athanasius
Well-Known Member
Tolerance and religious indifference; The Christian View!
I thought this would fun to kick around.!
A great Catholic writer named G.k. Chesterton(Friends with C.S. Lewis) once made a profound true statement that went like this: "Tolerance is a virtue for a man without conviction". How true this is on both a moral and theological level for Christians. Even in the early stage of the 20th century Chesterton had already detected this kind of "False tolerance" being lived and taught. Today is no different. Our society likes to confuse true tolerance with religious indifference. Whats the differences. Tolerance is described by dictionaries as "The ability or capacity to endure". Society today teaches us that we need to be "tolerant" of other's religions and morals. In the true respect of the word tolerance we are. Generally speaking(Although there are some whacko's) we are able to live in a country were there are different religions and we do not kill each other over them. Most of the time we do not even care what religion they are. And many of us are good friends with people who do not hold to our own beliefs. This is true tolerance.
However, what we here preached in our public schools, universities and on our tv"s is religious indifference disguised as "Supposed Tolerance". This type of false tolerance teaches that all religions are the same, they all lead to the same path, and all religions are equally as good and true as others. This is a false premise that must be rejected by logic, religious experience, and the New testament. To begin with the idea that one religion is just as good as the other is absurd. For example. If you compare the Buddhist religion and its principles to that of the Satanic Church there is no comparison. The peaceful doctrines of Buddhism are far more moral and teach alot more truth than the satanic church who instigates things like the the sacrifices of new born babies and desecration of Holy Mass(Black Mass).
The same is true for all religions. One cannot make the statement that all religions lead to the same path. Many people for example coming out of the new age religions, cults, and even forms of eastern mediations(such as transcendental meditation) have experienced a supernatural scare of the hellish sorts. These people have seen demons and have made plain that the practices of their religions were leading them to hell. We have also seen alot of people who use ouija boards and practice witchcraft, various forms of paganism(even the supposed white magic) and Wicca expierence true demonic possession or infestation of houses and often need a exorcism.
That being said not all religions can be right or even equal. Jesus taught that he was the only way to God and apart from him we can do nothing(Jn 15:5; 10:9). Jesus also taught us that if we wish to have eternal life and be with God the father we must eat his real flesh and drink his real blood in Holy Communion(Jn 6:53-58) which is why he gave us the sacrament of his true Body and Blood which we offer at every Holy Mass. Jesus tells us he is the Truth incarnated. Jesus our Lord also tells us that he himself is the resurrection of life(Jn 11:25) tells us that if we wish to have eternal life we must believe in him(Jn 3:16).
On this level we must say that either we believe in Jesus, who he was and what his message is about or we do not. To say that Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, etc.. are all the same and lead to the same path and are equal is insane. There may be much truth to many of those religions but none of them contain the fullness of truth that Christ message(the Catholic Faith) contains and those religions and their Gods cannot save you. Only Jesus can. i am not saying that some of these people are going to hell. I cannot judge them and Jesus told me not to judge their souls. But we can and should judge proper teaching or doctrine. God gives us that ability. It is possible that God through his mercy and grace may or may not grant them salvation at the end of their life if through no fault of their own they never had a chance to hear the Gospel of Christ. It is also possible that I myself may not attain eternal salvation if I fall into mortal sin and do not repent before the end of my life.
Either which way all people who enter heaven will only be able to enter by the strict merits of Jesus Christ and his saving sacrifice on the cross and not by Buddha's principles or One of many false Pagan Gods of Hinduism or Wicca etc. If we say that all religions are equal or all lead to the same path then we fool ourselves and need to study these different religions. People cannot just think the Jesus was a nice guy or a good moral teacher if they do not believe in him and follow his teachings and Church. Why? Because Jesus taught that he was God (Jn 20:28, Jn 8:58), the only way to heaven, and he even got himself killed over it (Jn 19:23-30). Now either he is a lunatic and not a good moral teacher amongst others(because no body in their right mind claims that they are God and the only way and get themselves killed over it if they are not ) or he is absolutely correct and he is God and an our only way to heaven. Christians of all persuasion should wholeheartedly believe he is God and the only way to heaven and many many miracles even today prove it.
This also shows us that if he is correct then the other religions cannot be equal because they do not contain the fullness of truth that Jesus teaches. They may have some truth to them but not the full truth and we Christians want the full truth. And Jesus wants us to have the full truth and that is why he commanded his Apostles and church to go out and teach and baptize all nations(Matt 28:19-20).
So let us be tolerant to others but let us also take a moral and theological stand on truth. I cannot kill, persecute, or judge the soul of another person for having a different faith. I can love them and pray for them to come to the fullness of truth. I can be there friend and share things with them like the gospel. I can be a good neighbor. But when we discuss religions I cannot lie and say that everyones religion is just as good as mine. Especially not if God himself founded and died for mine.We cannot mistake religious indifference for tolerance.
Just my thoughts. I am not debating here! I welcome comments. especially from other good Christians.! God bless you all!
