If there is one thing that gets me
livid it is intolerance. Especially religious intolerance. For some unknown
reason Facebook for the past couple of weeks is swarming with people declaring their
beliefs on one thing, but then judging other’s for differing beliefs. Religious intolerance (and intolerance in general) hits a soft spot for me. I
hate it. A lot. I have some very personal ties to it, which will not be discussed
here. Or ever on this blog. This post is my rant though. My opinion on why I think
religious intolerance is one of the foulest things to predominate among humans.
I was a nerdy child. (still am ;D )
But my time in elementary school was a nightmare. I was a skinny. I was nerdy.
I was not good at sports. I had more girl friends then guy friends. I was smart. The combo of these traits had me
targeted for bullies faster than I could name the planets of the solar system.
I was bullied. I was different. Skipping all the gory details I eventually
moved schools…only to be bullied by a different set of kids. Did I deserve some
of the bullying…? Maybe. My social skills probably were not that adept. But
still. I was different. And for that small reason I was singled out as being “weird.”
 |
| I kind of look like a rodent of some sort.... |
I do not know if this is what
started my loathing for intolerance, or if it was my passion for other cultures
and mythologies. But from what I can remember it started early. I always have
believed that every religion on this planet has some value. I feel that religion's goal
is to make people good. I may be flawed in this belief. But I don’t care.
Spirituality is a key in the neurological stability of maturity. Whether it is
Jehovah, Elohim, Budda, Jesus, Zeus, Hecate, or Confucius. Each one of these
Gods gave humans the ability to make their lives better.
So what is tolerance? To me
tolerance is accepting. It is respect. It is taking that weird kid. The skinny
one, who likes to read instead of playing basketball. It is taking him…and
being nice. It doesn't mean agreeing on everything that kid does. But it does
mean respecting it. Not verbally attacking him. Not challenging his actions
because they differ from yours. Are we the ones who just make fun of the kid to
get a rise out of him. Or are we the followers who promote it?
To me there is no difference from
this school yard bullying and religious intolerance. There are thousands of
beautiful religions in this world and each of them have something to give to man
kind. What makes us arbitrators of what is good and what is bad? Being a member
of the LDS faith I see this on a regular basis. I served with Elders in Uruguay who
believed that the Catholic Church was the legit Church of the devil. I knew of Elders who rejected any religious idea that was not our own.
I participated in some of this. And it is and will be one of my biggest
regrets of my life. I love my religion and I believe that it is true. But we have some of
the best examples of religious intolerance out there. Both from our active
members, and from ex-members looking back in.
I do not care what you believe. But
do NOT attack or belittle other faiths because you do not understand them or do
not agree with their practices. That is not okay. Religion is meant to edify and
build. Has it done its job? Not all the time. Is it one of the most
hypocritical things out there. Of course. But I believe that is due to the
human interaction. We are not a perfect species. We project our pride and
ambitions into our activities. So HOW is it okay to judge a religion based on
the actions of people? Will religions annoy you? Of course. I have been the
annoyer. I have been spit in my face because I was trying to share what I
believe is the word of God. Is that okay? Yes. Did I spit back because they
didn't believe? Absolutely not.
I do not understand a lot of that
the Jehovah’s Witness believe in. They have some interesting ideologies that I
don’t quite understand. However…they are an incredible force of people. They
strive to make their members better and they promote healthy lifestyles. What
is wrong with that!? Is it human nature to see only the bad and reject the
good? Mormons, Catholics, Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Evangelicals,
Wicca’s….we ALL have CRAZY beliefs. (Mormons have some of the craziest!) But why does that matter!? Why are we so
keen to attack those beliefs we don’t agree with or think are ludicrous?
This leads me to the Facebook
dilemma. I love facebook. I am on it WAY TOO MUCH. I think it is a great tool
to meet people, plan events, and catch up with people who you do not see
everyday. But it is also a vicious tool. People can post whatever the hell they
think is important without realizing the damage it can cause. Or making a spectacle of thier public journal. They hide behind
their computer screen and attack beliefs that are dear to others. They don’t
know if their words hurt. They cant see the pain they cause. But they sure as
hell like causing it. All for the sake of inflating what they already believe.
I have seen more crap (trying to be
decent…) from people who claim that they are now self sufficient in their
spirituality and don’t need religion. From agnostic to atheist. I really do not
care. But just
because you do not believe. DOES NOT mean you can belittle the rest of us just
because we believe in a different God than you do. Keep it to yourself. What
happened to “if you cant say anything nice…don’t say anything at all?”
Apparently that saying does not apply in the realm of social media.
J.K. Rowing wrote 7 incredible
books about the dangers of intolerance. Dumbledore was gay. Hermione was a
mud-blood. Harry a pure-blood. Ron a traitor. Yet each one of them symbolizes
that it simply does not matter. Why does it matter when religion is involved?
Would we think Hermione any less of a literary heroine if we found out she was Catholic?
Or if Snape was a Buddhist? Would their symbolism change? People are people. They
have different beliefs. Those beliefs can be crazy. Why do we care? She said it the best in this incredible quote that has molded my opinion on this matter.
Will this little rant change anything.
Probably not. I will still read blasphemy on Facebook. That wont change. But if
you do read this. Please think about it. Are we so willing to criticize instead
of finding truth and goodness in what we don’t agree with? Do we post things that
we may not find offensive on our walls, but could hurt someone else? Or are we forced
to just block people. People who I admire and think are wonderful people. Friends,
relatives, colleagues, and family. People who have a lot of respect in my eye. Yet
lose it the moment they comment on my or any religion in a negative way.
To end. I am sorry for the rant. But
I am not sorry for my words. I will defend religious tolerance till I die. It means
so much to me. The world would be a better place if we could all just respect each
others beliefs. Will this ever happen. Doubt it. But I can sure as hell try to do
my part. And I will. Also the next time you want to say something on Facebook…remember
there are three things we shouldn't talk about at the dinner table. Sex, politics,
and religion. Maybe the dinner table is not the only place to do that at….. ;) just
saying.
Thanks for reading. This is stuff from
my soul.
“It's
an universal law-- intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An
ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound
education breeds humility.”
― Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn
“If
man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential
differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in
ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life's exciting variety, not
something to fear.”
― Gene
Roddenberry
“The
Potter books in general are a prolonged argument for tolerance, a prolonged
plea for an end to bigotry. And I think it's one of the reasons that some
people don't like the books, but I think that's it's a very healthy message to
pass on to younger people that you should question authority and you should not
assume that the establishment or the press tells you all of the truth.”
― J.K.
Rowling
