Tink About it

Religious Tolerance

Religions and politics are very much in the spotlights today. Of course they have always been but now more than ever. Especially actions taken in the name of a religion dominate the news: IS and the terrorism in the name of Islam, the Arab-Israeli conflict and so many other conflict and wars all around the world. What we see in the news is only a tip of the iceberg… I watch it, try to follow and be informed about what’s happening everywhere. Some people are so fed up with it they stopped watching the news and reading the papers. That’s a choice too, but not mine. Because it is such an important issue at hand you see discussions about it everywhere: in real life, the media and online. News travels fast by social media. It scares me to see the increase of intolerance and discrimination against normal people that don’t condone, support or approve of what extremist groups do in name of their religions…

How about our religion, the pagan religions? When I first started to find my way in the pagan community long ago I learned that it is a peaceful path. We don’t try to convert other people and we most certainly don’t force it upon anyone. Perhaps there have been or still are exceptions, but that’s the general idea nowadays. That matches my own ideas. To me religion is a private issue. I respect other people and their religions. I’m interested to learn about other religions. I’ve read most of the holy books I could get my hands on like the Bible in several versions, Koran, Tanakh (Written Torah). While I don’t pretend to understand everything that is in those books (for most that’s a lifetime journey), at least it helped me to get an idea about what they believe in. I’m quite fond of interreligious communication to learn more. In those conversations I always discover that there are more similarities than differences. If the world would be able to focus more of that, perhaps it could contribute to finding a solution for the conflicts. Call me idealistic and you’re right, but if we lose all hope of solving this the world is doomed…

I was raised as a roman catholic, though not very strict. I went to a catholic school, sang in the church choir, etc. I liked the rituals of the roman catholic church, but I’ve always missed something in there. I felt no connection what so ever with the pope in Rome. My parents always gave me enough space to find my own path. When I discovered paganism it felt like coming home. The idea of balance with god and goddess, the special bond with nature… everything felt so good. After a while I told my mum (my dad has passed away already) and after I explained to her what it meant to me and what it’s like, she smiled and said: “that sounds like you, it suits you”. She was happy for me and always supported me. When she lit a candle for me, she did it at the Maria altar “because that’s kind of a goddess too, don’t you think?”. My mum went to church every week and did voluntary work for the parish. I often visited her there or picked her up to bring her home. I asked her if anyone ever asked why I didn’t go the church. She said: “No, I just told them you’re a witch!” She had explained it and told them I’m happy with it so she’s happy with it. They never asked about it again! One time when I was waiting for her in the hall with a cup of tea one of the priests (pater rector) joined me. He looked at me and said: “So your mum tells me you’re a witch.” It was the start of a very interesting conversation in which I explained my path and what it brought me. He asked lots of questions, really interested without prejudice. At the end he smiled. “Well, obviously I’m following a different path, but thank you for your explanation and personal story. I DO understand why it’s the right thing for you. All the best!” A perfect example of how it should be, but unfortunately not everyone is as open-minded…

Every now and then I encounter people in the pagan community that seem to have some kind of grudge against other religions. Because they had bad experiences with it themselves, or with a person following that particular religion. Sometimes completely understandable, sometimes I don’t really get why. A few years ago I left an online pagan forum because they were bashing Christians, Muslims and Jews for no reason really but following that path. I tried to take part in the discussions and make them see what they were doing. Sure, there are things in several religions that I don’t like or understand. Nothing wrong with talking about that, preferably with someone who knows the religion and can explain things further. Not to convert or convince me, but to try to understand the motives. I might still not like it, that’s okay. Agree to disagree with mutual respect if possible, that’s my motto. In this particular group it was nothing like that. The comments varied from ‘those stupid Christians that stole our sabbats‘ to ‘all Muslims are terrorists’ and I’ll spare you the rest… I was shocked by the intolerance, sometimes even hatred against other religions. Perhaps it was naïve of me that I didn’t expect this in a pagan community. Fortunately I never encountered another group/forum/website that radical again, most of the time pagans I meet are much less intolerant thank gods… Still, from time to time I see another discussion where tolerance is hard to find. Whether I say something or not depends on where, who, why and how I feel. I don’t have to convince others or make them see my point, but I can’t always keep myself from trying. At times I catch myself (or are caught) being intolerant too. Hey, I’m no saint, I make mistakes. Nothing wrong with that as long as I learn from it or at least try. Intolerance often is a matter of opinion, that’s what makes it such an intriguing topic…

So, how tolerant are you?

Do you encounter a lot of intolerance in your community?

Blessings