Sermon for Sunday - June 22, 2014: The Congregation for Religious Tolerance - One Year Anniversary

So, here I am, marking the one year anniversary of "The Path" and the Congregation for Religious Tolerance.  I started out with no particular goal in mind, and accomplished no particular goal.  Surprise!  What I did do was meet many new people and made a butt load of friends, 9471 of them, all over the world.  Now, one has to do the math here, to put this number into some context for the math challenged, like...me.  So, let's crunch the number down, shall we?

273 individual posts, averaging 21 posts per month.

9,471 total page views = 789/month = 197/week = 38/post (give or take).

Wanting to give myself the benefit of the doubt, we will assume (the "ass" being more me than u) that these all aren't the same 38 people.  I take solace in the fact that, even if they are the same 38, they are spread out across the globe to 33 countries.  Let's take a look at the top ten countries of the thirty-three I have managed to record from the spotty statistics provided by the website.

8581 = U.S.

409 = Russia

119 = Germany

62 = S. Korea

57 = Ukraine (Really?  Even the Ukraine?)

29 = China

24 = U.K.

16 = Malaysia (In the top 10?)

14 = France

8 = Canada (I expected more from you, my northern brothers and sisters.)

Regardless of the iffy statistics, the comments and e-mails remain positive.  There is no shortage of opinion on world events especially with Islam and the ISIS terrorist organization cutting off the heads of countless civilians in their march across Iraq.  If this is okay with Islam, the entire religion has collapsed into a rabble of heretics, flying in the face of Mohammad's Qur'an and any peaceful philosophy he may have desired.  I refuse to believe this.  I have to believe that there are those that still profess and practice the peaceful tenets of Islam.

So, I will continue to post and bloviate for another year, and perhaps another and another.  I will rely on Pope Francis to continue to put his best foot forward, regardless of Vatican naysayers.  I will continue to hope that the leaders of "peaceful" Islam will find their voice, and an outlet for it, in order to let the entire world know the true intent of Mohammad and deny the terrorist a safe-haven in Islam.

Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance (OCRT) has a Statement of beliefs which I think each and every person looking for a good definition of religious or spiritual tolerance should consider.  I have provided an excerpt of the tenets of that belief as well as the link to their website if you would like to consider their philosophy further (http://www.religioustolerance.org/statbelief.htm).

Note:  The ideas put forth below are those of the OCRT and not me, or The Path.  Although I agree with much of what they profess, everything can be made better with time and new concepts.  Whether you agree with what they profess, or not, what they have here is an excellent starting point and I feel it is well worth the read.

Personal worth: The inherent worth of every person. People are worthy of respect, support, and caring simply because they are human. Unfortunately, our group has not reached a consensus on when human life, in the form of an ovum and spermatozoon, becomes a human person with civil rights including the right to live. On this matter, our group's lack of agreement on when person-hood begins mirrors that of society at large. 

Lack of discrimination: Working towards a culture that is relatively free of discrimination on the basis of gender, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, physical disability, language, age, body shape, etc. 

Dignity: The dignity of the human person. We oppose the use of torture and cruel or unusual punishment including the death penalty. 

Democracy: The importance of democratic processes within religious, political, and other structures in which the will of the people is implemented, subject to the limits imposed by the constitution.

Religion-state matters: The separation of religion and the state. (This is generally referred to as "separation of church and state." But we prefer the more inclusive term). The government should avoid promoting one faith group within a religion over another, or promote one religion over another, promote religion over secular beliefs, or promote secular beliefs over religion. 

Personal freedom: The freedoms of religious beliefs, speech, association, and expression at the individual, congregational and denominational level.

Freedom of speech: The freedom to compare the beliefs of faith groups with each other, and with the findings of science. It also includes the freedom to criticize faith and other groups when they harm others. 

Relative truth: The principle that many moral, ethical, and religious beliefs vary greatly from one culture, religion, and time to another, and are thus relative. We do acknowledge that they are often considered absolute by various religious and secular belief systems.

Impact of religion: The generally positive influence that most religions have had on their followers and on society.

A problem with the use of prayer: It is our belief that prayer is an unreliable method to assess the will of God. We were initially divided on this matter, but a pilot study appears to indicate that prayer for this purpose is unreliable.

Evil in religion: In the importance of individual believers detecting evil influences and policies that currently exist within their chosen faith group, and strongly advocating for their correction. If significant improvement or elimination of sexism, racism, homophobia, trans-phobia, xenophobia, etc. is impossible, we feel that they should consider withholding financial support and/or leaving the group.

Education: The principle that people are not truly educated unless they have studied the world's major religions and ethical systems. They need to learn of both the good and evil impacts that each has had on society throughout history. They need to be taught skills at analysis and "baloney detection."

I would like to examine a verse from the Bible that some would say negates tolerance for any religion except Christianity, John 14:6, when Jesus says:

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." 

Again, this lends itself to a multitude of interpretations.  For those wishing to control the masses through and set up division and intolerance, this verse can be read to accomplish exactly that.  Or, was Jesus simply stating that, only through his philosophies of gentle loving, forgiving, and reasonableness will one will find the Kingdom of God?  These philosophies of Jesus are the same philosophies that make up the tenets of many other peaceful spiritual and religious belief systems.  So, if we consider the latter to be true, then, regardless of spiritual or religious belief, if you practice these peaceful and loving steps to enlightenment, you will ultimately find the Father.

I read the Bible in a different context than most other Christians.  I read it with the firm belief that it has been bastardized from the loving intent of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, just as the original intent of the Qur'an has been lost by most of Islam at great cost to innocence throughout the world.

What makes one spiritual or religious belief better than another?  Their acceptance of tenets based in love, understanding, peace, and tolerance.  But, even in this, it only makes them different, not better.  Once a belief system leaves these tenets, however, they face the downhill slope to anarchy in which no one wins a place in heaven.

As always, these are just my opinion, and we all have one.  Voice yours and open yourself up to creative, peaceful discussion and debate.  Remember to peacefully agree to disagree, and much can be learned.  Remember also, tolerance is the "willingness to accept feeling, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own."  This does not mean you have to agree with them, only that you accept they have a right to their peaceful beliefs.

Go with God this Sunday and consider tolerance as part of your daily routine.  I am posting this on Friday, as I plan to take my father fishing Sunday to relax and contemplate current events in my own life and my own role in God's wonderful universe.