[quote]Religious toleration is the condition of accepting or permitting others'
religious beliefs and practices which disagree with one's own.
The concept of toleration has evolved in modern Europe, and changed during its
development. For a contemporary reader there is a danger of confusing the modern
connotation of words like "toleration", "religious freedom " and "liberty of
conscience" with the historic meanings of these word

The use of these terms in John Stuart Mill's On Liberty or by 20th century
philosophers like John Rawls and Ronald Dworkin is different from the concept
of religious toleration in the 17th century.[/quote]

 Religious tolerance is not a New Age belief,but the modern definition is.
Tolerance does not mean acceptance of differing beliefs, but
acceptance of the right of others to be different.Roger Williams founder of the
Baptist Church and the religious tolerance movement in the 17th century, was very
much in favor of religious freedom.His purpose for founding the Baptist Church was for
religious freedom.He was firmly against tolerance and a foe of religious
establishments.

 [quote]God requireth not a uniformity of religion.

We find not in the Gospel, that Christ hath anywhere provided for the uniformity
of churches, but only for their unity.  Roger Williams[/quote]

The thing about definitions is that the one intended by the founder
is the only accurate one.It stands to reason that the intention of the inventor is the only intention that is
right.Any new modern use of religious toleration is a liberal interpretation. The use of
the new liberal interpretation is based on New Age beliefs.Believing that religious tolerance is
anti Biblical is New Age.All through the Bible people practiced religious tolerance,according to
the accurate definition of reliegious tolerance.The mingled with pagans,traded with pagans and even added
being kind to them in their laws.God used pagans. He even called one,Cyrus,His servant.Neither the Isrealites
or Jesus accepted paganism as the way to wroship, but both not only tolerated them, but
accepted them as children of God and felt there was nothing wrong with being around them.
Jesus dined with the Jews that he believed to be wrong in their worship of God.

 

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/409566/roger_williams_founder_of_rhode_island_pg2.html?cat=37
Tolerance does not indicate promoting a different belief.

The majority of Church leaders promote religious tolerance.Most people are set in
their religious beleifs and condemning them accomplish very little.
They will continue in their beliefs,and the intolerant one will have gained nothing
and perhaps lost a friend.Religious tolerance is not anti Biblical.Intolerance is.





Anon: "Religious tolerance is  not  religious indifference.Jesus was not
indifferent toward other beliefs, but He was tolerant of the believers.
It consists of valuing the right of another person to hold beliefs that you know
absolutely, and without a doubt, to be wrong."

 


Paul Copan wrote in "True for You, But not for Me",that Contrary to popular
definitions, true tolerance means ‘putting up with error’ - not ‘being accepting
of all views’…
It is because real differences exist between people that tolerance becomes
necessary and virtuous."

Most of those who are intolerant use the most modern definitions, which have been
changed to reflect the prejudices of Christians.

[quote]Others, particularly conservatives in many religions, describe "religious
tolerance" differently. They define it as accepting all religious faiths as being
equally true. This is one meaning of the phrase "religious pluralism."
Since religions teach different beliefs, this definition of tolerance implies that
absolute truth doesn't exist. Most religious conservatives reject these beliefs,
and regard their own faith as the only absolutely true belief system.
Thus, many conservatives believe that religious tolerance --
using their definition of the term -- is evil.[/quote]

 

[quote]Despite the continued presence of religious fanaticism and bigotry in the word,
the twentieth century has witnessed a significant growth in religious tolerance.
The idea that different religions and spiritual traditions have a valid approach is
more widespread than at any time. To a large extent up until the 19th Century a
defining feature of religion was the idea of the one true religion, and through
its adherence you were either saved or damned. There was little if any ecumenical
tradition and views of other religions were often clouded in myth, superstition or
even contempt.[/quote]



