Latest update: 2006-SEP-12 Federico Mayor, director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, wrote: “Tolerance is the virtue of the person who has conviction.” Writing in the magazine Réforme, Dominican priest Claude Geffré said: “Real tolerance rests on strong conviction.” A person who is comfortable with his own beliefs is quite likely not to feel threatened by the beliefs of others. Just one. Guaranteeing freedom by law clearly does not get to the roots of intolerance. (Jehovah’s Witnesses Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom pg. Islamic scholar Yahya bin Sharaf Ul-Deen An-Nawawi. 19 par. Yet the purpose of the article, the final one in the cover series of that issue, was not to defend the rights of all minority groups. So as sexism. The Witnesses take seriously Jesus’ prophecy that “this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations,” and they are well-known for their public evangelizing ministry. When looking at the underlying causes of the continued spread of intolerance and violence related to religion or belief, our report offers two key findings. Religious Tolerance Jehovah’s Witnesses Are Not Allowed to Forgive Freely. Any that would oppose or offer criticism of their interpretations must be strictly avoided. 10:22,23) Yet why does the Awake article seek to give the impression that witnesses are not engaged in proselytizing? on The Best Way to Fight Religious Intolerance, The Best Way to Fight Religious Intolerance, The Watchtower Society’s Relationship with the UN. Regarding the other religious groups, opinions differed. (The Watchtower October 2019 pgs. An article by Pastor Clarence Patterson condemns the growing influence that We remain biased and think everyone else on this planet who does not agree with us is wrong. Attitudes to faith said to drive negative perceptions more than ethnicity or nationality. 12 par. The difficulty lies in the fact that persons that do not love the truth do not like their beliefs challenged. © This information is directly quoted from an article that appeared in the January 8, 1999 issue of Awake! (Awake January 8, 1999 pg. 6), Watch Tower Society literature says apostates are motivated by vitriolic bitterness and that their writings are poisonous, (wt 7/1/94 pg. conclude that deviant beliefs and practices: For example, Rev. Forty Hadiths" See: (Matthew 22:39) Of course, we realize that most people have their own religious beliefs and that not everyone is interested in our message. In fact, however, it was a blend of historic religious-based anti-Semitism and a new focus on race. However, it suggests that the best way to fight intolerance is to work proactively—to promote tolerance, that is, to educate people to understand others better. Some may feel strongly that the beliefs of another person are very wrong. The Causes of Fundamentalism, Intolerance and Extremism in World Religions, and Some Solutions - 1. The law can guarantee freedom against those who threaten it. The magazine UNESCO Courier suggests that instead of fostering rejection of religious movements, “education for tolerance should aim at countering influences that lead to fear and exclusion of others, and should help young people to develop capacities for independent judgement, critical thinking and ethical reasoning.”. CAUSES OF RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE Ignorance; Impatience 15), Apostate behavior is said to include the rejection of biblical teachings or requirements,  the rejection of Jehovah’s organization, (Reasoning From the Scriptures pg. Are Jehovah’s Witnesses really encouraged to hear people of many different religions, even atheists, explain their beliefs? Religions caused a lot of bloodshed in the past. For a long time, world religions have been stumbling blocks in the progress of our civilization. evil, because it is seen as permitting other faith groups to degrade However, such ones can be considered an ethnic minority. Obviously, the media can play an important part in promoting “critical thinking and ethical reasoning.” Many international organizations recognize the power of the media to shape minds and to encourage mutual understanding. 31), The “identifying marks” of apostates are said to include attempts to gain followers, ( wt 7/15/11 pg. (wt 5/1/00 pg. intolerance: In North America, religious intolerance still exists, but it tends to take a Attitudes to faith said to drive negative perceptions more than ethnicity or nationality. 31), They are described as “anti-God” and doomed to destruction. . 6), public criticism of other Witnesses and attempts to hinder their work. 10), display the characteristics of “cunning, contrived error, (wt 7/15/11 pg. It will not be dissipating They are not aware that many religions share the same basic ideas. The UN publication Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief lists ignorance and lack of understanding as being “among the most important root causes of intolerance and discrimination in the matter of religion and belief.” However, ignorance, the root of intolerance, can be fought. However, some who regularly study the Bible with us seem reluctant to become disciples. That is why we continue “without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ,” as did the first-century Christians.—Acts 5:41, 42. In Pakistan, unfortunately, religious intolerance has been on the rise for nearly three decades. Author: B.A. What causes religious tolerance/intolerance? (wt 7/15/11 pg. Religious tolerance itself becomes an What Does the Bible Say About the Attack of Gog of Magog? 16 par. If at some future time circumstances change and perhaps lead to an atmosphere of prejudice, latent intolerance can easily come to the fore. Robert Fleischmann wrote: "Don't be sucked in by While the Bible has often been the inspiration behind laws protecting human rights, it stresses the notion of personal responsibility. leads many people to oppose to religious tolerance for others. We naturally tend to reject or suspect that which is different or unusual, especially views that differ from our own. 17), It has been admitted that several thousand of Jehovah’s Witnesses have to be disfellowshipped each year, the majority for sexual immorality. As we conduct Bible studies, we have to try our best to “make disciples . Conflict between people of different religions may begin with simple ignorance. 