Intolerance Towards Tolerance
There are many religious individuals, or even scholars, who condemn religious tolerance – i.e. the acceptance of other religions and cooperation with their adherents – because it is considered to be the acceptance of falsehoods, and those who are propagating false beliefs.
This is especially critical when the beliefs promoted by other religions conflict with one’s own beliefs. That is, how can one assert the belief in a single deity, yet accept to interact with those who believe in multiple deities? How can one build ties with those who deny the prophethood of the one whose religion they follow?
Some of the points to note about religious tolerance are:
- To accept the existence of other religions does not mean that you accept their beliefs to be true, or equally valid to yours
- To interact with others from different faiths does not mean that you approve of all their actions
- Religious tolerance is to respect people’s freedom to think for themselves and choose their beliefs as they see fit, without the use of intimidation or compulsion
- Where people have disagreements about their beliefs or their customs or moral codes, they should be willing to discuss these matters, and to exchange their opinions
- To refuse to interact with others does not help you promote your religion. It is only through dialogue that people can form a better understanding of one another