Religious Acceptance | Teen Ink

Religious Acceptance

July 5, 2010
By Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran


I think that for many people, it is a natural instinct to condemn the people that do not belong to their group and its way of thinking. To say, ‘if you do not believe what we believe, worship as we worship, and follow what we are following, then you do not belong to what is right.’ It is a sad way to affirm that what you believe in is true and the only truth. Being a Christian, I’m afraid to say that we hold great fault when it comes to accepting other religions. Many Christians think that if you don’t follow Jesus, then you will end up in Hell, a though which seems to me to be very flawed.

My view of acceptance is very different from my view of tolerance. Tolerating something, to me, indicates that there is something that must be put up with. Accepting something is greeting it with open arms. It would be something if the arguing religions found a way to tolerate each other. However, it would be so much more to understand and embrace each other. We must recognize than no one is completely right or completely wrong about death, life, and God. Let’s stop excluding the spiritual stranger and be able to learn something from them.

The key to this policy of open arms is to recognize that God is infinitely bigger than one faith, one religion. God is too complex for us to know all about him, so no one can decide who he acknowledges as his ‘chosen people.’ Even though I’m a Christian, I whole-heartedly believe that God loves, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, agnostics, the nonreligious, and so on. He loves them and accepts them into heaven after death.

My grandmother once told me that the spiritual journey is like a cluster of paths. Some are longer and more difficult to walk than others, but they all lead to the same place. Everybody forges their own paths; the paths sometimes cross, join, and wind in different directions. Each soul makes its own journey, sometimes inadvertently. Each soul finds its way to God. It is not a certain religion that leads us quickest to him, but faith in what we believe in and devotion to it. Most of all, it is following what God stands for even if you don’t know that it is him that you are following. The quickest path to God is standing for love, compassion, kindness, purity, etc. God is too caring to choose one group of people over another. So the least we can do is follow in his footsteps and love one another, even if are beliefs are different.


The author's comments:
I hope that I don't offend anyone with this article. I also hope that this will aid your acceptance of different faiths.

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This article has 65 comments.


on Apr. 3 2014 at 10:03 pm
CharleyLatta BRONZE, Salem, Massachusetts
2 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
"We can do no great things, only small things with great love." -- Mother Theresa

Like many other people, I don't want to get in an argument... but... jeseer, the definition of a Christian is someone who follows Christ and his message.  People interperet the Bible differently and so interperet god, and Jesus' message differently.  I am glad you know what you believe so firmly.  I simply ask you to please not be so forceful with your religion.  Other people are still searching for their faith and most people will differ in belief from you.  As a Unitarian Universalist, I strongly encourage free thinking and helping people find their own spiritual path.  I do know that I am not a Christian.  Sure, I think the teachings of Jesus are great, but I do not believe in a tangeble "God".  I believe that god is a feeling and an action.  God is something that you have inside of you.  Then agian, that is only what I believe.  I pray for the open mindedness of all people. 

on Mar. 29 2013 at 10:55 pm
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
- Maya Angelou
When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn’t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out
The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay
If love produced a blossom/I’d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I’d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven
And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

NO way, you wrote it perfectly sir. I guess it was aimed at them but see it turned out to be so much more and affected so many people. And exactly what good writing does. And I shall join you in that prayer. Until then raven....

on Mar. 29 2013 at 4:11 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

All that you say is very true and very well stated (you should have written this essay!). I suppose my critique was aimed at Christians because I call myself a Christian and am surrounded by Christians, and I feel that we need to take some responsibility for it. Anyway, I shall be praying that we all recognize the same thing as well. Until then, SaphiraBrightScales...

on Mar. 23 2013 at 1:14 pm
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
- Maya Angelou
When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn’t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out
The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay
If love produced a blossom/I’d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I’d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven
And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

