Religious Scholar

I used to think that tolerance was a lazy person’s game. What could be more passive than tolerance? Envision a country bumpkin gnawing on a straw and lounging under a tree. Tolerance (I thought) took no effort and made no waves. It was the big “Whatever!”

In the past two centuries, many governments throughout the world embraced the concept of tolerance in matters of religion. Our Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,” implying a tolerant attitude. But lately, it appears that tolerance must be worked for, pro-actively, especially when it comes to matters of faith. Many of those with a white-knuckle grip on religious dogma have embraced a worldview in which tolerance is a devilish ploy to lead believers down the path to eternal damnation.  But there is an even more disturbing trend.

Recently, one of my students cited a Web site in a paper that led me to seek out its source. Like many sites with the appearance of authority, this one was a shaky construct at best, run by a person with weak credentials in the subject matter and besotted with delusions and prejudice. While I didn’t tarry long at his site, my eye did catch one provocative opinion: the ancient Greek god Zeus, he raged, was Satan!

Oh? Really? In many years of reading and teaching about ancient cultures, I had never run into that concept before, though I’m sure it must have festered long in the nether world of uncritical thinking. It reminded me of a similarly startling declaration made in confidence to me by a priest last year. Without blinking an eye (except, perhaps, to look over his shoulder for eavesdropping aliens), the priest said in low, solemn tones, “The gods of Ancient Egypt were Satan!”

Oh-kay, hmmm. Let’s see. You don’t belong to someone else’s religion…you don’t like someone else’s religion…therefore, you brand that religion’s idea of the Deity as Satan?  Snap! Was that someone’s mind closing, like a steel trap?

Humanity has come a long way since the Dark Ages when people lived in fear of The Other. Most of us just want to get along. One of the ways to do that is to accept that people have different ideas of God, and as long as they don’t hurt anyone, they should be free to believe and practice what they choose. In a world in which a small percentage of fanatics of every faith threaten discord and destruction, doesn’t it make sense not to take potshots at other people’s religion?

Shrugging our shoulders, smiling kindly, and going on our way is the lowest form of tolerance, for sure, but better than calling names, wrapping ourselves in a mantle of self-righteous superiority, and fearing the unknown. The highest form of tolerance flows from understanding, learning to appreciate other viewpoints, listening to what people have to say.

When it comes to matters of faith, the best approach is to just say, “Know.”