believe something that's fine. They can believe whatever they wish. You want to believe the country is run by shape-shifting lizard people? Fine. You believe that you need to sacrifice a virgin every hundred years to the sun? Ok, I guess.

The issue comes when you actually attempt to sacrifice the virgin to the sun. Then we have to say no. You may be allowed to BELIEVE whatever you wish, that doesn't mean you can PRACTICE whatever you wish.

[Polaris]

I try to be for "religious tolerance" since most of the people I love most in the world are varying degrees of religious. But then I read the headlines of the day and wonder, just how much more of this can we tolerate before the human race is at risk?

The truth is my tolerance level shrinks with every atrocity, murder, terrorist attack, beheading, news of biological weapons, fatwa, and threat against us "infidels".

I have no answer for the religious violence in the world, but the sad fact is that it is all being done in the name of gods that do not exist. There is no more senseless murder than one done for religion. Soon, I fear, it will come down to a choice of doing away with religion to save any hope for a future, or having mankind be a short, forgotten, experiment in the evolution of intelligence in the cosmos.

The most deaths caused in the last 100 years have been from the spread and control of secular governments.

What's the sense in killing for the government of a nation simply because you were born in that nation? Is national pride worth the cost of a hundreds of millions of lives?

[Chad32]

I try to be for "religious tolerance" since most of the people I love most in the world are varying degrees of religious. But then I read the headlines of the day and wonder, just how much more of this can we tolerate before the human race is at risk?

The truth is my tolerance level shrinks with every atrocity, murder, terrorist attack, beheading, news of biological weapons, fatwa, and threat against us "infidels".

I have no answer for the religious violence in the world, but the sad fact is that it is all being done in the name of gods that do not exist. There is no more senseless murder than one done for religion. Soon, I fear, it will come down to a choice of doing away with religion to save any hope for a future, or having mankind be a short, forgotten, experiment in the evolution of intelligence in the cosmos.

The most deaths caused in the last 100 years have been from the spread and control of secular governments.

What's the sense in killing for the government of a nation simply because you were born in that nation? Is national pride worth the cost of a hundreds of millions of lives?

I'd like a citation on that.

[rexbeccarox]

An anecdote:

A few years ago, I was in my soon-to-be shop getting things ready; building furniture; organizing, etc. A woman whom I had never seen before walked in through the open door, and we began to chat. Abruptly, after about five minutes, she asked if she could pray for my shop, and I said, "why not?" I figured she'd say a few words, and we could get on with our chat. She grabbed my hand so tightly, my fingers crunched. I thought, "well, this should be fun," and she got on with a bunch of chanting and what I could only assume was speaking in "tongues". After about seven minutes, she finally let go of my throbbing hand, and said, "amen". Then, she said a nice goodbye, and left.

The next time she came back, she brought a friend, and the two of them repeated the behavior; then another couple of friends came along. It was like they were trying to turn my shop into a church. They were just taking over.

After a couple of months of this happening, like, six or seven times, I finally spoke up. I said very nicely, "I'm sorry; I'm a non-believer and I have a lot of work to do." The original lady lost her shit, decided I needed a sermon the caliber of which has only otherwise been witnessed on "the Mount". I let her go on for ten minutes or so, all of her friends staring at her, rapt, and then I jumped in and said, "really, folks. I have a lot of work to do. Would you like to do a craft?" They left with the original lady in a huff of, "well. We'll just go somewhere else, where we are tolerated."

[Ravenshire]

The most deaths caused in the last 100 years have been from the spread and control of secular governments.

What's the sense in killing for the government of a nation simply because you were born in that nation? Is national pride worth the cost of a hundreds of millions of lives?

I'd like a citation on that.

Doubt you'll get one though.

[Polaris]

The most deaths caused in the last 100 years have been from the spread and control of secular governments.

What's the sense in killing for the government of a nation simply because you were born in that nation? Is national pride worth the cost of a hundreds of millions of lives?

I'd like a citation on that.

That ciation.

[rexbeccarox]

Broken link. Try again.

[vorlon13]

Going rhetorical for a bit:

Any religion that doesn't feel they have a monopoly on Truth or Salvation ain't a religion. More of a country club or social organization. Should be noted in tax laws, etc.

Still, intolerant religions suck and are very annoying.

[rexbeccarox]

I'd like a citation on that.

That ciation.

Thank you.

[Polaris]

That ciation.

Thank you.

Sorry, but I actually did not see your post until after I edited. It took me a few minutes to get the link working through Google's servers.