Beautfiully conveyed! Yes,  but you know, it isn't just Christians who act that way sometimes, being a Muslim and living in a Muslim country I have come across many Muslims who behave that way too. Though inadvertantly some often put themselves above others. Though the others may belong to any religion, they're human and God made them and he loves all humans equally. God never said you are superior to another on the basis of religion. It is utterly worng to do that. Acceptance is what was preached and still is.. I just pray that we all recognize it in our hearts and then the world shall definitely be the ideal place.   And as the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said in his last sermon : "All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action."  

on Feb. 28 2013 at 9:35 pm
jeseer PLATINUM, Auburntown, Tennessee
22 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Truth without love is a killer, but love without truth is a liar. The Bible commands us to have both: It says to speak the truth in love."--Elliott Nesch
"To love another person is to see the face of God."--Victor Hugo

I apologize, but if you think it is so “silly” that we would be on the same page, that I would understand your beliefs, you are sadly mistaken. The omnipotent, omniscient God of the Judaism and Christianity has graciously and lovingly given us words of life. It is clear, concise, and coherent. If you are a Christian, then you believe in God’s word, you believe that God’s words are more powerful and authoritative than the words of human flesh, any power, or any principality apart from Him. I have such a hard time with Christians thinking that since God used imperfect humans to write the Bible, it is imperfect. Anyone who thinks this is ultimately conveying that God didn’t think ahead of time about the issues of the conveyance of truth. God can do WHATEVER he wants. It was His WILL for us to have these words of life, thus he graciously gave us His word: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

“He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, He gave them  right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or the will of man, but of God.”(JN 1:10-13) People end up in Hell because they do not accept the Lord and follow Him, allowing Him to reign inside of them.
There's a reason that God tells all to repent. There's a reason God URGES us to "deny himself and take up his cross daily"(LK 9:23), die to self, live after the spirit (Romans 8), to test ourselves to see that we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5) (bearing good fruit). Those who actually are in Him must seek Him and bear good fruit, in order to remain a part of the "vine" of Christ: "Every branch in me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit...Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless it remains in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned." (John 15:1-6) Parables like these and several others are used for warning of Hell—to both the believer and non-believer—Christ, John the Baptist, Paul, and the other disciples preached the gospel: The huge sacrifice God gave sinner’s, to save them from the depths of Hell…AND that gift is for those with TRUE faith: those who CONTINUALLY humble themselves  and repent, those who CONTINUALLY pick up their crosses, love their enemies and commission them to the same call—the call to a life in the Spirit—for the fear that they’d go to Hell. This fear is the same fear that Paul had for the body of Christ: “But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted from a complete and pure devotion to Christ.”—2 Corinthians 1:4 He also feared for other groups of the body. Reading the Bible, you should see the obvious importance of accepting Christ, dying to self, and living everyday of your life for Him. Also, you should see that Hell is real, relevant, and is a justified punishment for those who do not live for God. You are absolutely correct that God’s love and our love for God and people are the greatest things of all, but where you’re mistaken about God’s love is that, out of pure, powerful love, God beckons to us to live as Christ, lest we go to Hell; and that “All the Law and the Prophet’s depend on these two commands”(Matthew 22:40). This is the truth, my friend, and, in due time, if the Holy Spirit does, in fact, dwell in you, you will see this truth.  

on Feb. 3 2013 at 8:45 pm
I see how silly of me it was to try and make you understand what I believe about God. My apologies. But I'd like to tell you that, even if you and I have differing interpretations of God's Word, I don't "call" myself a Christian, I am a Christian. If you follow Christ, you are a Christian. Christ's, we both agree, is the way of love. But, again, I believe that this love is the most powerful force in the world; it is the source of all life and light, and so, ultimately, we will all return to it, not just those of us fortunate enough to have been born into Christian families.   I don't like to argue with you; believe me. I just wanted to make sure you understood my beliefs about God.

on Dec. 20 2012 at 7:05 pm
jeseer PLATINUM, Auburntown, Tennessee
22 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Truth without love is a killer, but love without truth is a liar. The Bible commands us to have both: It says to speak the truth in love."--Elliott Nesch
"To love another person is to see the face of God."--Victor Hugo

