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Religions Tolerance Religions-Tolerance
Love-Missionary Work
Religion is the relation of a person with God, with a code of ethics governing personal and social conduct, and a doctrine and goal for life on earth and the after death… religion is universal, man is a religious animal: Every person, sooner or later, asks the questions, who am I?, where do I come from?, where do I go to?… Religion is unique, only for men and women, not for animals, and for each man and woman of any color, raze, civilization and culture of all ages…There is evidence of religion since the earliest beginnings of the known humankind, altars, cemeteries,… and there is not any evidence of religion in animals, not even in monkeys, never a monkey ever built an altar nor a cemetery… Religious tolerance is a civil rights matter. It means to accept the rights of others to follow freely their own religious beliefs and practices, even though they seem false to you. And not only to accept, to tolerate, but to respect, help and love any person, no matter what religion he practices. Any kind of discrimination or intolerance, bigotry, favoritism, hatred, prejudice, unfairness, based on religious believes is an insult to God and to humankind. Any kind of killing or war based on religious believes is a sacrilege, because each person is a sacred child of God... and if any so called Holy Scripture supports war or killings, it may not be a Holy Scripture but a very Unholy One. Honestly, if your parents are Christians, most probably you are a Christian right now. But if your parents would have been Jews or Muslims or Hindus, or Buddhists, most probably right now you would be a Jew or a Muslim or a Hindu or a Buddhist… and that would be the very best for you as far as God is concerned, so I should tolerate and appreciate your religious views and practices at least as much as God does…. even if I believe they are absolutely wrong!… God knows best!. Every race and every person in the world is a beautiful flower created by God. All are beautiful. As children of the Creator they must all be respected and loved. But still more: The same God who made the hands of a Christian, made the feet of a Jew, and the eyes of a Muslim, and the heart of a Hindu, and the brain of a Buddhist… we are all brothers in God, created exactly by the same Father… no one man in the world can even make one of your hairs!… it was that omnipotent person who we call God, the one who planned and made your eyes and feet and each one of your hairs… So, we have to love each other as brothers in God the Creator, you and I, a Jew and a Muslim, are more brothers in God than two persons born from the same mother are brothers: Because any mother can't make the eyes or feet of her son, God is the one who makes them!… we are indeed deeply rooted brothers in God, all of us, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists… Of course, the name "God" is different in every language: God, Dios, Dieu, Dio, Gott, Yahweh, Allah, Brahman… but he is the same guy!. He who has prejudice, or intolerance, or discrimination, or oppression, or hate, is a very bad religious person, even if he is a pastor or a rabbi or a nun or any kind of religions leader… and even then, he is the most refined hypocrite, abhorred by God Himself!. We have to love each other, my brother!… and of course, the first fruits of real love are tolerance, respect, forgiveness, reverence, help, understanding, affection… any person of any other religion is nothing less than a most lovely creature of God, your own sweet brother in God, your Father!. This solution, tolerance, respect, love, must start with the peace of mind and heart of each one of us... it is an individual solution... you... I... The Missionary Work may look intolerance, but it is not... it is the highest pick of love. To live in "error" in religion is to have "a cancer in the heart"... it can ruin the life on earth, and the eternal life after death... and the "Greatest Love" for a neighbor is to try to eradicate that error from his or her heart, even if it hurts... and our main weapon to do it is true love. I am a Medical Doctor, and when I see a patient with cancer, I love the patient but I hate his cancer, and I try my best to eradicate it from him, even if it hurts... injections and surgery hurt!... and I "respect" the patient, even if what I do to him may hurt!... he wants it!... he pays me for it!. Yes, my brother, you can love the person, even if you think his religion is wrong, a bad cancer for the soul.. Religious tolerance is not religious indifference. Tolerance means to value the right of another person to hold beliefs that you think are wrong. A huge barrier in Religion is to think "I am right", it is the old trick of Satan of Gen.3:5... but the fact is that none of us is "infallible" in our beliefs... you and I can be wrong!. If you feel I may be wrong in Religion, please help me, try to eradicate my error, even if it hurts... it is the best expression of your love for me... it is the "Greatest Love"... with respect, but with firmness and dedication... and often the best path to do it is simple with true love and respect and forgiveness... ... If I feel you may be wrong, it is my duty to try to eradicate it from you, it is the best expression of my love for you, even if you hate me for that!. God respects us, he loves us the way we are, but he loves us too much to leave us that way... and He tries to change us it in three ways: 1- He "whispers" to our ears giving us the
