Do we have a responsibility to be tolerant of intolerant religions?

Question

It is someone's right to believe that their religion is the only way, even if I don't agree with them. But I must admit that the most difficult religions to tolerate are those which preach exclusivism, self-superiority, and intolerance of other faiths. But should we not tolerate these as well?

Does tolerance of religions necessitate toleration of even intolerant doctrines in faiths?

Answer 1

Your responsibility is to yourself.
Tolerance is a choice.
You can choose to tolerate them and their views. You can accept that everyone has a right to their own views as well as the rights to share them with others and, even offend others with them.
Or...
You can let their intolerance, fear, hatred, and/or anger define you because you refuse to accept their rights to their beliefs.

You don't need to agree with another person in order to tolerate their views. All it means is that you accept that these are their views and acknowledge their rights to them. You can even tolerate and influence change. Tolerance merely allows you to start from a point of understanding and acceptance rather than anger and stubbornness.

Answer 2

To be a good example in my religion I must not be moved to anger against the acts of others. (I am not a good example, so I teach my son to try hard and be better than I am. We have long talks.)

"Do we have a responsibility to be tolerant of intolerant religions?" - I do as I am an adult and a father, and want my son to understand his faith against others that he will come in contact (conversation) with. My son may be excused, if rash, by his age.
I will not be bullied into being quiet or scared just to be politically correct and let another religion walk over/hurt people.
A religion that preaches exclusivism, self-superiority, and intolerance of other faiths historically is secretive and once found out and placed in the light of the media declines in infecting the community.

Answer 3

Simply put, no. The implication of a intolerant religion is that they will in some way infringe upon the rights of other religions. In so doing they should lose whatever protections they are afforded as a religious institution. As a practical matter the greater the infringement the greater the cost. If their infringement is verbal they should expect similar treatment. If the infringement is violent, then the truce effected by a tolerant means of government is essentially breached.

Answer 4

We don't HAVE to be tolerant. I just think that most of the time it's a good thing.

But sometimes there are people out there whose views are so far from mine I can't see any common ground.

So I remember that a religion is only part (although admittedly, at times a big part) of who a person is. And I give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that there has to be something good about them, however deeply hidden.

Though that doesn't mean I am inclined to spend any more time with them than I absolutely have to.
.

Answer 5

It is the right of the guy on the corner to believe that Ice Cream Cones are taking over the planet.
But that is no reason that a group of his fellow believers should be allowed to run the government and demand everybody else become believers too.
There is a point to tolerance. When your freedoms start to mess with mine we have a problem.

Answer 6

i individually stay in a rustic (and a suburb) the place I adventure extra on an regularly occurring basis interplay with Muslims than with Christians. no longer too many Fundies in Australia see, yet there are extremely some refugees and immigrants from the Islamic international. And yet, no Muslim guy or woman has ever knocked on my door at an uncivilisedly early hour on the weekend and tried to tell me i will hell till I mend my techniques. This in spite of if I stay under 0.5 a kilometre far off from a mosque and 2 kilometres far off from a Prayer residing house. I certainly have a Hindu Temple close to me and Buddhist one. and that i do have faith the female up the line is a Satanist. yet none of those human beings are attempting to transform me. that's nonetheless flippantly divided between the JW's around the nook and the Pentecostals up the line...the two considered one of whom stubbornly refuse to admire my repeated requests for them to close the f*ck up and pi$$ the f*ck off. I leave on my own people who do an identical for me.

Answer 7

I see no reason to tolerate religions that teach hatred or bigotry. But I find it hard to pin my own intolerance on an individual.

Answer 8

Tolerence is a civic virture, not necessarilly a personal one. You should not be personally tolerent of that wich your find abhorant. That doens't mean that you don't have to legally tolerate them. As in "I disagree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it."
Those asses should be able to say whatever they want and you should protect them in law, at the same time you should shun them privatly.

Answer 9

We can still be tolerant of that religion, but encourage them to be tolerant themselves. The best teachings are through example.

Answer 10

Personally, as long as they don't shove their's down my throat and respect me, I can do the same. My mother is a Catholic and religion isn't an issue for us at all. I'm still her daughter, she's still my mother, and she actually thinks my hijabs are beautiful. She's even helped me pick a few out at the local masjid. I think as long as they don't force it on us, it's fine. They can think whatever they want, as they will, but respect is the most important aspect of it.