Friend, my truth Is the living word of God. I'm not sure if you take it as seriously as I TRY to do. Repeatedly, repeatedly, God (Christ) has emphasized that we must, absolutely must, believe and live for him. Now, understand Yaweh is Jesus, the holy spirit, the god of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. NOTHING ELSE!  EVERYTHING apart from him is against him. If you don't agree with me, than obviously you don't belive his words: "I you are not for me, you are against me". And, OBVIOUSLY, people MUST accept him ON THEIR OWN FREE WILL, otherwise they DO, in fact, go to hell. This is absolute truth. If you don't believe me, you don't believe in God's word. God stands by his words and promises, thus, as promised, non-believers WILL go to hell. It would make NO SENSE to call yourself a Christian and not believe that. Have you heard of apostasy? It's in the bible: "Many of you will say Lord, Lord, and I will say depart from me, I never knew you." Why would you not believe that??? Do you think he was just kidding? That's An EXTREMELY dangerous mindset. If God would see to it that a non-believing, unrepentant heart would get to Heaven, than God contradicted himself, Jesus died in vain, and the whole, revelutionay gospell of love, repentance, a change of heart and a life devoted to losing ones life and serving God (Yaweh) was a lie. I'm just going by your theory.

on Dec. 20 2012 at 4:02 pm
It's been a while since you've made this comment, but I've always intended to reply... More than anything, I'm touched by your sincerity, and your well-wishes; thank you, especially, for the prayers which you promised me. :) That's the most important thing, when two "believers" enter into a conflict about the God they both love, that they remember to wish each other well. The area of our disagreement, I think, is narrower than you might imagine. I too believe that Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life." The discrepancy between us, rather, is what the two of us think it means to "follow Christ." According to my definition, it is possible to "follow Christ" on a wide variety of paths; I am insistent in believing that He is larger than any one religion. I was so happy to hear you say that "Jesus died for that Muslim, that Atheist, etc." and affirm how much God loves all his children. But you and I, of course, simply don't see eye to eye about both non-Christians, and "evil-doers," as you might call them. I think I addressed the former category by saying that they encounter God (and Christ) in their own way, even without knowing it. As to the latter, I doubt that anybody, in their heart of hearts, would consider God to be their 'adversary.' And the God I believe in would stop at nothing to ensure that His children arrived at his doorstep, even if it took eternity. My truth is not quite the same as your truth, friend. But do recognize that we worship the same loving God. Dunno if you're even reading this comment, but I thank you for inviting me to 'think about it.' :)

on Jun. 13 2012 at 9:13 pm
believe@faith BRONZE, RosharonTexas, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Time is like a river.
You cannot touch the same water twice,
because the flow that has passed will never pass again....
enjoy everyday of life"

I respect what you said and yes God loves all people ands wants them to turn to him ( but everyone has their choice to accept or not). God is love, but he also puts justice. Not everyone ends at the same stop sign.

on Mar. 30 2012 at 2:27 pm
jeseer PLATINUM, Auburntown, Tennessee
22 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Truth without love is a killer, but love without truth is a liar. The Bible commands us to have both: It says to speak the truth in love."--Elliott Nesch
"To love another person is to see the face of God."--Victor Hugo

I apoligize for commenting so much, but I am passionate about the truth of Christianity.

Jesus Christ told us followers to make fishers of men and to spread the gospel. Therefore, we do have an obligation to evangelize to non-believers about this salvation from hell. We do not do this to push them away. We do this to lead them to the love, the goodness, the grace of our Father. Moreover, we do this (hopefully!) out of our anguish for what might happen to them otherwise, had they not accepted our Lord. Jesus died for that Muslim, that Atheist, that Jew, that Satanist. He died for Hitler Hussein, Dahmer, Bin Ladin, for the opportunity for  them--His children--to turn around and accept Him, to live for Him, and to live with Him (using their own free will).

Why would He become despised and rejected and accept someone who persecutes His children ("radical" muslims )  Or belives that the mahadi (Muslim messiah) is the messiah instead of Himself. That doesn't make sense in any case.