[quopte]Religious tolerance is a growing social movement in America, and it should be.
  We live in a world of religious pluralism.  
There are about about 2 billion Christians, more than 1 billion Muslims,
700+ million Hindus, 350+ million Buddhists, 150 million Atheists,
14 million Jews, etc.  It would seem that religious tolerance is a necessity if we
are going to get along.  We need to be tolerant of those who have different religious
beliefs.  We should not hate and persecute someone because of his or her faith.
[/quote]
Religious tolerance is especially important here in the United States since we have
such
a variety of people and cultures from all over the world.  
If our society is to function well, it needs unity and consistency.  
That is why it is good to have a common language, a common culture, and a
common form of government. But, do we need a common religion?  Of course not.
How is it that Jesus could be so loving and truthful and yet be so religiously
intolerant at the same time?  It is easy.  He, being the God incarnaterightly
pointed to Himself alone as the only way to God, the only one who could reveal
the true nature of God, heaven, salvation, and the divine will. This is not to say,
though, that Christians have an excuse to be intolerant, hateful, or judgmental
towards those of differing faiths.  On the contrary, we are called to live in love
and harmony.
http://www.carm.org/more-stuff/features/religious-tolerance-america

 In reference to the two sides during the civil war Abraham had this to say:

[quote]Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict [slavery] might cease with,
or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph,
and a result less fundamental and astounding.
Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against
the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's
assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces;
but let us judge not that we be not judged.
The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully.
The Almighty has His own purposes.[/quote]

[quote]I always distrust people who know so much about what God wants them to do to their fellows.
Susan B. Anthony [/quote]

[quote]Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those
who are not regarded as members of the herd.

Bertrand Russell[/quote]

[quote]
    Ultimately, America's answer to the intolerant man is diversity,
the very diversity which our heritage of religious freedom has inspired.

Robert F. Kennedy:[/quote]

[quote]Mark Heim,assistant proffesor of Christian theology at Andover Newton
Theological School said this about religious tolerance.
   ... pluralism in a true sense means that we live with each other and accept
   each other though we see clearly that we are not the same. America is a
   pluralistic nation, not because underneath cosmetic appearances we all
   think and feel and act the same, but because we do not. There are real
   differences in our families, our histories, and our convictions about
   ultimate matters.

      True pluralism does not mean coming to terms with my Buddhist neighbor
   by affirming that underneath it all we believe exactly the same thing. If
   that is so, we are not really distinct and plural. Pluralism means living
   with real distinctions, conflicting answers about what is most

Religious tolerance was practiced all through the Bible.




Pray, don’t find fault with the man that limps
Or stumbles along the road.
Unless you have worn the shoes he wears
Or struggled beneath his load.

There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt
Though hidden away from view.
Or the burden he bears placed on your back
Might cause you to stumble too.

Don’t sneer at the man who’s down today
Unless you have felt the blow
That caused his fall or felt the shame
That only the fallen know.

You may be strong but still the blows
That was his if dealt to you
In the selfsame way, at the selfsame time
Might cause you to stagger too.

Don’t be too harsh with the man that sins
Or pelt him with word or stone
Unless you are sure – yea, doubly sure
That you have no sins of your own.

For you know, perhaps, if the tempter’s voice
Should whisper as soft to you
As it did to him when he went astray
It might cause you to falter too.

© Author Unknown

 Noone has to go looking for evil.
It's always present in some form,and being able to recognize it isn't
specifically Christian.Going looking for evil isn't what the Bible tells us
to do.It tells us to shun evil and it tells us to flee fron evil. It's not
possible to flee from and hunt for at the same time.
 Evil can be found in many forms and isn't simply or specifically a contradictory
religious belief. Christians are capable of doing evil.Evil is also expecting
others to say or do something evil.Focusing on anything that does not glorify God
can be evil.Judging another human can be evil.Lust can be evil.Getting enjoyment
out of looking at scantily clad women, whether it is real or animated can be evil.
 We do not have to look for evil to be able to recognize it.If we do then we are
not focusing on God, which in itself can be construed as evil by others.We cannot look for
evil in a person ans show brotherly love at the same time.The Bible does not tell us
to show brotherly love when it's convenient for us.It does tell us to be of sound mind
and body.When we focus on the salvation or errors of others,
we are not showing a sound mind.
  It seems to me that if we are to convince others they are doing evil,start with
the Christians.A Christian who does evil is more in need of delieverance than the
sinner.They are not cold and no longer hot.They have become lukewarm.When we become
more concerned about what others are doing wrong thatn what we are doing right,
we become luke warm.We can't be in the Spirit and focused on the sins of others
at the same time.We can't worship God unless we're in the Spirit.Whatever we do
without being in the spirit is not glorifying God.It's glorifying our own personal
need.Looking for evil in others is not working for God, it's trying to justify our
own shortcomings by making others look worse than us.That isn't being of sound mind.
 That's not being Spiritual and the Bible is clear on how evil it is.Searching for
evil so that we can recognize it as evil is a cop out.It's false teaching has little
to do with doing God's work.Evil is always present.We recognize evil by reading the
Bible not by inviting evil show itself.When we look for evil we are inviting it
into mour lives.We should let evil stay where it's at and if it does show up,
shun it and flee from it.The Bible tells us to do that.

