Re: The particular danger of some religions (Christianity and Islam)

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: : I don't have my king james bible with me in this cafe, but the : : passage that comes to mind is the one where jesus says that there is : : no way to the father but through him. that single passage is : : probably the most dangerous one in the bible. : I agree that this particular verse has an implicit intolerance. However, liberal : Christians have a different interpretation of it. Tom Harpur deals with this verse : in his book, "Would You Believe?" Liberal Christians have a different approach. : They take into account the cultural influence and author bias behind the verse. : Unlike fundamentalists, they concede that the Bible isn't a perfect book and must : be dealt with critically. : : I feel that generalizations can be perfectly valid, as long as : : the exceptions to the rule are duly noted. For instance, the average : : hispanic american (my ethnic group) has lower math skills than the : : average anglo american, but there are exceptions. : However, if you said atheists were communists (in the 1980's), by your own admission : this generalization would be perfectly valid (since the USSR had a large atheist : population). Obviously, it wouldn't be a fair generalization. : You mentioned that you're a hispanic American; thus, a US citizen. Perhaps : anti-religious sentiment is more widespread there because of the strong influence : of fundamentalism. Here in Canada, fundamentalists aren't as numerous or vocal. : : I must say that I feel you are a very rational and open person. : : Maybe you've just watched too many episodes of the care bears. One : : single posting is too little to judge a person on, but I get the : : feeling that you may tend to carry tolerance a little too far. : Thank you, and I find the Care Bears really quite annoying. :) I feel that part : of the virtue of tolerance is that we attempt to understand other people's : perspectives. For example, J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of the science : fiction show "Babylon 5," is often complimented by religionists on how he portrays : the spiritual perspective. To their astonishment, however, they find that J.M.S is : an atheist! This is the same philosophy we all should take if we wish to live in a : more peaceful world. : And although I'm a tolerant person, I know when to draw the line. I have absolutely : no problem having a fundamentalist as a neighbour. He can visit my house, go have a : drink, go to a game, or whatever. But as soon as he imposes harm (e.g., school prayer, : advocating pseudoscience, harassment, etc.) then that's where I draw the line.

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