In Jesus through Mary,
Chris
I thought this would fun to kick around.!
A great Catholic writer named G.k. Chesterton(Friends with C.S. Lewis) once made a profound true statement that went like this: "Tolerance is a virtue for a man without conviction". How true this is on both a moral and theological level for Christians. Even in the early stage of the 20th century Chesterton had already detected this kind of "False tolerance" being lived and taught. Today is no different. Our society likes to confuse true tolerance with religious indifference. Whats the differences. Tolerance is described by dictionaries as "The ability or capacity to endure". Society today teaches us that we need to be "tolerant" of other's religions and morals. In the true respect of the word tolerance we are. Generally speaking(Although there are some whacko's) we are able to live in a country were there are different religions and we do not kill each other over them. Most of the time we do not even care what religion they are. And many of us are good friends with people who do not hold to our own beliefs. This is true tolerance.
However, what we here preached in our public schools, universities and on our tv"s is religious indifference disguised as "Supposed Tolerance". This type of false tolerance teaches that all religions are the same, they all lead to the same path, and all religions are equally as good and true as others. This is a false premise that must be rejected by logic, religious experience, and the New testament. To begin with the idea that one religion is just as good as the other is absurd. For example. If you compare the Buddhist religion and its principles to that of the Satanic Church there is no comparison. The peaceful doctrines of Buddhism are far more moral and teach alot more truth than the satanic church who instigates things like the the sacrifices of new born babies and desecration of Holy Mass(Black Mass).
The same is true for all religions. One cannot make the statement that all religions lead to the same path. Many people for example coming out of the new age religions, cults, and even forms of eastern mediations(such as transcendental meditation) have experienced a supernatural scare of the hellish sorts. These people have seen demons and have made plain that the practices of their religions were leading them to hell. We have also seen alot of people who use ouija boards and practice witchcraft, various forms of paganism(even the supposed white magic) and Wicca expierence true demonic possession or infestation of houses and often need a exorcism.
That being said not all religions can be right or even equal. Jesus taught that he was the only way to God and apart from him we can do nothing(Jn 15:5; 10:9). Jesus also taught us that if we wish to have eternal life and be with God the father we must eat his real flesh and drink his real blood in Holy Communion(Jn 6:53-58) which is why he gave us the sacrament of his true Body and Blood which we offer at every Holy Mass. Jesus tells us he is the Truth incarnated. Jesus our Lord also tells us that he himself is the resurrection of life(Jn 11:25) tells us that if we wish to have eternal life we must believe in him(Jn 3:16).
On this level we must say that either we believe in Jesus, who he was and what his message is about or we do not. To say that Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, etc.. are all the same and lead to the same path and are equal is insane. There may be much truth to many of those religions but none of them contain the fullness of truth that Christ message(the Catholic Faith) contains and those religions and their Gods cannot save you. Only Jesus can. i am not saying that some of these people are going to hell. I cannot judge them and Jesus told me not to judge their souls. But we can and should judge proper teaching or doctrine. God gives us that ability. It is possible that God through his mercy and grace may or may not grant them salvation at the end of their life if through no fault of their own they never had a chance to hear the Gospel of Christ. It is also possible that I myself may not attain eternal salvation if I fall into mortal sin and do not repent before the end of my life.
Either which way all people who enter heaven will only be able to enter by the strict merits of Jesus Christ and his saving sacrifice on the cross and not by Buddha's principles or One of many false Pagan Gods of Hinduism or Wicca etc. If we say that all religions are equal or all lead to the same path then we fool ourselves and need to study these different religions. People cannot just think the Jesus was a nice guy or a good moral teacher if they do not believe in him and follow his teachings and Church. Why? Because Jesus taught that he was God (Jn 20:28, Jn 8:58), the only way to heaven, and he even got himself killed over it (Jn 19:23-30). Now either he is a lunatic and not a good moral teacher amongst others(because no body in their right mind claims that they are God and the only way and get themselves killed over it if they are not ) or he is absolutely correct and he is God and an our only way to heaven. Christians of all persuasion should wholeheartedly believe he is God and the only way to heaven and many many miracles even today prove it.
This also shows us that if he is correct then the other religions cannot be equal because they do not contain the fullness of truth that Jesus teaches. They may have some truth to them but not the full truth and we Christians want the full truth. And Jesus wants us to have the full truth and that is why he commanded his Apostles and church to go out and teach and baptize all nations(Matt 28:19-20).
So let us be tolerant to others but let us also take a moral and theological stand on truth. I cannot kill, persecute, or judge the soul of another person for having a different faith. I can love them and pray for them to come to the fullness of truth. I can be there friend and share things with them like the gospel. I can be a good neighbor. But when we discuss religions I cannot lie and say that everyones religion is just as good as mine. Especially not if God himself founded and died for mine.We cannot mistake religious indifference for tolerance.
Just my thoughts. I am not debating here! I welcome comments. especially from other good Christians.! God bless you all!
In Jesus through Mary,
Chris
and I will do my best to point them to the way of life.