15 par. Is the Watchtower Society God’s One True Organization? , teaching them to observe all the things [Jesus has] commanded.” We need to help people understand how important it is for them to take their stand for Jehovah and his Kingdom. This is seen as leading to the good of The French newspaper Le Monde des débats highlighted the problem: “Modern society suffers too often from an emotional and spiritual void. People who do not really know anything about other religions just assume the others are very different. in the near future. On occasion, journalists must go against popular accepted opinion. (wt 7/15/11 pg. Religious intolerance is ‘bigger cause of prejudice than race’, says report Source: The Guardian. Tolerance does not mean that everyone should have the same ideas. It can be exposed publicly, as the apostle Paul exposed the intolerance of religious leaders of his day. The final paragraph in the series references a statement in the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “RECOGNITION of the inherent dignity and of equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” It then goes on in its final paragraph to make this point: “While it is relatively easy to determine which human rights should be protected, it is not always easy to define which human responsibilities should be universally accepted. “Perhaps nothing distinguishes us as much as our extensive preaching work—from house to house, in public places, and wherever people are found. Thus these people assume that the other religions must be … Beginning with Columbus’ genocide in Hispaniola, religious persecution, enslavement, murder and environmental destruction … They will give the highest priority to Hopefully, individual members will be motivated to detect intolerance and This article will discuss how we can reach the student’s heart and how we can help him grow spiritually. The Bible itself contains many passages Consider what Witnesses are taught in the Watchtower magazine: “Many who study the Bible progress to baptism. What should be the aim of this education? others, and the good of society. These are labeled as apostates and are characterized as evil and dishonest: The Watchtower Society’s Definition of Apostasy, Watch Tower Society publications define apostasy as the abandonment of the worship and service of God by members of the Christian congregation, and equate it with rebellion against God. They may even speak publicly of their disagreements. that their paticular faith group possesses absolute truth, (wt 4/15/09 pg. (Matt. It can be exposed publicly, as the apostle Paul exposed the intolerance of religious leaders of his day. 13), Apostates are said to have become part of the antichrist and are regarded as more reprehensible than non-Witnesses. (Acts 24:10-13). eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'religioustolerance_org-banner-1','ezslot_1',361,'0','0']));A person can believe in both absolute truth and in religious tolerance. (wt 3/15/75 pg. We are accepting of all people but we Religious intolerance, rather, occurs when a group specifically refuses to tolerate one's practices, persons or beliefs on religious grounds. and of the majority to remove rights from minorities. paramount importance, then they will want others to enjoy freedom of It can and should guarantee equality before the law, without arbitrary discrimination.” The book Democracy and Tolerance admits: “We have a long way to go to reach the goal of making mutual understanding and respect a universal standard of behaviour.”. This article is more than 1 month old. What impact can religious intolerance have on societies (e.g. Because of religious intolerance many people are descriminated. But, sometimes they have to value individual human rights above the dictates of their own Religious Intolerance in India . 10; wt 4/1/83 pg. Sunni respondents rated the seven causes for religious intolerance as lower than the others. within the eternal perspective of the human existence, tolerance of sin is The fact that their intolerance is hidden below the surface does not mean that it does not exist. Almost three-quarters of non-black or Asian respondents said they were comfortable with a close relative marrying a black or Asian person, but only 43% were comfortable with a close relative marrying a Muslim. The fact that intolerance is hidden below the surface does not mean that it does not exist. Still, we feel that Bible teachings are lifesaving. Many of reciprocity which defines one's responsibility towards other pleasing and...(politically) correct. Some faith groups believe in absolute truth. (The Watchtower September 1, 2015 pg. Why do we need to discuss this topic? (wt 8/1/80 pg. that was compiled by the great 15 par. 16 par. How can intolerance be fought? spectrum of thoughts and practices...The "tolerance" argument is But are indeed, marginalized, banned and thus hindered from following their beliefs. religion, speech, assembly, and other basic freedoms. In th… RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE IN NIGERIA Religious Intolerance, is when a religious group specifically refuses to tolerate practices, faith or beliefs on religious grounds. 31) ), Promotion of personal doctrinal views that deviate from official teachings is also regarded as apostasy. Thus they promote growth in knowledge and understanding. Other identifying behavior is said to include deviation from the truth, twisted, empty speech, hypocrisy and involvement in deeper forms of ungodliness. 10; wt 3/15/86 pg. Also kids only because on what they beleifs are bullied. This is particularly so in the case of Muslims. Such knowledge and understanding make it easier for tolerance to flourish.” (Awake January 8, 1999 pgs. 103). “Jehovah’s Witnesses have found that an excellent way to promote tolerance is to talk with others of different beliefs. With the discovery of the Americas and subsequently the rounding of the Cape of Africa (Good Hope) in the 15 th century, the Spanish and Portuguese unleashed a unprecedented wave of Christian oppression and religious intolerance far beyond it’s previous domains. Only then will they survive Jehovah’s day.—1 Pet. The UN publication Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief lists ignorance and lack of understanding as being “among the most important root causes of intolerance and discrimination in the matter of religion and belief.” However, ignorance, the root of intolerance, can be fought. On human rights, it is important to begin by recognizing that religious intolerance in Indonesia but sometimes... 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