[quote]I John 4:18 "Perfect love casteth out fear".
Psalm 23:4
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."[/quote]

If we have perfect love for God,we have no reason to fear evil.

Why is it then that so many Christians believe we must fear evil and satan.
As Christians we have no reason to fear either.We are taught that we must be afraid
of  demons,cults, new age religion or no religion. We are to shun those, but not be afraid they will
influence us.That's what fear is all about.It has very little to do with being concerned about others and
more to do with thinking we will be influenced by their presence.

[quote]I fear that the condition of too many Christians these days is more akin to the fear
demonstrated by Chicken Little than to the faith to which we are all called by
Baptism. It seems wherever I look Christians are afraid, complaining, or worse,
actually causing others to succumb to fear or despair. What happened to faith,
hope and love, those “theological virtues” infused within us when we rose from
those waters? Why, of all people, do those who know the real King and Sovereign
of the entire universe so easily give in to the kind of crippling fear which is
such an impediment to living faith?
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=34093[/quote]

Fear tactics are often used in churches in reference to punishment for disobeying God.That is in
contradiction to the belief that we are not under the law and therefore not subject to
the law or it's punishments.It is also contradictory to the belief that once saved
always saved.If we can't lose our salvation we can't fall into satan's trap.
We are to shun evil, but we are also told not to be afraid of evil.

[quote]Proverbs 3:7
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.[/quote]
To shun evil is akin to fearing evil. Being vigilant is not akin to fear.Fear, in fact,
will often have the opposite effect. Fear will cause us to concentrate more on evil than
we do God's promise. When we are searching for evil, it will often find us.If we concentrate
on God, evil will not find us,according to the Bible.

  That does not mean that bad things will not happen.It doesn't mean that we will not see bad things,or
even evil things.It only means that evil will not take over our Soul or body either as long as our
faith is strong.Not every unfortunate incident is evil.Some things actually do happen with no evil intent as it's
cause.Evil will find us if we refuse to allow God to keep His promise. We do that by taking on the responsibility
of ridding the world of evil.We put more faith in ourselves to avoid evil that we do in God's ability to keep evil away.

Evil is not an airborne virus.Satan will not kick in the door to get us, and evil
will not enter a gate left open by our being around evil.To believe that is anti Biblical.
[quote]Psalm 49:5
Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me-]/quote]

We are to hate evil and withdraw from it.We are not to be afraid of it.
Christ said that we are not to resist evil.
 [quote]Matt. 5:9, "But I tell you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever
shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." [/quote]
   That's not to say that we are supposed to invite evil in or surround ourselves with
evil doers.We are to not strike out against the evil doer.Turning the other cheek
also means to shake the dust off and go somewhere else.It does not mean that we are to
condemn others for what we perceive as evil.
  The fear of evil makes us look for evil in everything.If our thoughts are continually
on what is or isn't evil, we are not focused on God the way he wants us to be.

 The Bible teaches us to worship God in spirit.We can't get into the spirit if we
are focused on how others are living their life.We are also told to fear God.
We fear God out of faith. We fear satan out of faith.We can't give satan glory and
God glory at the same time.

