William+Marsh



Introduction: I have always wondered how religions as a whole handled religious tolerance. I know that there will always be devout followers who disagree and argue with all other beliefs for the sake of arguing, but I would like to know if they are being a good religious follower or simply a bigot. I think it would be interesting to see how religious tolerance has evolved as civilization has evolved. __//Christianity//__  "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification."  -Romans 14:19, from the New International Version of the Christian New Testament I believe that the New International Version of the Christian New Testament is saying that religions need to band together because religions cause a lot of drama in the world and occasionally even cause wars. Regrettably, even if it is spoken as such in the bible, many do not follow it despite calling themselves devout Christians. It would seem that the new testament is more interested in religious tolerance than the old one.  "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."  -Judaism and Christianity. //Isaiah, 5.20  **Analysis **: I think that this passage is talking about how different religions often have different views on certain topics and that it is saying that the conflicts over these different beliefs and views are creating unnecessary turmoil. I think that interpretation is a very touchy subject, particularly in religion in which a single religion can be split based on interpretation such as the Sunni and the Shiite. Interpretation is an incredibly difficult subject to tackle because all religions are based upon beliefs and the interpretation of their respective sacred text, which make up their beliefs. //  __//Judaism//__ Psalms 106:35-38:  " // But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils... // "  -Hebrew bible Obviously this passage is very different from the passage before it. This passage is speaking about how they view other religions Gods and Goddesses as devils. Not believing someone's religion is perfectly accepted for the most part, but to go so far as to call another religion devil worshippers is to disgrace someone's beliefs and virtues. To coexist religiously, people need to accept that there will always be people with beliefs that vary; even in the scientific world, there are theories that some call preposterous and others swear by them.
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Leviticus 17:7-9: " <span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms',arial,helvetica; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">// And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils...Whatsoever man...that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people. // <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">" <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"> -Hebrew bible This passage speaks of how any who visit the Jewish community will not be granted religious freedom and are forbidden from practicing their own religion. It seems that while the more modern religions focus on coming together and accepting each other, most religions seem to have begun as bigots. __//Buddhism//__ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"> "As Buddhists, while we practice our own teaching, we must respect other faiths, Christianity, Judaism and so forth. We must recognize and appreciate their contributions over many past centuries to human society, and at this time we must strive to make common effort to serve humankind." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"> -Dahli Lama The Dahli Lama is obviously very interested in coexisting with other religions, and I think that he is doing an excellent job by leading by example. Unfortunately, because of Buddha's beliefs, many disagree with him and his followers, and cannot accept any part of them.
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Conclusion: It seems that while the more modern religions focus on coming together and accepting each other, most religions seem to have begun as bigots. I believe Buddhism is one of the few religions based around tolerance. I think that some religions are almost empowering people into a sense of self-righteousness. It's almost as if, by saying that they will cooperate, people push responsibility for religious turmoil off of themselves and end up blaming others, only to make matters worse. I think that the world as a whole has come to the realization that they could not wipe out an entire set of beliefs, as hard as they may try. Some may not want to believe this realization, but I certainly do. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 26px;">

Work cited: <span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'times new roman',times,fantasy; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: normal;">Lama, Dahli. "Dahli Lama quotes." (2007): n. pag. Web. 28 Oct 2009. <http://www.dahlilamaquotesdaily.com/sayings/as-buddhists-we-must-respect-other-faiths>