Hypocrites: Are you or are you not?

Question

I wouldn't normally ask this kind of question, because I can already second-guess half of the answers it's going to get.
But let's face facts here, shall we?

I focus on Christianity and Paganism (generalised, not being specific to either) when I ask this question. Your faiths are generally meant to be accepting of other faiths. Why is it then, that some of us (in both faiths! I'm not just bashing one) feel like we must argue with the other?

It would seem to me that some people fail to realise tolerant does NOT mean "You must accept what they believe and believe it too" nor does it mean "You can argue with them about how wrong you think their faith is because your faith is older/better/more popular". Tolerant means that we should accept that people will believe what they believe, and we have no right to say their believes are wrong. You have NO WAY to justify such an argument. If you do argue like this, you are a hypocrit. I dare you to say that you are otherwise.

Oh, a small addition. To those of you who think I'm accusing others while not myself, I would like to say otherwise.
I am a hypocrite, I won't try and deny it. So please, don't take this as an attack on you personally, etc. etc.

Oh, and at no one point did I accuse the entire religion of being so hypocritical. I know full well that some people of both religions are fully accepting of the other, you'll note I never said they weren't.

Answer 1

I've NEVER heard Pagans say anything of the like

Answer 2

I think it is wrong for one to assume that you can not and should not apply reason, philosophy, analysis, and comparison when questioning the validity of a belief. Somewhere in the equation, we should be looking for truth.

If someone get's excited about the number 23, like they did a few months ago, and gives a list of all these people who were born on the 23rd day - and I say that by probability about one out of every 30 humans is born on the 23rd, so it's no big deal - haven't I just spoken fact.

If someone says they are into astrology and I raise the question of why identical twins or triplets can have very different lives, and they can't answer it - then why am I wrong?

If someone believes in reincarnation and I say well there are 6 billion people alive today, so that's 6 billion souls, and where were the vast majority of these souls when the human population was only say 100,000.... and that for some of these souls it's their first time ,while you claim multiple use - then I'm simply arguing from mathematics.

If you ask enough questions that can not be satisfactorily answered then you have the right to question the doctrinal validity of a religion or philosophy.

Answer 3

I totally agree with this. Anyone can believe whatever they want to believe, but just because someone else doesn't believe the same thing doesn't make them wrong or bad in anyway. STOP all the arguing, just accept people are different!!!

Answer 4

I agree with you. However, you have to understand that Born Again Pagans can be so very enthusiastic about their new paths as to be a tad overbearing - this I know because I WAS this way myself!

But now I just let live. I can only answer for myself, not for anyone else.

Answer 5

I wasn't put on this planet to make friends nor do I need any,I choose to have certain friends because I like them and all their frailties and contradictions,I love to argue and go toe to toe with someone and I do not follow nu age paganism which is a pale imitation of our pasts...I have patience galore but alas no tolerance whatsoever plus being a Yorkshireman "I say what I like and I like what I bloody well say" an old yorkshire phrase for you ...peace

Answer 6

Toleration does NOT mean that you can't have an opinion! Quite the opposite, toleration is about how you treat beliefs that you DO disagree with. (you don't need to tolerate the beliefs you agree with, right?) We are allowed to think people are wrong, and we are allowed to say we think people are wrong. (although depending how you say it, it could be rude) Tolerance is about letting people freely hold those "wrong" beliefs.

Answer 7

I am tolerant of anyone after I am able to share my faith with them. If they tell me they don't want to hear it again, I shut up and let them live the way they choose. Someone else will share it later, and so on. Christians are actually told not to share their faith more than three times to any one person. I have many unsaved friends. Gay, atheists, wicca, whatever. I am supposed to do my best to save them. Once I tell them about Jesus, I let Him take over. It's all pre-ordained. Oh, and yes, I am a hypocrite. I try not to be but I confess.

Answer 8

I agree with you.

But when I was a Christian I would have argued that by being intolerant of your religion, I was showing you love, because I wanted you to avoid eternal torture at the hands of my loving God.

Sounds crazy, but that is exactly what I believed.

Answer 9

I completely disagree. You have EVERY right to tell someone their beliefs are wrong. Whether they are actually wrong or not. It's the right of freedom of speech. You get to do that, remember? Your very question is telling someone their own behavior (read:beliefs) is wrong. So relax. If someone disagrees with you, let them.

Answer 10

We shouldn't tolerate bigotry.


Nazis were intolerant of jews and gays.

Should we not be critical of Christians or Muslims or whoever who do that too, because of their 'beliefs'??

I'm more worried about being beaten for being gay than I am of being called a hypocrite, for good reason.