Colossians 3:1-
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above,
not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ
in God.”

 If we set our minds on things above, we won't be thinking about evil.
Evil does not exist in the above.If we set our minds on evil,we are not thinking about
the things above.

  As Christians we are taught to fear satan and demons.Christ didn't. He faced demons
head on without any fear of being drawn into evil.Christ was surrounded by evil, yet He
said not to resist evil.

  Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear not only shows a lack of faith in God,it can
cause us to lose whatever faith we may have had.When Christians have complete faith
in God, there is no reason to fear evil.The Bible never claims that satan can do
anything to us He wants to.The Bible teaches that satan can do nothing more than
God allows him to do.To believe that satan can force us to do evil is putting more
faith in satan than in God.Satan was created as an angel.He has no more power over
humans than any other angel.There are cases of possession in the Bible, but no explaination
of whether or not the victim invited the demons in.Jesus had the power to eject demons
from those possessed humans.They obeyed Him.Satan can do nothing without permission from God
or humans.He is not omnipotent.His power is limited.In reality Christians have more power over
satan that satan has over them.We can resist and refuse to let evil in.
We can call on God to fight satan for us.Satan can't force us to accept him and He can't
call on God to force us to accept Him.


  Evil does exist,but for the faithful it's as if it didn't.
Every Christian should be able to walk throught the valley of the shadow of
death and not fear the evil there.That's what God expects us to do.
While it true that where or treasuer is there also is our heart, it is also true
that where our mind is there also is our heart.A lack of faith causes fear and fear
causes paranoia.We are told to keep a sound mind and body. A mind that concentrates more
on the evil of others is not a sound mind.A mind that concentrates more on how another
lives is not a sound mind.

  Being around evil does not open a gate in which evil can enter.
That is contrary to Scripture.A faithful Christian has nothing to fear from
satan,cult practices,paganism or new age beliefs.If there is fear there is not faith.

 
(Psalm 112:7)
 "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings:
his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord''

 Those who have a fear of evil usually teach others to do the same.
By doing so, they have placed a stumbling block in front of their brother.
Satan thrives on fear.Satan knows that complete faith in God make is almost
impossible to turn that Christian toward evil.The fearful are weak enough in
faith that satan's job is already half done.They are looking for evil and not for
God to deliver them from evil.Fear can be spread to others. we are to be strong in our faith.
Fear won't allow us to do that.Fear is often spread to others.
Fear can come from being obsessed with eliminating evil from everything we come in contact with.
We cannot focus on God and on the evil of others at the same time. We need to focus only on God to be
in the Spirit.
 In the Bible satan did not have the ability to do anything that God did not allow.Satan cannot take over anyone that doesn't
allow it, because God as stated that he won't allow it.

[quote] James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”[/quote]
 Resisting evil is all that is required of us. If we go through life looking for evil, we will attract evil, instead of resiting it.


  There are instances in the Bible of demon possession.No Christian could truthfully say that it doesn't happen.
The Bible does not tell us under what circumstance they happened, but it is clear that no such thing will take place
if our faith is great enough. Jesus faced demons head on.He talked with them and yet he never showed fear of them.
He cast them out,but the Bible says not a word about Him going about searching for evil to cast out.
  There are no doubt Scriptures in the Bible that can be interpreted as to mean we are supposed to be terribly afraid of evil, but
like any other interpretation, if it doesn't align with other scriptures it is probably misinterpreted.
 It is not evil that is contagious.It is the fear of evil.


[quote]Pro 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide
satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.[/quote]
 
[quote]Mat 6:13   And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. [/quote]

(Proverbs 16:6) .... Whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil. ...

II Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

 Matthew 10:31
“So don’t be afraid. You are worth much more than many sparrows”
Matthew 10:28
“Do not be afraid of those who will kill the body but cannot kill the soul”

John 14:27
“Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”

 Matthew 8:26
“You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”

Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from  evil ”

I John 5:18
“We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who is born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.”Why should anyone be afraid that sin will rub off on them and that evil will invade them when God has clearly stated that as long as we have faith in Him that will not happen.