Rachel Rosenzweig 4/12/2016 Understanding Religious Intolerance Challenging Assumptions Christianity is one of the largest religions in the world. Because of this, a lot of information that exists about the religion may be inaccurate, or representations of the religion and its followers may lead those outside the religion to assume certain things about it, even though they have no proof that it is correct. While assumptions about other religions are prevalent and often harmful, they can t be combated unless they are first identified. These assumptions are usually the result of an incomplete understanding of the doctrines or practices of a religion, exposure to incorrect information about those doctrines or practices, or a mixture of the two. There are many assumptions regarding Christianity, regarding both the church as an institution and the practices of its followers. An assumption I held about Christianity is that there is little basis in Christian scripture for tolerance. Misconceptions of Christian intolerance can take many forms, and often are formed not only by people outside the church but in it as well. Specifically, my assumptions about levels of Christian intolerance mainly referred to interaction with people of different faiths and the religious other, as well as interaction with people who commit sin as defined by Christian scripture, particularly LGBT people. Often these assumptions are due to media recognition of very small, very vocal fringe groups of the Christian
faith, such as the Westboro Baptist Church, whose media attention far outweighs that of moderate Christian groups and therefore influenced my view of the entire religion. In terms of tolerance for the religious other, many people, when asked about any negative views they have of Christianity, mention violence or hatred incited in the name of Jesus Christ (Shepson, 2010). This is indicative of the assumption that Christians are intolerant, and implies that this intolerance leads to religiously motivated violence toward others. However, whether it is assumed that Christians are attempting to convert others to Christianity through violence or simply attempting to eradicate them is unclear. While there is always a desire for people to become Christians, there is never any incentive for violence because Christian scripture teaches tolerance in a sense of loving all people despite any religious differences (Rohlfer). This is reflected in the views of many Christian denominations, such as the Roman Catholic church s statement that promotion of dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions is mutually beneficial and necessary in order to recognize, preserve, and promote the good things found among these men ( Nostra aetate par. 5). Further, the Catholic church encourages its followers to live peacefully with and respect people of other religions because they are called to do so in the Bible. While the Vatican generally assesses non Christian religions by how closely they resemble Christianity, it also maintains that members of non Christian religions can attain salvation as long as they lead good lives and search for God with a sincere heart (Reiser 156). Other Christian denominations views of the religious other can be relatively pluralistic, in that they are tolerant of non Christian religions because they recognize the value of religious diversity and believe that it is a basic human right (Anderson, 2007). This does not
necessarily mean that they view non Christian religions as completely true or as valid as their own, but it does mean that they value those religions nonetheless because they are important to others. This also shows that, in addition to a scriptural basis for religious tolerance, many Christians emphasize and practice religious tolerance because there is a scriptural basis for morality, which leads them to believe that being religiously tolerant is the right thing to do. The Westboro Baptist Church s views of other religions are incredibly different, and their extreme views have garnered a large amount of media attention, leading to the assumption that their views represent the views of most, if not all, Christian groups. While the group is very secretive and has no official spokesperson, its website contains several open letters to members of other religions. One of these letters is to Muslims, as well as to President Barack Obama whom the group believes to be a practicing Muslim. The letter uses phrases such as perverted and bloody brutes to describe Muslim people ( Open Letter from Westboro Baptist Church ). Another letter is aimed toward Jews, claiming that All the nations are going to fight against Israel and persecute the Jews like never before and that only elect Jews, or Jews that have converted to Christianity, will be saved ( Open Letter to Elect Jews ). Additionally, the group has spoken out against Catholics as well, calling both Catholicism and Judaism false religions, as well as stating that God hates apostate Christ rejecting Jews (WBCSaysRepent). The statements of the Westboro Baptist church directly contradict the scriptural evidence for tolerance that is utilized in more mainstream Christian denominations, and as such does not accurately reflect the views of the religion. However, the group s more controversial stances often gain a large amount of media attention and are more easily noticed and associated with Christianity, leading to the assumption that Christians are intolerant.
