Is there any ONE discernable reason why people don't appreciate other Religious beliefes?

Question

I know that there a lot, but do YOU see any one reason as being the biggest one as to why people have a hard time accepting that people will have a differnt opinion, especillay with Religion?

Answer 1

The answer I would give is FEAR. It is a primordial response. Everyone is hard wired for two responses, fight or flee. These reactions are triggered in high emotional times and high activity times. People dedicate their lives to a way of thinking. What if they are wrong? What if there is another way? When people feel this fear they react with arguments that go into more physical movements (fight) or accusations and trying to flee the situation. It takes a calm non-threatening approach to discuss religion, faith, beliefs with someone successfully. Whether that converts someone to your way or not is not important...the discussion is...
Best of luck.

Answer 2

It's like this, they enter "Logical shutdown" when you brush up against a tightly held belief. Erich Fromm addresses this problem in "Psychoanalysis and Religion" and in "Escape From Freedom." He says, basically, that if people hasve an authoritarian religious viewpoint (i.e. some entity outside of them is responsible for every little aspect of their lives and they have no power to change this or that (e.g. fate) they will fearlessly and illogically defend their authoritarian entity, whether it's God, Allah, or Stalin, even science sometimes. Fromm, however, offers hope by providing us with the humanisitc orientation of religion. This viewpoint sees man as the most important factor (if not the sole factor) in his actions. This type of orientation pops up in Judaeo-Christianity most often as "sin," whereby an individual must make a concious choice to act in an immoral fashion. However, they are responsible for this action and are not pre-destined (in most Christian denominations) to be evil or good. People with a humanistic religious orientation will generally be more open to civilly discussing religion, politics, etc., whereas some will avoid the topic all together.

Answer 3

In the Bible, it says that you shall not bow down to other gods. It is the first of the 10 commandments to love God with all your heart. This would be true for Christians, Jews, and Muslims whom all believe in the 10 commandments. So according to this, followers of these three religions are not leisure to pick and choose which religions are valid.

Unfortunately this often comes out as hate.

Answer 4

It's the exclusivity doctrine: "We are right therefore everyone else is wrong". Period, end of discussion. No evidence of rightness or wrongness, just the claim. People who have different religious beliefs are "wrong", "misguided", or outright evil.

It's a lot of nonsense that keeps the faithful in the pews and the money flowing in.

Answer 5

I think your lumping a little too much into this.
I have alot of appreciation & respect for many of the religious sects. There are a few however, that I don't. I think alot it depends on the actions of it's followers!

Answer 6

People really feel that they are 100% right, not that it is a matter of opinion, and they feel that they need to convert everyone so that everyone will have the real, true understanding.

Answer 7

Some religious people attempt to convert others because they think that they are scoring extra points with their god. They might say that they are concerned with "saving souls", but they aren't. They want to get into heaven.

Answer 8

Insecurity, and a lack of understanding of the pupose of religion.

Answer 9

Fear, attachment, inflexible attitudes, need to be right. Pick one!

Answer 10

They are afraid to look at their OWN sins.