Fire Legion

How tolerant are you of other beliefs? When you answer the poll, vote honestly, for the truly tolerant won't judge you, and the untolerant can't insult you as they are the same as you and they would just be insulting themselves.

I personally won't go around saying 'you're wrong, ha!' to religions I don't follow. I'll defend my own beliefs if attacked, but I won't attack others. I see all beliefs as equally valid, so I won't persecute any religion.

The An-Jel

You need a fifth one here for me. All beliefs are wrong and they can believe them if they want to, I will search for the Truth and let them in if they want to be.

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"And let there be Light!" said the Blind man.

Life is simple, people make it complicated - Basilisk

Nulli Expugnabilis Hosti - Royal Gibraltar Regiment

Fire Legion

Just pick the last one in that case.

Professional Widow

I chose: <<Most beliefs are valid, but I get annoyed by some of the crazier ones.>>

Really, I get annoyed by some of the UBER-RELIGIOUS people out there. There are some nuts who really buy everything christianity is selling & it's sad. However, I don't usually approach ppl. As much as I'd LOVE to do it, I realize that we're all entitled to our beliefs. I still get annoyed by the indoctrinated...

PW

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Heresy is only another word for freedom of thought.
~Graham Greene

Og

I try to actively muddy the water wherever any kind of beliefs are concerned. I can generally dig up some pretty meaty ideas for random western religion based folks to chew on. I think beliefs (acceptance of myth as literal fact) are horrific and that they should be dispelled whenever possible.

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Vi veri veniversum vivus vici. (By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe)
The self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships
You & I, no distinction. - Tat Tvam Asi
Become Who You Are

mtatum4496

Typically, I seek to find something in the belief systems of those around me that I can connect with and be less concerned about points where we do not agree. This works pretty well until I am attempting to dialogue with someone who insists their belief system is more correct that mine. As an example, I would not be able to dialogue with an Aryan Nation believer, because my belief in the worth of all persons would not square with their insistance on the superiority of white people.

I could dialogue all day long with a traditional Christian as long as we kept the conversation focused on the ethical teachings of Jesus and did not get into salvation theology.

I could dialogue all day with someone who followed one strain of Islam or another until they insisted that I must accept the Koran as perfect revelation.

I could even dialogue all day long with someone who esteemed his or her belief system as being the "right" one, as long as their focus was on relating to me how their beliefs had improved the quality of his or her life.

In short, my tolerance wears thin when someone stops sharing with me what they believe and crosses the line into telling me what I must believe.

taiarain

The last one is closest to me, but too simplified.

Everyone can believe what they want as far as I'm concerned. Believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster for all I care. I will fight for your right to believe in the Tooth Fairy.

However, belief doesn't give a free pass to action. You can believe whatever you want, but you can't do whatever you want when your beliefs affect another person, animal, etc. You can believe that women or men are inferior, but you have no right to prevent them from working or earning appropriately. You can believe that gays or straights or bi's are whatever, but you can't throw bricks in their houses or slap them around, etc.

I'm tolerant of belief, but I am intolerant of unwelcome or harmful action against others.

Like the Grand Canyon, you can believe it's only 6,000 years old. You can't, rather you shouldn't because apparently you can if you're Christian, tell park service people that they can't tell others what science has determined about the age.

SithLord

All that is nice and touchy feely. But allowing everyone to believe in anything they want is the reason why terrorists think they have the authority to kill you and everyone you love for not believing what they do.

Still want to fight for them?

Before you answer with more touchy feeliness let's up the antee... If they killed every member of your immediate family and they died a horrible agonizing death via a dirty bomb would you still want to fight for them?

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"Relax, I'm here to offend you" - SithLord

brig

Well, going back a few years to when I was muslim, I would say I was pretty intolerant and quick to judge. Although I doubt I would have thought of myself like that at the time. I would plainly disregard all other faiths and all ways of life different to my own, and I include things such as homosexuality in that.

Now though, I'm a much happier person to be around . I couldn't care less how people decide to live their life, everyone has the right to do so as they see fit without me judging them, as long as they are not hurting others. Come to think of it, I would say this is one of the main reasons I do not consider, or label, myself as Atheist. They generally do care about, and judge, people's beliefs.

DahleeMama

Belief is not the problem, behavior is the problem. I can *believe* all day long that people who don't share my beliefs should be bombed. When the belief becomes action, such as extremist Muslims using jet planes as weapons or extremist Christians who murder medical clinic staff, then problems arise.

I have a family member who puts my name and address on every evangelical Christian mailing list she can find. We rarely speak anymore because of the things she has done in the name of Jesus. It's not her beliefs I object to, (some of my best friends are Christian), it is her behavior that is an issue.

So, yes, I will support anyone believing in anything they want, but I will not support anyone behaving in any way they want.

Besides, even if I wanted to, how could I prevent someone from believing something?