Dharminator, tolerance is NOT tacit approval at all. Tolerance is being willing to accept that the other person has his/her own reasons for believing what they believe and even though you disagree with that person’s beliefs you acknowledge that they DO have the right to believe in what they do.

As for the firey sword and the flood people, YOU only PROVE the point of the question by your statements. Jesus smiting everyone with a fiery sword does NOT prove that he is correct. It only proves that he has a sword and can kill whoever he wishes. Now Jesus going around loving people and laying down his life out of love for them IS proof that he loves people. A Majorly BIG difference there, don’t you think?

That’s been the problem all along. There are those among you who feel that MIGHT makes right. It does not. Example makes right. One doesn’t obtain converts by attacking those one wishes to convert. One makes converts by being loving towards those whom one wishes to convert. So far, I see very little of that from the "Smite and Fight" crowd.

Brightest Blessings,
Raji the Green Witch
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I think the problem is that some people just don’t seem to have a natural respect and empathy for others. Instead, they take the easy road (well easier initially but actually adopting a respectful stance makes life easier in the long run) and demonise the oposition in order to make it ok to dismiss them offhand.

Some atheists do this by making disparaging remarks about intellect etc. neglecting to recognise that human perception is far from being influenced only by logic and therefore it is no sign of weakness to be consumed by cultural biases.

Some theists do this by dismissing atheists as amoral (Christians may be interested to know that this goes against the teachings of Paul, incidently.) against all evidence.

Now there probably IS one right answer if you really boiled it down and each of us like to think we’re close to it. However, some of us are tolerant of others and not only that, INTERESTED in others and their ideas and perspectives. Hopefully we can even recognise that OUR own perspective is not necessarily 100% correct or even close!

With this attitude there is no battle even though there is discussion and debate and I think you’ve made it clear that it is only the battle you are uncomfortable with. I can tell you that I would never personally make a choice to instigate a battle of any kind. Aggression is never warranted unless as a defense of last resort against aggression already instigated by others. It’s easy to see that if everyone felt as sickened by the concept as you or I, NO ONE would ever begin a battle and thereafter there would never be any justification in it.

Unfortunately people DO begin battles. On R&S it’s generally more or less harmless but saddening all the same. I can’t count the times I’ve read someone dismissing others as evil or ignorant or worse and just turned away from it because it’s so… pointless. (

In the "real" world, discrimination and bigotry and bullying and derisive remarks are all around us and I just want to point out that at some stage somewhere, someone made a choice to allow themselves to cross the line of respect, compassion or tolerance and this just begins a chain reaction. Like you, I would call on everyone to prioritise NOT crossing this line and eventually maybe we’d get somewhere very beautiful indeed. Am I an idealist? Sure. But is it impossible? Well there’s always a little hope and it’s that very hope that makes the world at least approach the ideal.
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The disciples were (and by extension we are) told to go out and preach that gospel and we are also told that if we don’t preach that truth we are guilty of their ignorance of that truth.
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Galatians 1
8. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9. As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

I think from what I have observed here on R & S, the disagreement between believers and those who do not believe comes not just from a point of view, but from disrespect of the other person as an individual. It is much like society in general even when not religion related. People just don’t seem to care about other people….regardless of what they sometimes say. I’m not really sure what lies behind this situation. Not having respect for other people seems to be becoming more and more prevalent here in the U.S., and not always just from people who do not believe in God.
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That force, up until now (thanks for the info.), was me.

Think of it like this;

Religion – Atheism x Balance = Co-ordinated progress.

Right now it’s;

Religion – Atheism = One big crazy mess.
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