Tolerance

Take a moment for this Telegraph article. What would happen if the Christian couple had filed against the Muslim for insulting Christ?

Or this one, closer to our home, from CBS 11. Apparently non-Christians are much more easily offended, since there are not headlines about Christians filing such suits.

The atheist stated, "[It] made me feel like a second class citizen, ostracized, not part of the community." So? Obviously, the community must change to his projected image.

Is this man’s ego such that others determine how he feels? Has he no control over his emotions that he cannot allow others to express different beliefs? Why does he require being part of a community?

Why must the city change to make one person feel powerful? Why must years of comfortable tradition bow to the personal whim of a single individual? Why should this person find offense in another’s beliefs? What is so wrong with Christianity?

Why should one set of beliefs be hidden simply because they are different? Are we not allowed to show diversity? Must our lives be blank?

The same questions apply to the Telegraph article. Freedom of speech is not allowed in Islamic law. Christians cannot speak to others of Christ in Muslim states. It would appear that Muslims expect that in all countries where they reside.

What will happen when atheists and Muslims interact? How would the Texas atheist be treated in an Islamic country when he decried their prayers? How would a mullah react when told he could not pray to Allah?

I have discussed religion with Muslim, Christian, atheist and Wicca believers. In each instance there was not conversion experiences, no change of beliefs – and no insults to religion or to intelligence on the part of participants. We remained a community of workers, respecting each other as always.

We conversed, shared, learned and continued forward without insulting each other. Should such conversations result in changed lives, fine. If not, that’s just as fine. None of us were afraid of hearing differing views or learning of differing experiences. None of us expressed any feelings of being left out.

Doesn’t mean we agreed. Doesn’t mean we’ll change. Doesn’t show a lack of respect, which both of the above instances show to both Christianity and Christians.

Tolerance should never require a lack of respect for belief nor of sharing that belief.