These rapist, murderers, idolaters, etc. are given the chance of salvation plenty of times in their life. If they continue to do what they do, worship who they want to worship, what makes you think that they'd be happy in Heaven, living with their adversary?

His love for them is indescribable. He wants His babies to know the Truth and choose to accept Him.

Think about it.;)

 

 


on Mar. 30 2012 at 1:45 pm
jeseer PLATINUM, Auburntown, Tennessee
22 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Truth without love is a killer, but love without truth is a liar. The Bible commands us to have both: It says to speak the truth in love."--Elliott Nesch
"To love another person is to see the face of God."--Victor Hugo

Friend, to this person's defense, I must say that by choosing to follow the Christ and God of the Bible means believing the WORD OF GOD in its entirity. God chose Paul, David, Moses, John, Solomon, etc. to write the Bible for a reason. Yes, the are flawed, they are sinful, but He appointed them to properly write out His word for His children.  God is not infallible, He knows exactly what He's doing. Please keep this in mind.

on Mar. 29 2012 at 2:41 pm
jeseer PLATINUM, Auburntown, Tennessee
22 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Truth without love is a killer, but love without truth is a liar. The Bible commands us to have both: It says to speak the truth in love."--Elliott Nesch
"To love another person is to see the face of God."--Victor Hugo

I hope you also know that, as a Christian, Jesus is God in the flesh. Also, the Bible is not contradictory: Jesus came as the fulfillment of the Old Law(Old Testament/Torah). He came to fulfill the law because the Pharisees thought that they were more righteous than anyone else and many other reasons.

I hope you take this into account. I'll be praying for you. Remember: "the truth shall set you free"--John 8:32


on Mar. 29 2012 at 2:27 pm
jeseer PLATINUM, Auburntown, Tennessee
22 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Truth without love is a killer, but love without truth is a liar. The Bible commands us to have both: It says to speak the truth in love."--Elliott Nesch
"To love another person is to see the face of God."--Victor Hugo

You do know that, as a Christian, you are omitting Jesus's own words about salvation ("I am the way, the truth and the life. The ONLY way to the Father is through me", "For God so loved the world", Etc, etc). To even say that a muslim or buddhist can get into heaven refutes the word of God. I am all for accepting muslims, atheists, etc., assuming that you present them with the TRUTH (the word of God)--if they are open to discussing religious view--and the TRUTH is that, if they don't beleive that Jesus is the messiah, they will not get into heaven. By all means, don't push them away, but make sure that you are biblically correct.

God Bless!


leafy said...
on Dec. 21 2011 at 3:01 pm
leafy, City, Other
0 articles 0 photos 682 comments

Favorite Quote:
Gil: I would like you to read my novel and get your opinion. 
Ernest Hemingway: I hate it. 
Gil: You haven't even read it yet. 
Ernest Hemingway: If it's bad, I'll hate it. If it's good, then I'll be envious and hate it even more. You don't want the opinion of another writer. 

I have to agree with you on this one. Oftentimes, I grow thoroughly embarrassed by my fellow Christians' actions...

on Aug. 8 2011 at 11:21 pm
Destinee BRONZE, Oakville, Other
3 articles 0 photos 303 comments

Favorite Quote:
Blegh. - Abraham Lincoln

Yay! :) 

on Aug. 8 2011 at 6:25 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

You're welcome and yah it really did do all of that for me.

on Aug. 8 2011 at 6:13 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

Wow, that's one of the best comments I've ever received! I'm so glad that my article did that much for you!

on Aug. 8 2011 at 6:11 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

No, no. I just often have an eye for subtleties.

Of course, you had everything to do with it!


on Aug. 8 2011 at 5:56 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Oops sorry for the double post, it didn't show up the first one.

on Aug. 8 2011 at 5:55 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Thesilentraven:

 

Thank you so much for writing this article.  It's helped strengthen what I've always known.  I especially liked the last paragraph.  I'm a Cath.olic and I share your views wholeheartedly.  I feel sad when Christ.ians are so blind to others.  Once I mentioned to my parents how I felt and they were horrified.  I was very depressed and confused.  I'm not confused anymore.