Religious tolerance is a concept that has been discussed quite a bit over the past decade or so, largely due to the tragedy we have come to call 9/11. Religious tolerance, by and large, is a lofty goal, but I think religious tolerance is not a high enough ideal. Here’s why…
Synonyms for tolerance — open-mindedness, forbearance, patience, and charity — carry an implicit sense of “putting up with.” That stance seems to say, “My faith’s better than your faith.” When we take that posture we are naïve at best, if not pompous and presumptuous.
To be fair, many are kind and caring in their evangelical zeal, but a viewpoint that claims the answer for every person and for all time possesses a covert religious prejudice. While this bias might be unintentional and subconscious, it still leads to some sort of religious one-upsmanship. (Have you met the Chopras? They’re committed Hindus, bless their hearts.) Sometimes this discrimination is manifested in an overt sense of superiority that goes by the name “judgment.”
None of us really knows for certain whether what we believe and practice in the spiritual realm is true or not. We believe what we believe based on religious documents, teaching and our own experiences, but that belief in and of itself is an act of faith. Even the agnostics or the atheists take a leap of faith to trust what they do.
I wonder what our world would be like were we to strive for respect and reverence for the spiritual paths of others? If we all — myself included — stopped looking at others as misguided, off the mark, or just plain wrong, and started observing with curiosity how others live out their faith, we might discover some remarkable things about God, others, and even ourselves.
Growing up as an evangelical, I was immersed in the need to “spread the Gospel” by seeking to make converts to Christianity. I learned canned approaches to witnessing, and reached out with a caring heart because I thought I had the one and only answer to life’s eternal questions. What I later began to realize was that the way I was reaching out was inauthentic for me and amounted to a hunt for notches on the handle of my sanctified six-shooter. I meant well, but in the process I never acknowledged the possible validity of another’s spiritual path. In not doing so, I showed my disrespect for their beliefs, albeit unintentional.
Christianity claims Jesus as The Answer. Muslims pray to Allah. Jews follow the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Buddhists revere the Buddha. If we all merely tolerate each other, we miss out on some very important aspects of relationships with each other, not to mention the diverse and marvelous spiritual experiences of our fellow humans.
If we respect each person’s journey as authentic for them, we might hold a deeper appreciation for their commitment to faith and how that is played out in their lives and our shared world.
Is God a Christian? A Buddhist? A Jew? A Muslim? God is in all who embrace the higher ideals of love, caring, justice, compassion, and mercy, whatever label they wear.
In the New Testament we find these words: Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world (James 1:27, The Message).
Any religion meeting this standard has some validity and deserves my respect, even if I don’t agree with every point of its theology.
If part of our purpose on this earth is to reach spiritual maturity then we must cease judging others’ faith as inadequate or just plain wrong, and look for how God is working in their hearts and lives.
When we do that we will be free to celebrate the Divine in each and every soul we encounter. Our hearts will be opened to know and take pleasure in our extended family of faith. I cannot help but believe God would be pleased with that. Perhaps the common ground we would find is a part of the truth that Jesus said would set us free.
