Intolerance about religion

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Why can't people just accept other peoples beliefs? I am sick and tired of "You're going to burn in hell for eternity!" and "Religious people are so stupid!" Christians and athiests do it just the same. I am also sick of people using TRAGEDIES like SCHOOL SHOOTINGS to say "This is why we need prayer in schools." School shootings happen for many different people! 9/11 happened because of religious intolerance! My own religious beliefs is to find your own path, much like paganism but I don't believe in what they believe.

In a way, if you think about what made you post this question, it is very much the same kind of emotion that makes me exclaim s**t like "What do you mean, 'thank god'; you survived thanks to 14 hours of surgery by highly trained professionals." or "a MIRACLE? Really!?".

I don't go around telling EVERY christian I meet that they're stupid, but some times they say things that are so stupid I can't leave it alone. I'm sure they feel the same way.

Well accepting the beliefs of people I don't agree with would mean agreeing, but I certainly do not hate people for their religion, I might think they are wrong about it and I will have some dislike towards them if they try and push it on me. But I don't see someones religion as a reason to hate them.

the human race is a species of blabber mouths and story tellers.

We will spin tales until we are finally extinct.


ruveyn

DearJuggaspie, I so much agree with the basics of your message! My viewpoint corellates to the workplace: we have some VERY definite rules, where I work. If I sit in our employee lounge with an LDS friend on another shift, we can, and have had, some great talks about her faith, me asking her for details, and enjoying learning about that church. Two Muslims who worked in the department were 1, a young Afghani women who had gotten out with her family and told me things they had experienced under the Russians, and, 2, a young African-American man who converted from Roman Catholicism during his employment there. Now about one third of the staff is Mexican Catholic, and there are fascinating cultural differences from the American Catholic tradition. When people respect (and like) each other, we can talk and learn about anything.
However, if one person who does not think much of religion in general comes in the room, that person can ask/demand that the topic be dropped, and if anyone continues their private conversation, guess who gets into trouble, even if no one is proselytizing or arguing?
What you said about finding your own path? so right. Each of us does that and in America, we are supposed to be guaranteed the right to seek and find that path as well as to follow it.

Sylkat

Very few religions offer emotional equanimity, instead promoting strife and rivalry. Why? Because the majority of religions claim to be the best, only true path. When one assumes everyone who doesn't think like them is going to burn for eternity, this will lead to two likely reactions: the first being "They are sinners in life for not following our god, thus are not worth as much as we are", or "They are sinners in life and it is our responsibility to save them from themselves, because as is, they are not worth as much as we are". In either case there is a very evident superiority complex that requires only reference to the holy book or other equivalent work to justify. So I would say religion is one of the largest catalysts for intolerance. A lot of religious people also claim any sort of disagreement is intolerance. So if slavery is part of religion then disagreeing with that is intolerant of you, etc

Because of this:



...and other things in the same vein. Such as "god hates fags" and "rape pregnancy is a gift from god", which are views that some people are trying to legislate and impose on the entire public. That's why rational people are so horribly "intolerant" of religion.



Damn those intolerant, homophobic anti-choice atheists who picket funerals with their "thank god for dead soldiers" signs and go around telling people that they will go to hell for not accepting Jesus as their savior

Because no true believer can accept that tolerance of heresy is a virtue.

I will tolerate religion when religion tolerates truth.

When participating in discussions with believers, I try to remember that I was one too, once. I try to remember the power of indoctrination from a young age, and the influence of almost everyone around. As delusional as I may think the believers are, I remind myself that religion has been the dominant paradigm for thousands of years.

The reason I hope that those who believe will evolve beyond their delusion, is that in a democracy, such as here in the US, the voting population affects me. The constitution limits their effect, but the supreme court requires too much time to enforce the constitution. The members of the court are also influenced by their religious delusions. Thus they may not rule according to reason, but according to their relgious delusions.

Because they think that the other people have false beliefs, and they want to correct them. No thinking person can accept the idea that everyone's beliefs should be immune from criticism.



You've been brainwashed. 9/11 happened because some people were very angry at the foreign policy of the US and Israel. It was couched in religious language, but the event was basically political.



You're betraying yourself. If we are supposed to accept the ridiculous idea that everyone's beliefs are personal and not to be interfered with, then why are you advertising your belief system?

I think it was a combination of both political and religious beliefs. It's hard to find people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for a cause unless they believe in an afterlife.

Which is one of the dangers of religion. People who are fully aware of their own mortality are a lot less likely to throw their life away because somebody with a political agenda proclaims "Deus vult". Or to kill other people, for that matter.

I did have a major, major surgery and am very greatful to the skill and dedication for the medical profession, yet even they say my getting through it should not have made it. It was a miracle. I do not go around telling everybody what a wonderful miracle I had, but you do provoke comment.

When medical professionals tell you that you shouldn't have made it, it's all about statistical chances. A few people pull through, most people don't. You were lucky to be one of the few.

I survived a ruptured appendix 22 years ago. This is usually a death sentence unless it is immediately treated, but I survived a 40 minute drive to the hospital (during which I passed out, so I now have an idea of what it's like to die). After the surgery, I was told that most of the infected contents of my appendix were encapsulated and had not spilled into the abdominal cavity, which saved me from a life-threatening peritonitis. That's quite uncommon, but there have been a few rare cases where people have lived with a ruptured appendix for several days before they were diagnosed and operated on. Uncommon things and lucky breaks happen. Even to atheists

Hi CrazyCat, I don't like being too dogmatic about this for the very reason you mention. I do, however, have my personal reasons for thinking this way. But as you say, lets be careful, I mean I could claim to have a special gift of painting from God, but know full well there are many painters who are atheists and very much better than me.

According to the Bible, all things come from God, including your talents or abilities. Nowhere in the Bible have I ever read that belief in God was a prerequisite for anyone's abilities. In relation to what you're blessed with, faith is roughly freely acknowledging the source of those blessings.