What can we do to promote tolerance and understanding between different faiths?

Question

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Answer 1

Stop looking for the differences in what other people believe or you believe and start looking at the similarities.

Answer 2

Tolerance and understanding between different faiths is a dream that borders on the nightmarish since it will be institutionalised hypocrisy.

Faith in the sense that is religion is not just any kind of Law but depends on Revelation from the One God and this in turn depends on submission, which is not just a singing and clapping matter.

Obedience to Revelation calls for sacrifice and this will separate the men from the boys.

Honesty and Reason should replace tolerance and understanding and then there will be a reality.

Answer 3

Someone has said earlier that the problem of faith is one of incompatible differences, and that tackling it will be an issue of reconciling these differences. I disagree. The problem underlying conflicting belief systems is one of deliberate similarity and unity of purpose.

The very essence of a religion is that it is a community of adherents to an idea. Now, one can hold such an idea without being a member of any such community. I might quite happily go through life believing that there is a universal spirit that looks after us in our time of need without ever coming into contact with the other "faiths" that would teach that very same thing. And yet, until I have made a declaration of allegiance, I am no more a member of a religion than someone who has explicitly rejected that option.

Whether or not I am a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist or Pagan is not defined by what I believe but rather with whom I consciously choose to associate. Yet, by deliberately pidgeonholing ourselves into a group devoted to an idea, we are explicitly and openly rejecting its alternatives. What's more, when these organisations become evangelistic in their approach, they become competitors, each trying to win people over to their idea before they are in turn rejected.

What can we do to promote tolerance between faiths? We need to stop being so tolerant of the organisations and cultural bodies that throttle these ideas and beliefs; that try to limit our own search for wisdom, enlightenment and closeness with God. It is time we discarded our labels and banners for the war-mongering distractions that they are. It is time we learned to ignore our similarities, as well as our differences.

Answer 4

Well for one thing, stop trying to convert everybody. Not that having converts is bad, but I've found that the most peaceful, loving, and honest types of conversions are the ones that come willingly into a faith without feeling a forced need. Another thing is to not continually place one religion above another. This can cause anything from resentment to discrimination, from hatred to outright killings. Only when we can learn to live and let live can there truly be tolerance and understanding between different faiths.

Answer 5

I don't like the word "tolerance". It's a worldly concept, not a Christian one. The Christian concept is "acceptance". Acceptance of people...though not necessarily of what some people do. With that, I think the way to begin is by educating people the difference between who a person is and what a person does. There are those who think that a person is what they do, and only what they do. I think those folks need to get an education in the realities of human psychology.

Answer 6

It is difficult, faiths rely on their differences to maintain their strengths and individuality - otherwise they could be brought together by looking at their similarities, one sees this happening occasionally when non-believers' questions are answered.
Tolerance is difficult when so many sects have the only god, who is intolerant of false gods. If it could be shown how many of these have historically been the same god (come from similar root gods) that might help.
I think most of the faithful are understanding, it is only the political, power seeking, wings of the different faiths who are intolerant and who seem to deliberately misunderstand.

Answer 7

If you know and understand whatever you perceive as truth for you then there should be no problems, that is the problem everybody wants to be right instead of letting everyone else have the right to worship who or what they please. This is a selfish walk which means learn for your self and help your self and if what you're doing is so wonderful others will follow, you shouldn't have to beg, lie or scare someone into believing your truth or the truth for that matter.

Answer 8

I think most of all respecting other religion is the only solution to promote tolerance and understanding between different faiths.
Don't ever insult what others believed.

Answer 9

Anything we can do will be like beating our heads against a brick wall.
The zealots of any religion will make tolerance and understanding impossible.

What you're asking is for legislation of attitudes.

Answer 10

By teaching about, and promulgating the positive things in each religion and religious culture...especially the ones we know little about, or fear. For instance,

* Jewish people or Muslims are hardworking (rather than stingy or fundamentalist).

* Hindus are very colourful

* Sikhs are very honourable

* Buddhists are very peaceful

* Christians are very helpful and generous (rather than invaders of Muslim nations).

Change the superficial soundbites, and changes to deeper religious prejudices will soon follow.

Answer 11

We must all agree that whilst we have our different beliefs and understanding of books such as the Bible and the Koran and our faith tells us we are right , this is no reason to yell at one another or worse to fight one another. The God of the Bible tells us to live in peace one with another, surely this is the command of all our Gods.