Yet another religious question...?

Question

So it's been about 3 hours that I've sat here on Yahoo!Answers now, and I started to notice something. Questions regarding religion have the most answers by far, but some of them are the most uninformed. I'm not going to reveal my beliefs however. It seems that there are so many people that are so passionate about what they believe, yet so ignorant. Granted, there are those who really know what they are talking about and truly try to help the person asking the question, and I respect that, no matter what their religion. I guess my question is this: If you are passionate about what you believe and harass other people for not agreeing with you, why don't you really learn what your religion or lack there of is really about? Why don't you agree to disagree and leave it at that b/c chances are you won't change their mind, and they won't change yours?

Ok, I am a Christian. I know that we are supposed to spread the Gospel and all that, but how can people expect to do that while insulting the other person's intelligence by insulting their religion? Do I think Muslims are wrong in what they believe? Yes. Am I going to tell them that they're going to hell and then quote the Bible? No. All I'm saying is that people need to be more sensitive to other people's beliefs. Sad to say, Christians are the biggest offenders.

Answer 1

"If you are passionate about what you believe and harass other people for not agreeing with you, why don't you really learn what your religion or lack there of is really about?"
Very good question. I am passionate about what I believe, but I do not harass others for not agreeing with me. Hinduism teaches me that their views are just another persective on the One which is so big, vast, and infinite and that each of us individually experience, touch upon, and approach differently. That said, I agree that if a person is going to 'harass' someone whom they disagree with, it helps if they are knowledgable about the religion they claim to be. Although some of those who harass do so without ever making an religious claims and simply, just harass to harass.

"Why don't you agree to disagree and leave it at that b/c chances are you won't change their mind, and they won't change yours?"
You are correct, they don't change my mind. I am a former Christian missionary who is now a practicing Hindu. Most people who are trying to change my mind usually don't know much about Hinduism, firstly, and secondly they generally don't know what my personal beliefs are (Hinduism is very diverse in its views). Usually there is misinformation about Hinduism that is told to me and then that misinformation is combined with misunderstandings about Hinduism that are all then used against it to try to convince someone like myself that my religion is false. It's hard to even take someone serious when they are making false statements about a religion they claim to be false. How do they know it is false if they do not know the truth about it? And being a Hindu I do not work to convert others. Trying to convert others is the exception, not the rule (and even ISKCON has cut back greatly on that, and they were the exception). In general, Hindus view all religions as various perspectives on God. Hinduism often says over and over that trying to convert others can be spiritually damaging to both the person trying to convert and the person being converted. Hinduism also teaches that judging someone else's religion, name of God, sacred text, etc has being lower than yours is spiritually damaging also and thus Hindus should view them all as equally the same thing, just different perspectives on God which is so vast and big and infinite that we in our finite bodies cannot fully grasp all of It.

Answer 2

There is always a chance out there, so you may not able to change this thing as telling other people about own religion are PART of religion teaching too...so, this maybe some never stoppable issue OR this is how war starts sometime.

BUT there is lot of people in this world, also because they heard something then their mind changed, so people will never give up on this issue :)

Answer 3

Yes, it is LIFE, I'm afraid, unique instances, unique kind of media, however it used to be most of the time the identical while the Moors invaded Spain, and stayed there for 3 hundred years, or while the Romans invaded Britain, after we had been almost always pagans. I agree in essence in what you're pronouncing, but when "it" is going away, then to be certain a further fracas will take it is position!

Answer 4

I think you show a very mature attitude. In my experience, the most zealous offenders are the ones who are most worried about their own faith. Sharing one's beliefs is not the same as preaching down people's throats. One has to be as willing to listen as to speak. If that's too frightening, the missionary needs to go back to school.

Answer 5

So true...
They are still preaching to other believers.. or to non-believers. And they'll react hardening their position. Not many feel fine with people with a different faith. Maybe because they fear sooner or later the other wil make them change their mind?

Answer 6

Ephesians 4:4
There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in ONE hope of your calling.

Ephesians 4:5
One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Ephesians 4:6
One God, and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Ephesians 4:7
Bur unto every one of us is given grace according to the measures of the gift of Christ.

Do you still think their is more then one God, Christ Jesus in heaven?

Answer 7

LOL. Touche!

Hey, listen... it's okay to let down your hair too, if you get the itch. Hehe.