Religious Tolerance: My View

"Until there is peace between religions, there can be no peace in the world."

-- Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk, peace activist

Note:  The is an edit of the first post on my blog, The Path.  It was also my inspiration, no, that's not quite right.  This post was not so much my inspiration as it was the impetus for starting the blog itself, and for starting the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to my true inspiration, the ignorant, vitriolic rhetoric which was being spewed against an entire religion, and all people of a particular faith.  We have since tempered such rhetoric but still have some distance to travel before we are able to focus our attention on the true evil infecting our world and identify it as the heresy it represents. 

There is a bit to be said for enduring years of seminary to learn about Holy Scripture, or of one’s faith or being 'born again' through the ministry of these 'educated' apostles of the prophets.  On the other hand, I have learned there is a lot to be said for good sense.  Good sense stopped being common years ago, so finding it is a rarity.

Due to my view of 'common' sense, I am constantly at odds with Christian sects over the Bible and their philosophies.  Where I tend to be tolerant of their beliefs, I am damned to an eternity of suffering for mine.  Is this truly God’s intent?  Is this the epitome of Christian understanding; of tolerance, love and forgiveness?  I think not, and this is the reason I have issues with most organized religions.  I feel they have their place as a springboard for education, discussion, fellowship, and opening one’s mind to religious possibilities, but, sooner or later, one has to think for one’s self.

I evidence this with two recent instances where Christian friends have condemned Islam and all of those that follow that path.  The same God and testaments, Mohammed educated by Christian and Hebrew scholars of the day, then, visited by God’s angel with a message to deliver Islam from their destructive path.  Sound familiar?  Is it sacrilege, or the coming of another prophet?  The cry goes up from the Abrahamic masses, "But, he isn’t a Christian!"

Here is a man that never professes to be the Son of God.  He recognizes that God’s chosen people, the Jews, have a written book that give them a path to follow as do the Christians.  The Jews were referred to as “the people of the book.”  His only desire is to save his people, the Muslims, from their unrighteous path by giving them laws to govern their lives, a 'Holy' book of their own.  Through angelic advice he is given the path that would label him a prophet and the governing leader of his people.

It would sound as if I were a believer in Islam, a preacher of the faith.  In so far as I find the philosophy to be as sound as that of Judaism and Christianity, this is true.  But, more to the point, I find the treatment of Islam to be a great example of the world's lack of religious intolerance that has followed them since the Crusades.  This is the same lack of tolerance which has haunted Judaism and Christianity; the same lack of tolerance which, truth be told, visits itself upon almost every 'peaceful' religious sect, and those people of faith.

We are all at odds with Islam, today.  Is it an evil religion touting war and death, or is it the peaceful philosophy of love and tolerance?  I offer up an Islamic view of their religious tolerance, referencing quotes from An Elementary Study of Islam by Hazrat Mirza Ahmad (ra), 1996:

“Muslims are required to believe not only in the divine scripture revealed to the Holy Founder of Islam, which is called the Quran, but it is essential for every Muslim to believe in all such divine revelations as were vouchsafed to other prophets, from wherever and whichever age. It is an essential part of a Muslim's belief that if anyone professes belief only in the divine origin of the Quran, and refuses to acknowledge the divine origin of other books, such as the Old Testament and the New Testament etc., his profession of Islam would be invalidated.”

Then to look at their view of other religion’s intolerance toward Islam and the “Unity of God”: 

“Coming to individuals, the belief in Unity plays a very important role in the education and upbringing of humans. It requires a consistency between man's views and actions, a consistency between his relationship with God and his fellow beings, thus binding creation in a single chain of unbreakable unity. This can be better understood by bringing to focus the practices of some so-called religious people, who preach hatred for one section of human society against another in the name of the one and only God. The principle of Unity of God is at variance with this practice, and as such does not permit people to create divisions between God and His creation and within the creation of God.”

