Serious respectful followup to bettierage's question on Yahoo Answers Religion and Spiritiuality Category?

Question

Do you believe, as I do, that in the course of a life of a human being, they will have expiriences, revelations, educations, and after the time they have spent in prayer or meditation that they will, as mature adults, have a belief that will result in them being either religious theists, or atheists - spiritual or non-spiritual, or agnostics, and that, most importantly,

its ok for us all to be of a diverse religious ideology, based on our diverse expiriences, revelations, and educations?

We can't all be some guy named Sean in Chicago who has a wife and son and is an atheist . . . some of us are Teds or Bills or Stacys or Mary Annes and some are agnostics in Phoenix and others are Christians in San Antonio and some are Muslims in Dearborn,

but can we work towards the progress of the human race, and march together for this goal?

Answer 1

I think we can, and I think most parts of our society are progressing**. This American melting pot requires tolerance in many forms to function.

The one thing to be intolerant of is those who endanger the rights of others.


** some well intentioned entitlement programs actually promote "regression" and cause us to pruposley violate Darwin's Law of natural selection, allowing even encouraging the continuation of the less fit members of society.

Just thought to someone calling himself darwin this violation might be an thought.

Answer 2

I would like to think that we can and that most of us are willing to allow that we are going to be different but we can still live in harmony. The main problem I have with religion is when it becomes exclusive and intolerant of out groups. When you have groups like this it makes working toward world peace and harmony very difficult. I am an atheist. It doesn't bother me that many people are religious. It bothers me when they want everyone else to accept their personal beliefs and are judgmental and intolerant of those that do not. I am discouraged at times by the rhetoric I see on tv and the intolerance I see on yahoo. I am encouraged every Thursday when I volunteer along side religious people as an atheist and we are able to come together to make a difference in our community. It only works though if I don't expect them to change for me and they don't push their beliefs on me either. There are too many people I think right now who feel making the world a better place requires everyone subscribing to their particular beliefs. There are compromises that need to be made and acceptance of differences if we are to have peace with one another.

Answer 3

If people could stop loving that which is similar to them and start loving that which is different, we could.

I can always sit and criticise people, but I will do so with a civil tongue, adressing the thought pattern rather than the person.

When I make a mistake, my friends will warn me.

When I make an error of judgement, even the people who dont like me will warn me politely.

That is the way to live.

We might be seperate in our thoughts, but were all humans with the same rights infront of God.

Answer 4

A diverse religious ideology functionsmuch like biodiversity- each bit can help understand the universe in such a way that if one bit dies out, people are never without the things they need (if anything) from religion.

Answer 5

There was a guy about two thousand years who taught this way. The authorities nailed him to a cross and buried his dead body.

But - you can't keep a good man down - He lives today.

And He'd roll over in His grave (if He was still there) to see what His purported followers have done in His name.

Jesus was the ultimate in anti-religion.

Answer 6

Yup, we can march, but there will always be those who are going limp and getting in the way.

Answer 7

That's pretty much the humanist philosophy in a pretty lil' nutshell.

Answer 8

Go Sean! Good stuff man.

Answer 9

Onward Christian Soldiers!