Religious Tolerance

What does the above cartoon have to do with Religious tolerance? Well nothing per say. Just thought it would give my fellow Pagan friends a giggle.

It’s not uncommon in today’s society to see one religion bashing another.  After 9/11 it seemed all were bashing the Muslim religion for what had transpired.  Who are we to bash an entire religion for the doing of one man. Yes I say one man because he is the leader of the Taliban. I could get into all sorts of conspiracy theories but we will save that for another blog. I am ashamed that at first I jumped on the band wagon and had huge “issues” with anyone that looked even remotely middle eastern.  Once I realized I was doing it I put myself in check.  We can NOT condemn a religion or an entire race for the doings of a few people.

If you look back through history isn’t that what we have been doing since the beginning of time?  Jesus was put to death for his beliefs.  Women and Men were burned at the stake for being alleged witches. Jews were sent to concentration camps and murdered.  Why I ask? Because it scares people to think that just maybe there might be a bit more out there then they care to see.

What gives one religion the right to persecute another because of their beliefs? Who says that one is THE right one and all the others are wrong? Through out my life I have met people from all sorts of religious backgrounds.  As a child I had a friend who was a practicing Buddhist. They had an entire room dedicated to him.  I asked about a million questions because I just couldn’t wrap my head around why you would leave food out for a statue. LOL

My biological father wouldn’t allow religion in the house. We were not allowed to go to church.  Though he would take me aside and tell me how wonderful “Hell” was. What a great place it is to go. At such a young age I didn’t understand what he was telling me.  I remember when my Mom and I would go visit my Grandma we would go to church. I always found it a novelty though I never really bought what was being said.

As a teenager I would go to church with various friends from various religious backgrounds and I never felt like any One religion was the right fit for me.  I just knew what I felt and how I believed but I didn’t know why I had such beliefs because to my knowledge no one believed the way I did.

Fast forward to being an adult. One day after surfing the net I found a term I wasn’t familiar with but it felt like I should know. The word was “Pagan”. I don’t ever remember hearing that word growing up but once I found out what it meant I realize I found my path. It’s the same path I have walked all my life and it had a name. In 2002 I found out my Grandfather was Pagan. We were already close but we really bonded even more over our religious beliefs.  He did adopt to a bit of the Christian faith as well but all in all he was Pagan.

I recently ran into a Pagan that was saying horrible things about Christians. I thought to myself what gives this person the right to tear them down. We have fought so hard to be able to stand up and say we are Pagan. Here this person is doing what so many religions before him have done.  He was saying that what they believe in is crap.  What gives him the right to say that? Is that not persecution? Is that not doing exactly what was done to us for so many years? His stand on it was well they did such and such and they are trying to do blah blah.  Let it go man, let it go.  When I explained to him we were about peace and love his response was and where did you read that? Wow! What does he think walk in the light means for goodness sake? He is a fairly new Pagan as far as that goes. I would say maybe the last 10yrs he’s been practicing. MAYBE! The wonderful thing about walking the path of the old is things are not all in books. You learn from elders. You experience it, you live it.

I was really upset at him at first because I was worried about him  giving us a bad name. But you know, what you put out into the universe comes back to you good and bad. Let him carry on with all this negativity and see how far it really gets him. One day he will realize that he is doing exactly what he hates. Saying one religion is better then another.

I say to each his own. Have a belief system or don’t.  It’s YOUR life. Who am I to say what a person should or shouldn’t practice? If I did, would I not just be repeating history and making the same judgments that has been passed on to various religions?

I conclude with this. Do what feels right to you. As long as it harm none. Even if that means not believing in any sort of higher power.  I for one feel very close to Goddess and glad she is in my life. Blessed Be.