So, where does all this leave us with Jihad, the Holy War?  Again I quote from Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad for the clarity of the message: 

"A very important question which relates to the propagation of all divine messages. It relates to the instrument of propagation Adherents of almost all religions, as they move away in time from the source, are invariably known to have employed coercion either to keep people within the fold of their religion, or to convert others into their faith. But according to the Holy Quran, this in no way reflects upon their religion's attitude to coercion. No religion at its source has ever permitted the use of force in any form whatsoever. In fact all religions have been made targets of coercion, and no efforts were spared by their opponents to arrest the growth of religions at their source and to annihilate them completely. Every time a new prophet came, attempts were invariably made by the enemies to suppress his message through the use of force and merciless persecution. It is the most tragic irony therefore that of all the books, the Holy Quran is singled out today as proponent of the employment of coercion for the sake of the spread of its message. Even greater tragedy lies in the fact that it is the Muslim clergy itself which loudly propounds this view, blatantly attributing it to the Holy Quran."

The Holy Quran, it should be remembered, is the only Divine book which absolves all the prophets of the world, wherever and in whichever age they were born, of the crime of coercion in relation to the spread of their message. Hence it is inconceivable that the Quran should present its Holy Prophet (sa) as the harbinger of an era of bloodshed in the name of peace, and hatred in the name of love of God. This is no place to engage in intricate polemical discussions, so this brief introduction should suffice here. According to the Quran, the Holy War, called Jihad, is in reality a holy campaign which uses the help of the Quran to bring about a spiritual revolution in the world."

 "Fight against them by means Of it (the Quran) a great fight"  Surah Al-Furqan (Ch. 25, V,53)

"These are the very words of the Quran which throw light on the nature of Jihad. It must be fought by means of the Quran and the Quranic message alone. Again, to tame one's rebellious nature into complete submission to God is another form of Jihad which is in fact the greater Jihad, according to the Holy Prophet of Islam. On returning from a battle, he is reported to have said, “We are returning from the lesser Jihad to the greater Jihad.”

"Of course, defensive war is permitted only on the condition that the enemies initiate hostilities and raise sword against a weak, defenseless people for having committed the only crime of declaring that God is their Lord. All offensive wars according to Islam are unholy.”

I find that, in my 'uneducated' thinking, I am more tolerant of the religious thought of others than most other Christians.  I italicize Christians in hope that we all consider which Christian we profess to be.  Do we see ourselves as the kind of Christian man has taught us to be, as he egotistically declared himself the voice of God on earth and decided, for God, Christ, and mankind, which scripture would reflect mankind's views of God and, therefore, be included into our Bible as the holiest of scripture?  The Christian who would wage a wars of domination for land and wealth during the many Crusades in His holy name, or the Christian who killed untold thousands during the numerous Inquisitions?  Or, are we to see ourselves as a Christian that tempers 'holy scripture' with the God of our heart - the loving, forgiving, understanding and tolerant God we all hope will be waiting for us in heaven?

God imbued us with a mind, an ability to think and choose.  I choose tolerance and understanding over ignorance and prejudice.  Most importantly, I choose to use the mind God gave me to exercise tolerance and understanding with all the love of God I can bring forth.

I will not drink the cyanide laced Kool-Aid of organized heresy.  But, that's just me, and I could be wrong. 

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Note on the author of the quotes: 

Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad is the spiritual head of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. He is the fourth successor of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) who proclaimed that he was the Messiah and reformer, promised by all the great religions of the world to the people of the latter age. His community is a dynamic, world-wide, missionary force in Islam.

Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad was born on 18 December 1928 in Qadian in India. He was educated in India, Pakistan and in the UK, at The London School of Oriental and African Studies. In 1982 he was elected as the Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community following the demise of the third Khalifa (successor). The anti-Ahmadiyya ordinance imposed on 26 April 1984 by General Zia, the then dictator President of Pakistan, made it impossible for him to function as the head of his community while remaining in that country. After due consultation he decided to leave Pakistan immediately. Three days after the promulgation he took the plane from Karachi and came to London where he currently lives, and will remain until the situation in Pakistan changes for the better.

Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad is widely travelled and often delivers addresses to audiences including people from all walks of life and widely differing cultures. His addresses and other meetings are often accompanied by 'Question and Answer' sessions. He is always ready to respond to questions agitating the minds of his audience on any topic, religious or temporal, although his answers cannot avoid the influence of his deep understanding of religion, which pervades his thinking. He has written many books in Urdu as well as some in English. 'Murder in the Name of Allah' and 'Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues' are two of his recent English publications, which the reader may find of interest. He also occasionally expresses himself in Urdu verse.

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with an Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, to wage his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as Chaplain Program Liaison, at a regional medical center.