sun and air and flowers, and mountains and rivers, with each drop of water
having 10,000 billions of Hydrogen atoms, able to produce 10,000 billions of
Hydrogen atomic bombs.... but we don't listen!... The "missionary work" is the Greatest Love for your family or your neighbors... it is the most you can do for your wife or children, or for your friends or enemies... it is the "Greatest Love" to heal the soul, the heart, or even to give it a new life. As a result of the above, religions criticism is hard surgery, very painful, but necessary and an expression of the highest love. Always love and respect the person, but hate his cancer, and fight to eradicate his error in religion, and even fight the bad social repercussions of any individual or religious group. Errors in Religion:
Legitimate criticism of harmful religious practices: We have to criticize a person or religious group who recommends, teaches, or advocates discrimination in employment on the basis of religion, disability, gender, marital status, nationality, race, sexual orientation, etc… or who hates entire groups of people on the same basis… or he who advocates abortion, euthanasia, genocide… we have to criticize then... and yes!, we have to fight their wrong attitudes!... and this is not religious intolerance, but a most difficult and practical love. It may help what Martin Niemoller said: "In Germany, the Nazis first came for the Communists, and I did not speak up, for I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak up, for I was not a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak up, for I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak up, for I was a Protestant. And then they came for me, and by that time, no one was left to speak up." All attempts of Ecumenism are worthy. Even some kind of Federation of Religions could be great, where members of all religions dialogue on these issues, and recommend individual and social actions and reforms that can be accomplished by members of different religions working together. See Ecumenism One World Religion But most important is that you and I start to be tolerant, love the members of any other religion… the tiny light of a candle won't be blown out by the deepest and greatest darkness. Religions Greatness and Sins... Family: Religion is a unique force in society. It motivates individuals to do both good and evil. Historically, it has promoted an end to slavery, racial integration, equal rights for men and women. It has motivated individuals to create massive support services for the poor, the sick, the hurting, and the broken. Conversely, it has been used to justify slavery, racial segregation, oppression of women, discrimination, genocide... Religion has the capability to generate unselfish love in some people, and vicious hatred in others. Religion is the deepest force of humanity, it is love, love to God and to his creatures, most specially love to our brother neighbors created all of them by the same God… it has been the greatest asset of humankind since the beginning, it is now still the greatest source of individual joy and of social justice and advancement… but often religion has misguided humanity, teaching humankind to be irreligious in the name of religion… and it's got to change!... yes, tolerance and respect and love to the person, but not indifference. Religions have committed the greatest sins in the name of religion, in the name of God… most religions!… including mass murders of innocent children, men and woman… and this is got to stop! Look even today at the many civil disturbances and wars around the world which are at least partly caused by religious intolerance: Middle East, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Kosovo, East Timor, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tibet, Philippines, African Tribes, China religious intolerance, American prejudices… … And it is not only Religion against Religion, but also it is the reason or excuse for hate and oppression and even murder between the members of the same Religion: Christians against Christians, Jews against Jews, Muslims against Muslims, Hindus against Hindus, Buddhist against Buddhists… This problem is not limited to Religions, but it is also a problem in the family, at home!: The family is a great institution, but there are often catastrophic problems between the husband, wife, and children, that lead to separations, divorce, run-away children... So, the solution we propose, tolerance, respect, love, applies also to the heart of the family, and it must start with the peace of mind and heart of each one... it is an individual solution... you... I... See Peace Process- Israel, Palestine, Ireland, Yugoslavia...
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