| Religion is a special way of sharing ourselves with | | | | society. |
| others. Perhaps the best thing that we may share | | | | Intolerance may not be a morally correct form of |
| with others through our religions is our | | | | social glue, but intolerance serves another purpose as |
| connectedness to each other and to our Creator. | | | | well. Within any group of people there will be frictions |
| We may go through many relationships with religion in | | | | where harmony among the members may turn to |
| our lives. Some of us may find our spiritual path by | | | | discord. Intolerance is a way of sublimating those |
| only a single religion, whether they find that path | | | | negative energies within the group by directing them |
| through their religious heritage or go seeking a path | | | | outward from the group. While it is true that there is |
| on their own. Some of us may try many religions and | | | | little or no justice in this method it is still a highly |
| may finally understand that none of them will be their | | | | functional social process which helps the group to |
| single path to the divine; these people may go on to | | | | remain a closely knit social unit. |
| develop a personal, independent relationship with their | | | | Aside from gluing us together and disarming social |
| Creator. | | | | conflicts among those members of our spiritual group |
| Whether we have followed one religion or sampled | | | | with whom we share our creed, intolerance is our |
| many different religions, many of us celebrate our | | | | shield against the erosion of our beliefs by outside |
| relationship to our Creator through religious worship. | | | | influences. |
| Our sacred traditions remind us of the intimate ways | | | | The benefits we derive from the social relationships |
| we are connected to each other and to all of | | | | that we may build through our faith or religion are |
| Creation. | | | | enormous, and many moments of intolerance spring |
| Some of us may sometimes err in our perceptions of | | | | forth from our natural human trait to protect that |
| religions. We may think one or another of the many | | | | which we cherish. |
| religions we encounter may be false or hurtful. It is | | | | If we are lucky enough to be raised with any faith or |
| true that we may sometimes experience hurts from | | | | religion, we may find ourselves in a community that |
| the careless words or hands of those who practice | | | | nurtures and protects us, loves us and rewards us, |
| their religion sanctimoniously or dogmatically. There | | | | and provides for us in our hour of need. |
| may always be those who would exclude from grace | | | | Certainly those are gifts worth defending? |
| anyone who will not bow down to those holy laws | | | | As we grow in wisdom we may learn to see faults |
| peculiar to their own religion, holy laws which they | | | | with some of the social behavior or doctrinal |
| may often purport to be the only path to God. | | | | practices associated with our spiritual communities. |
| But those hurtful acts are the acts of foolish people | | | | We may then turn away in shame and wish to |
| who have warped their creed to ignoble ends. That | | | | dissociate ourselves from our heritage or chosen |
| their creed still has its roots in the divine remains | | | | creed so that we may distance ourselves from those |
| undeniable, and there is still beauty and value in their | | | | who continue to participate in behavior we now see |
| creed beyond any mean divisive or invective words | | | | as sullied by injustice or intolerance. |
| or deeds. | | | | In turning away from our religious fellowship we may |
| Religions are living wonders; they take on a life of | | | | lose our connections with many of the cherished |
| their own that transcends the sum of their individual | | | | people whom we once regarded as our fast friends. |
| members with a continuity that spans many | | | | We may also lose our precious sense of community, |
| generations. The lives of religions are fulfilled and | | | | that wonderful feeling of belonging among our |
| renewed through the members who practice their | | | | fellows. Turning away in this manner brings us pain |
| faith. If religions sometimes bring some harm to one | | | | and in our pain we may even turn away from our |
| another, or to their members, they may still yield a | | | | Creator. We may even think that there may never |
| great good to those within their folds in need of | | | | have been a Creator and that everything about our |
| companionship and guidance on their path through life. | | | | chosen creed or our religious heritage was a |
| It may be pointless to reiterate all the many faults of | | | | manipulative game to dominate us; that every part |
| so many various religions. We may know that | | | | of the game was nothing but a snare of lies with |
| religions often appear to be made into tools to | | | | which to trap us. |
| control and to subjugate us rather than to liberate | | | | Alternately, we may value the comfort of our |
| and enlighten us. But in spite of any perceived faults | | | | religious social network so much that we will choose |
| in another person's choice of spiritual paths we should | | | | to overlook any hint of rebellion within ourselves |
| respect the fact that the paths that other people | | | | against the injustices we see within our group. We |
| choose to walk remain their own decision, and that | | | | may submerge ourselves in our creed as well as we |
| the enlightenment they seek may be of a different | | | | are able to, in denial of anything that may feel wrong |
| order than that which we want for ourselves. | | | | either amongst our fellowship or within ourselves. |
| We cannot be free in our pursuit of spiritual | | | | Those of us who leave the comfort and care of |
| knowledge and the blessings of wisdom if we hold a | | | | their religious heritage or chosen group may find |
| closed place in our hearts over any matter, | | | | themselves living in a void, deprived of community. |
| particularly matters of faith or religion. | | | | There is often a reflexive desire to fill this void with |
| What we close off from our hearts will shut us away | | | | something else. Often that desire seems urgent and |
| from life, experience and joy. | | | | we may immediately discover some new group with |
| There are so many, many beautiful aspects to | | | | which to fill the void created by dissociating ourselves |
| religious faiths of every kind, regardless of whether | | | | from our old fellowship. |
