This blog is on a subject that has been on my mind for quite some time. As soon as I knew that Trey Parker and Matt Stone were in the works to bring about the “Book of Mormon” musical, I began to prepare myself for the influx of misinformation that would arise from the show. And I kept thinking to myself, “why does this keep happening?” Sometimes, it gets exhausting defending ones religion over and over and over again, and always on the same subjects. I understand that being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or more commonly “Mormon,” is something that most people don’t understand. This is easy to see, seeing as how I know absolutely nothing about Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Amish. And I’m sure I have some misconceptions about their respective religions. What’s strange to me, however, is how ignorant people can seem to be when it comes to the religion of others. This is not going to be a post about how hard it is to be a Mormon, or a defense of being a member of the church. This is more so an observation about the lack of religious tolerance and understanding among some of the people who profess to be the most sincere and devout Christians.
Let me qualify myself briefly, so at least, for those who may not already know, a little of my background. Yes, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I believe in the King James Version of the Bible. I also believe in The Book of Mormon to be another testament of Jesus Christ that goes hand in hand with the Bible. I have been a member my whole life. I was baptized into the church at the age of 8, by my own free will and my own choice. That was 18 years ago, as I am now 26. When I turned 19, I chose on my own to serve a two year mission for the church. Yes, I was one of those guys you see riding around on bicycles and going door to door dressed in white shirts and ties. I was called to serve in the beautiful country of Cambodia and arrived in May of 2004 and left in May of 2006. Cambodia is a country that is 95% Buddhist, a topic I will return to later. For two years, I left behind all my worldly possessions and desires and did nothing but serve. I studied the Bible and the Book of Mormon daily, as I was teaching others about Christianity. I have friends from many different faiths, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Protestant, Jewish, Orthodox Jewish, Catholic, Roman Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, Agnostic and even Atheist.
While yes, I have been thinking about this post for awhile now, I have not put down before me a list of scriptures or anything of that nature. Again, this is not going to be a post about being Mormon. This is a post about religious tolerance.
I don’t recall the first time I saw the bumper sticker that had the beautiful word “coexist” but it has stuck with me ever since. I am a Christian and I believe Christianity to be the one true religion, otherwise I wouldn’t be a member of it. But that does not make those around me any less of a person, especially in the eyes of God. To God, every soul is sacred. I believe that people should be free to believe how they want to believe. I am more than willing to sit down and discuss religion with others, as long as it is a conversation about learning and understanding and it doesn’t turn into a debate about who’s right, and who’s wrong. And unfortunately, it seems, that Christians tend to be the worst at religious tolerance. I cannot speak for each and every member of the Christian faith, but it is my philosophy that if you want others to believe what you believe, you must practice what you believe. God is the Judge of us all, I have absolutely no power, right or authority to pass judgment on any single person on this planet. But yet, the most sincere and devout Christians will be the first to tell others, including their fellow Christians, that what they believe is satanic, belongs to a cult, or is just flat out wrong. In the words of Christopher Titus, “If your religious beliefs keep you from stabbing me, I don’t care what the hell you believe in!” Why can’t more Christians who are taught to love all of God’s children be more tolerant of those around them? There are so many black eyes for the Christian faith, the crusades being the biggest. Yes, it is true that the Bible says “Every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is The Christ.” (forgive me if that’s not verbatim, and please forgive the lack of a reference, but those that know where it is, know) While that is true, it is not our place to force any religion on another.
God teaches us to love one another, to serve one another and to help one another. He does not teach us to bash on others religions, to force others into our religion or even be biased against those not of our faith. He teaches us to be understanding, not to be ignorant.
Some of you may be saying, “But that’s exactly what you did when you went to Cambodia.” Yes, I went around seeking to teach those about my faith. But what I did not do is force my religion on them. I never forced my way into any home, and most importantly, I NEVER put down or belittled their own religion. I’m not going to say I was perfect at it, or that I’m the perfect example, because I’m not. No one is perfect, the Bible tells us so. Cambodia is a country that is 95% Buddhist, and here I was, one of the “Jesus People” who walked around their country wanting to teach them about a God they did not understand. If you offended one of them, you offended all of them. And you’re not going to get very far by belittling those around you. There is a difference in proselyting and forcing.
I have been Christian my whole life, I have never been any other religion. I don’t understand most other religions, because I have not sat down and studied other religions. I have heard many things from others that tell me about some of what seem to be strange beliefs from other religions, but if I really wanted to know if what they said was true, I would not use Wikipedia, Google or anything else on the internet. I would find someone of that faith and I would have a conversation about understanding, not a conversation about who is right and who is wrong. After 9/11 it seemed that everyone in America though that every Muslim in the world was the most evil person ever! This is exactly what I’m talking about. That kind of religious intolerance is simply ignorant. But no matter what people said, the general consensus was that all Muslims wanted to do was to kill Americans.
I had the opportunity in college to study Arabic. In this class were many Americans whose parents had moved to the United States from Arabic speaking countries. The majority, if not all, of these students were Muslim. So I sat down with one and had a conversation of understanding. And obviously, not every Muslim wants to kill Americans, there are tons of Americans that are Muslims! So that wouldn’t make much sense now, would it.
I have rambled, but the point I really want to get across is that in this world, we must COEXIST! I don’t care what religion you are, if you are condemning someone else and belittling someone else, you’re not following your own creed. To say that someone else’s religion is a cult, is simply ignorant. Simply by definition EVERY RELIGION IS A CULT. Cult: a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies. (Dictionary.com). That is not an attack on any religion, it is a mere statement of fact. If you’re going to belittle someone else, make sure you know enough about what you are saying and that your facts are solid. Please, do not believe what someone tells you about someone else’s religion unless you have gone to the source. I’m not going to go to my History teacher to get help on my Physics homework, I’m going to ask my Physics professor.
I feel like I’m beginning to beat a dead horse. I love you all, be more understanding of those around you. Be more tolerant of someone else’s beliefs. Again, as Titus says, if what that person believes keeps them from stabbing you, then who really cares what they believe!
