Religious tolerance....or better yet, acceptance....

[poltr1]

I'm finally responding to catsittingstill's suggestion that we post about relgious tolerance today. I think this is important, so I'm not going to cut-tag this.

Tolerance? filkertom posted in his LJ today about that word: "Tolerance" is an interesting word. By and large, it means putting up with something you don't agree with. You tolerate it. On some level or another, you believe it's wrong, or at least not for you. In a previous post of his -- and I wish I could find it -- he suggested that we replace "tolerance" with "acceptance". I wholeheartedly agree with him.

Today, I attended Dayton Pagan Pride Day at a local park. One section was "Tradition Row", where various pagan paths -- Wicca, Druid, Asatru -- were represented by symbolic altars. There was even a Buddha status and a shrine to Ganesh.

And this is where tolerance and acceptance begin: learning and understanding. (Sidenote: A great resource for this is religioustolerance.org.)

It's my long-standing observation that people fear and demonize what they don't know. And it's often the case where the most vocal critics of something are often the ones who know the least about it. Case in point: that preacher in Florida who was threatening to burn copes of the Koran today. (Thankfully, he recanted.) Has he even read it, or parts of it?

Many years ago, a group of people practicing a minority religion were threatened by the people following the mainstream religion. There were no holy books to burn, so they burned the people instead. Pagans like me know this period as "The Burning Times".

And what of my religious background? I was born and raised Catholic. I've had Jewish friends from elementary school onward. I married and divorced a Wiccan. I am currently a member of a Unitarian Universalist faith community. And I consider myself a pagan.

A very good friend of mine -- and the best man at my first wedding -- is a Sikh. He has told me numerous stories of religious intolerance, from being harrassed at Buffalo Bills games because he wears a turban, to his family being publicly lambasted by Pat Robertson on his TV show, "The 700 Club" all because his family dared to propose to their school board that Christmas concerts be re-branded holiday concerts and thus be more inclusive.

While things like book burning and flag burning are protected by the First Amendment, such actions are what I would conder hate speech and therefore disrespectful.

I am proud to have friends and acquaintances of many differing faiths.

Comments

[kliklikitty.livejournal.com]

I agree that the word tolerance should be replaced with something like acceptance, I would prefer to hear something more like "Religious Accord" but I am willing to deal with simple acceptance as a start.

Maybe I am lucky, growing up, I was exposed to so many religious paths from my family who ranged from Catholic to Protestant to Jewish & Native American pagan, & neighbors who were Hindu, & Muslim, Lutheran, & a few Straga's. So for me there has never been a hint of fear, just because I don't understand someone's religion. I never taught such to my son, and refuse to allow it to stand anywhere I might encounter it.

Jim you points about the burning times are valid. But we pagans must remember to accept and believe that not all Christians are as pig ignorant and blind headed as it so often seems. The fact that there are many Followers of Christ who actually follow his true teachings keeps hope for this whole world alive in my heart.