| their roots lay in the east or in the west, in mystical | | | | Whether we may fill that void immediately or |
| experience or in doctrinal compliance. We are enriched | | | | eventually, many of us who have turned away from |
| by all the many various religions in ways both subtle | | | | a former creed will seek a new creed and culture, a |
| and sublime. | | | | new place within a society where we may once |
| Here I will speak personally of my love of religions. | | | | more be rewarded and cherished, where we may |
| I love the stories of Hinduism's Bhagavad-Gita, | | | | feel our spiritual needs are again being met. |
| particularly their hero Arjuna, yet Biblical stories are a | | | | Those with no strong roots in any creed, who may |
| fundamental part of my heritage. I see no conflict; | | | | never have been raised in a religion where they are |
| both speak to my heart in different ways. The | | | | brought within the fold and cherished may fail to see |
| wisdom of Buddha and the wisdom of Islamic Sufis | | | | the delight and comfort that so many more of us |
| have brought me understanding and opened my | | | | who belong within religious groups may find so fulfilling |
| heart to a wider world than I knew before I | | | | in our lives. Yet, those outsiders may witness the |
| encountered them. Among my Jewish friends and | | | | bonds of fellowship among the religious folk they |
| neighbors I have witnessed the powerful roots of | | | | know and they may long for their own sense of |
| Judaism and the strength it gives their people against | | | | belonging. In the end some kindness or act of grace |
| intolerance. I love to dance, and I see in Native | | | | may open their hearts and then they may seek |
| American ceremonial dancing a reflection of the | | | | fellowship in their newfound spirituality. Perhaps they |
| sacredness of dance that I feel within myself. I | | | | will find good fellowship somewhere among the many |
| embrace the skies and feel the roots of Wicca | | | | flowers of the garden of our religions or they may |
| emerging from within me uniting me with the Great | | | | find fellowship while off upon their own unique |
| Mother, Earth. | | | | spiritual path discovering friendship wherever their |
| What wonderful joys these are, and yet the | | | | path may intersect another person's path in love and |
| opportunity to experience these joys might be | | | | joy and sharing. |
| sundered in single a moment of reflection upon the | | | | While some of us may embrace atheism in response |
| darker sides of any of these spiritual traditions. | | | | to our enlightenment regarding the perceived faults in |
| In the end we may only be bound by our personal | | | | our former spiritual heritage or choice of religion, |
| faith alone, but along the way we may hope to | | | | others may adopt a new religious faith. But some |
| share, and the many flowers that grow in the garden | | | | who have turned away from religion through their |
| of our religions are worth experiencing, nurturing and | | | | enlightenment may go forth to sample all the |
| caring. Those flowers within this precious garden that | | | | different flowers of the garden, knowing that they |
| we may sometimes think are weeds will all have their | | | | will not join the fellowship of any single religion but will |
| own sacred places which we may discover in our | | | | instead always belong to the entire garden in which all |
| hearts if we will only see them in the shining light of | | | | the flowers of faith are grown. |
| another person's eyes and wisdom. | | | | These garden children may be some of the most |
| If you are at a place of intolerance with one religion | | | | beautiful people of any whom you will ever meet. |
| or another, think on what you may be missing or | | | | You will know them by their warm hearts. You will |
| whom you may hurt with your intolerance. Think | | | | know them by their bright smiles for everyone they |
| about how much you may one day regret the pain | | | | meet in any circumstances. You will know them by |
| your intolerance may have brought to others. Can | | | | their great independence and valorous strength for |
| you look beyond the form of another person's | | | | they have a direct and private relationship to their |
| religion to the light shining in their hearts? When you | | | | Creator unfettered by any other being or beliefs. |
| see that shining light you are rewarded with the | | | | This deep abiding association they have with their |
| abundant love of our Creator and share something | | | | Creator may hold them up and sustain them in any |
| precious beyond words with someone you might | | | | adversity. |
| otherwise have slighted or utterly put down. | | | | These garden children live in the deepest of all the |
| Think. Where did you learn your intolerance and what | | | | mysteries of religion for they have left the trappings |
| purpose does it serve? | | | | of dogma and doctrine behind and have learned to |
| Many religions have creeds imbued with intolerance of | | | | experience grace directly from its divine source. The |
| one sort or another. Intolerance is a form of social | | | | garden children have transcended the fractious ways |
| glue. It helps to give us an identity as a unique group | | | | of groups, and found a way to belong to the entire |
| of people, an identity defined by the differences of | | | | world and to all of us who dwell here. They have |
| our culture and heritage. | | | | found their way to this transcendental state within |
| Intolerance has another gluey property as well; it | | | | their hearts by their unique enduring faith and |
| binds us to our spiritual path with guilt. We know in | | | | wisdom. They are as grateful to share the wonders |
| our hearts that it is wrong to act with intolerance or | | | | of their spirits with any open hearted person that |
| even with indifference, but we follow the intolerant | | | | they may find, as they are grateful to receive those |
| example of those with whom we identify and our | | | | blessings of friendship and spirit which so many |
| culpability and guilt may then forever bind us to our | | | | people will eagerly share with them. |
| particular spiritual fellowship, for the members of our | | | | This sharing of our spirits is the ultimate meaning of |
| group forgive us and may permit or encourage our | | | | religion and may bring us all closer to one another in |
| unkind acts toward those outside of our limited | | | | the process of drawing us closer to our Creator. |