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I'm wondering if the root comes down to fear. Fear that one's religious ideology may be wrong. Fear that one may become uncomfortable if they take off their lenses and look at things from other perspectives.
A lack of direct, personal experience of God...called whatever you'd like, Jesus, Holy Spirit, or Vishnu or
Brahma or Life Force or Pure Consciousness, the Infinite Divine Spirit..the All That Is.
That which is making your fingernails grow while you sleep...That.
The answer is in the question: Ignorance, as well as fear, is at the root of intolerance. Man has always feared the unknown and suspicious of whatever/whomever is "different." So, they tend to form packs of like-minded individuals and before long, "others" become the enemy.
So, from chimps hurling sticks at each other, we've "graduated" to religious and secular wars that have slaughtered millions.
The cure is education, a full belly, gratifying work, a safe place to live, and the realization that Earth isn't a conglomeration of 195 countries -- it's one planet and we are all citizens with an equal stake in its, and thus our own, future.
I was very "tolerant" before I met Him and read His word. Anything coming down the pike had my attention. Then the realization that I knew at last, the G-d who created all, had expectations and had set things in order with a just recompense of reward, crossed my broad horizon "tolerance", and I began to have a harvest, casting out that which didn't line up with His expectations and throwing it in the fire, never looking back to the beggarly elements that had kept me in bondage again. That is true freedom. Peace
Apathy- it's too difficult for many to think for themselves, so they let the media and celebrities do it for them. We have a "soft" society, where most folks always take the path of least reisitance.
I'm wondering if the root comes down to fear. Fear that one's religious ideology may be wrong. Fear that one may become uncomfortable if they take off their lenses and look at things from other perspectives.
Anyway, curious to hear what others think.
I don't think it's fear. The reasons for it probably come down to a number of factors: culture, surroundings, genetics, and brain development.
The summing result boils down to whether one veers towards cynicism and pessimism (looks for negatives and what won't work), or one is open to possibilities. The whole "glass half-empty" to "glass half-whole" difference.
It's been shown that a brain that is open to possibilities encounters broader and richer experiences. A person who admits in a healthy way that they do not know all that much, and stays innocent and ready to learn. On the other hand, if a person thinks they know everything, and shoots down what comes his/her way - even external stimuli from a spiritual source - they are basically killing knowledge and stunting their mental and spiritual growth. You can see those limited thinkers all around us. Compare them to someone like Steve Jobs, who did explore, even spiritually. He never let any setback get in his way. He got people to believe what seemingly could not be done, and they together as a group accomplished many advances in technology and design. The same could be applied to anyone in any area.
It's often easier to take the simple way out, and let our human weaknesses run our lives. Again, you see that in many. But those who persevere and work to rise above it all, will be rewarded.
Last edited by Thoreau424; 08-23-2017 at 10:09 AM..
A lack of direct, personal experience of God...called whatever you'd like, Jesus, Holy Spirit, or Vishnu or
Brahma or Life Force or Pure Consciousness, the Infinite Divine Spirit..the All That Is.
That which is making your fingernails grow while you sleep...That.
Plenty of people have a direct, personal experience and that leads to more bigotry and hate. Are you saying they're mistaken and that's not truly God?
Plenty of people have a direct, personal experience and that leads to more bigotry and hate. Are you saying they're mistaken and that's not truly God?
If it does not match the characterisitcs of the Spirit as shown in the Sermon on the mount, Paul's description of Love as basis and the "fruit of the spirit" from Galations, it is a different spirit entirely. And they are rife.
Tight now we are in a period of fear that what we have will be taken away from us, and putting the blame anywhere but on our failure to adapt to changing conditions.
God is the only one trustworthy, and worth following. However, most people would say I'm a fanatic for expressing my Faith. Most people don't even consider their relationship to God- they are too busy playing with electronic gadgets.
Last edited by Miss Blue; 08-26-2017 at 07:47 PM..
Hanlon's razor is an aphorism expressed in various ways including "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"[1][2] or "Don't assume bad intentions over neglect and misunderstanding." It recommends a way of eliminating unlikely explanations for a phenomenon (a philosophical razor).
I would say ignorance leads to intolerance. I think you are right that fear is at the core of it.
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