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On ToleranceIgnorance Tests My ToleranceI try my best to be tolerant of other people’s ignorance of their religious beliefs. While I may disagree with their faith and beliefs, I can tolerate and respect them especially if they have studied the history of their faith. What I don’t tolerate as well as I should are people who hold a particular religious belief but have no knowledge of the history that went into shaping that belief. I find their ignorance in an area that should be extremely important to them very disturbing. While most Christians can quote the Bible and defend their beliefs based on that one book, they seldom know the actual history of their religion. For this reason, many Christians easily accept that Christianity is a perfect religion populated by well-meaning, unselfish people. Other people with differing religious beliefs may well do the same. Christianity is one large umbrella that shelters hundreds of denominations and sects. Each with a different view of their Christian God and each with their own interpretation of the Bible. I admit most Christians are nice, rational, caring people in every aspect of life except when it comes to their faith. Because of their ignorance of Christianity’s history, they too easily assume it is and always has been a benign and loving religion. Too many Christians believe that all Christians are good people and that a Christian government would be a fair and pure government. Christians presume that all professing Christians hold the same basic beliefs because they all use the Bible as a reference. They seem to forget that just because a person says they are a Christian doesn’t mean that he or she holds the same moral values or that some only accept a portion of the Bible or only stress parts of it. They also seem to forget that in most cities there are hundreds of Christian churches, each with a slightly different view of what it means and takes to be a Christian. Because most Christians are ignorant of the history and growth of their faith, they don’t understand why some people fear them. They don’t understand that this fear is based on Christianity’s history and its willingness to curtail other people’s freedom simply because some Christians believe it is for our own good. Christianity worries me because, while the religion is usually benign, the people that practice it are not always tolerant and understanding people. Also, while some denominations of Christianity are accepting of other religious beliefs, some are ardent and strident in their demands and determination to eliminate all other religious practices, including other Christian denominations. Therefore, depending on the person and his or her beliefs, Christianity is either tolerant or intolerant. To assume that a Christian government would be better or more moral or offer more freedom is to be ignorant of human behavior and of Christianity’s history. I fear Christianity because some fundamentalists Christians are willing to convert me even against my will. My freedom of choice is not what they appear to want but rather my acquiesces to their beliefs, their rules, and their dogma. They assume they know what is best for me. The arrogance with which they presume to know their God’s will for all people, including themselves, frightens me. They presume that their deity’s plans can only include those who are willing to live as their beliefs dictate. They assume that only their particular brand of Christianity can provide people with a conscience and live moral lives. Fundamentalists Christians have no fear of telling me my beliefs are wrong but aren’t willing to consider that they may also be wrong in their approach and efforts. Their attitude of rightness, righteousness, and moral superiority worries me. Christianity frightens me because too many assume that only Christianity is correct and that all other religions are inspired by their Devil. This moral superiority scares me because with that attitude fundamentalists Christians can commit no wrong so long as they believe their actions are sanctioned by their deity. The moderate majority of Christianity do not worry me but the fundamentalists few do. Fundamentalists too often become fanatics in their beliefs and practices and insist everyone must accept and follow their beliefs and dogma.
Afterword: Author: Don Miller
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2004 Articles |
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