Another example of assumptions about Christian intolerance concerns treatment of sinners as defined by Christian scripture, particularly LBGT people. In the same vein, I assumed there was little basis for tolerance of LGBT people in Christianity because homosexual behavior is often treated as sinful within many Christian churches. However, 54% of Christians in the United States are accepting of homosexuality and LGBT people, including 70% of Catholics, although Catholic teachings still contend that homosexuality is intrinsically disordered (Catholic Church 2357). However, Catholic documents also note that LGBT people should be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity and should not be subjected to unjust discrimination (Catholic Church 2358), and 39% of Catholics do not believe that homosexual behavior is sinful at all (Murphy, 2015). Some Christian denominations such as the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the United Church of Christ are more accepting of homosexuality and allow their clergy to perform same sex marriages. Other denominations still prohibit their clergy from performing same sex marriages, but members of those churches are often tolerant of LGBT people anyway; 83% of Christians that are members of the Episcopal Church believe that homosexuality should be accepted in society, as well as 65% of members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and 82% of members of the United Church of Christ (Murphy, 2015). These statements and data show that, although some Christian teachings still assert that homosexuality is a sin, it is incorrect to assume that, just because some Christians believe this to be true, that all Christians believe it is true, or that it would negate any additional teachings of tolerance. In addition to tolerance regarding homosexuality, many Christians are also tolerant of transgender people. The Episcopal Church and United Church of Christ have both released
statements of inclusion for transgender people within their churches (Sandstrom, 2015), and while the Presbyterian Church has not released any official statement of inclusion, in 2010 the church removed barriers that prevented transgender people from being ordained and stated in 2014 that it has consistently advocated for civil rights for LGBT people, while acknowledging the religious reservations that some clergy have about the role of LGBT people in the church, and deciding that these reservations should not inhibit the ability of LGBT people to live faithfully as a part of the church (Parsons, 2014). However, the Westboro Baptist Church s view on LGBT people is also quite different, and because they are so prominent in the media, their beliefs on the matter may seem more prevalent in mainstream Christianity, leading to the assumption that all Christian beliefs are similar to theirs. The group s Twitter account frequently posts pictures of signs that the group holds at protests, which usually take place at funerals. The events that the group protest may only peripherally be related to LGBT issues, such as protesting at the funerals of military members who have died in combat, drawing the conclusion themselves that that person was killed by God as retaliation for the occurrence of same sex marriage in the United States. This is exemplified in the group s comment on the funeral of Laird Landis, a soldier in the United States Army who died of unknown causes, that he died for USA sin (WBCSaysRepent). Again, the Westboro Baptist Church s views on the matter are far different from the views of mainstream Christianity, but again their views are also more noticeable, and the same consequence occurs of associating this view with mainstream Christianity. These assumptions about intolerance in Christianity lead not only to intolerance toward Christians by those who hold the assumptions, but it also may lead to conflicts that surpass
simply holding an intolerant opinion of Christianity. An assumption may just be based on mistaken information and not be intended to harm others, or it may be based on intolerant beliefs that are already held, but both of these origins lead to detrimental effects. Outside assumptions of Christianity have been shown to affect not only other non Christians, but devout Christians themselves, 80% of which believe that the Christian church is anti homosexual themselves, and many of whom feel that they should not call themselves Christian because of the baggage that accompanies the label (Banks, 2007). The fact that many Christians find their religious expression limited is a clear indication that assumptions about religions are connected to religious intolerance, and to move past this intolerance, these assumptions must be challenged and corrected.
Works Cited Anderson, B.A. "How Christians View Non Christian Religions." How Christians View Non Christian Religions. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, 7 Sept. 2007. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. Banks, Adelle M. "Study: Youth See Christians as Judgmental, Anti gay." USA Today. USA TODAY, 10 Oct. 2007. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed. Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2000. Print. Murphy, Caryle. "Most U.S. Christian Groups Grow More Accepting of Homosexuality." Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, 18 Dec. 2015. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. Murphy, Caryle. "What's a Sin? Catholics Don't Always Agree with Their Church." Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, 25 Sept. 2015. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. Parsons, Grady. "A Message from the Stated Clerk, Grady Parsons." Office of the General Assembly. PC(USA), n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. Pope Paul VI. " Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non Christian Religions Nostra aetate." Vatican: the Holy See. Rome, 28 Oct. 1965. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.
Reiser, William, S.J. "Roman Catholic Understanding of Religious Tolerance in Modern Times." Religious Tolerance in World Religions. Ed. Jacob Neusner and Bruce Chilton. West Conshohocken: Templeton Foundation Press, 2008. 153 73. Print. Rohlfer, Grant. Personal interview. 2 Apr. 2016. Sandstrom, Aleksandra. "Religious Groups' Policies on Transgender Members Vary Widely." Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, 02 Dec. 2015. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. Shepson, Bill. "Study Reveals How Americans View Christians." Foursquare News. The Foursquare Church, 7 Dec. 2010. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. Westboro Baptist (WBCSaysRepent). " Thou shalt not lie with mankind,as with womankind: it is abomination...that the land spue not you out! Lev18:22,28". 09 Apr. 2016, 9:36 PM. Tweet. Westboro Baptist (WBCSaysRepent). Two false religions coming together. What thick darkness. God hates apostate Christ rejecting Jews & raping priests. 8 Apr. 2016, 12:06 PM. Tweet.
Westboro Baptist ( WBCSaysRepent). Who ll remind those attending the funeral of @USArmy Sgt. Landis 4/9 at Emmanuel Church, Abilene KS, that he died for USA sin @AbileneRCKs? 7 Apr. 2016, 3:04 PM. Tweet.