What does it mean to respect another's religious beliefs?

[cl154576]

There are no Muslims where I live. There are no Sikhs. I don't know what a Sikh is. I read in the newspaper that there are a few isolated Jews here, but I don't know where. Also, there are no blacks, no Asians or anything else. When I say there are NONE, I mean there are very, very few. ... I guess I'm a bit afraid of minorities because I've never known any. I'm also afraid of the Aryan Nations.

I never knew about the Aryan Nations until you posted this and I searched it. ... It's frightening. But I understand why that would happen in your area; most immigrants don't think of settling in such places anyway. Usually they come to the cities of the East Coast, or on the West Coast, California or Seattle. Cities like Chicago and Pittsburgh are also pretty popular considerations. Once they've settled down more they might move into the suburbs but usually not too far from the city.

I don't think anyone can clear all the minorities out of Seattle and surrounding area that easily ...

About your view of minorities, I'd like to comment. I live in a suburban area of well-off immigrants, mostly Asian, and it's extremely secure. There's virtually no crime (excepting what some stupid high school students do, but I think there are students like that everywhere) and there are definitely no gangs or graffiti.

There's a stereotypical view that minorities in general bring crimes, gangs, etc. I think there has to be some financial factor as well. There aren't many places near me where there are only poor whites, so I don't know about that situation, but many areas with poor minorities tend to be more dangerous.

[Paulclem]

I never knew about the Aryan Nations until you posted this and I searched it. ... It's frightening. But I understand why that would happen in your area; most immigrants don't think of settling in such places anyway. Usually they come to the cities of the East Coast, or on the West Coast, California or Seattle. Cities like Chicago and Pittsburgh are also pretty popular considerations. Once they've settled down more they might move into the suburbs but usually not too far from the city.

I don't think anyone can clear all the minorities out of Seattle and surrounding area that easily ...

About your view of minorities, I'd like to comment. I live in a suburban area of well-off immigrants, mostly Asian, and it's extremely secure. There's virtually no crime (excepting what some stupid high school students do, but I think there are students like that everywhere) and there are definitely no gangs or graffiti.

There's a stereotypical view that minorities in general bring crimes, gangs, etc. I think there has to be some financial factor as well. There aren't many places near me where there are only poor whites, so I don't know about that situation, but many areas with poor minorities tend to be more dangerous.

Yes. During the UK riots, the Asian shopkeepers etc were the ones out on the street protecting properties in Birmingham.

[billl]

@Yes/No (sorry should have used the quote, and now I have to go!) And anger is a useful and healthy part of the human emotional spectrum, the potential for "overdoing it with the anger" aside. The capacity for self-control can be thought of as a separate issue.





EDIT:

I think you are right about Kill Bill. The movies remind me of revenge fantasies now that I think about it.

I recall the scene when the protagonist removed the remaining eye from one of the bad guys (girl, in this case) with some special martial arts technique. The protagonist was cool, but not without anger. Her opponent just raged helplessly.

It seems that the movies were created to generate anger in the audience as well and then to have the protagonist resolve the anger through violence.

(There, I had time to go back and paste it in! I had posted and then realized there were several subsequent posts that I hadn't read yet.)

That's an interesting idea that the director might be trying to generate anger in the audience. For me, I remember rooting for the protagonist as she sought revenge, but I don't think I actually shared in the anger. It definitely might vary from person to person, though, or even within the same person on different viewings, who knows. There was a lot of action and violence--I think people like seeing the extreme stuff in movies kind of like we like riding a roller-coaster. We're safe, but still get to experience the thrills.

[Varenne Rodin]

The "Aryan Nations" thing is a strange matter to bring up on this thread. I sincerely doubt they have any sway in Washington state at all. Really, they like to make their numbers sound larger than they are. There are a lot of racist people in the bible belt, but they aren't organized. They don't keep places like Mississippi or Louisiana from being populated mostly by African Americans. No one will drive ethnic diversity out of America. It's a stupid goal.

I've lived in California my whole life and I have never encountered gang violence. I have grown up near the border and seen what loving, hardworking families Mexican Americans have. There are black people here, Asians, islanders, Canadians, Germans, Irish etc. We all get along, for the most part. I never experienced racism once before traveling outside of California. I'm sure it happens in small, impoverished burbs, but it's certainly not the norm. It's the safest state I've been to. My issues with the increases in Christian extremism don't have anything to do with race or gangs. I don't want to get political, but gangs happen where poverty is rampant. Miami is a perfect example because there is no middle class. Immigrants arrive with nothing. No one helps them. There is crime. The South is full of poor people who vote down educational funding in favor of sending their kids to Christian schools or homeschooling them. The lack of a progressive educational system, coupled with poor parenting practices, is the biggest factor contributing to racism, so it can't all be blamed on religion.

To sum up, racism and religious extremism are two separate issues.

[ftil]

Originally Posted by Arrowni
To respect someone beliefs you have to believe they are believable. If you cannot bring yourself to believe in belief, you'll not achieve real respect.

I would argue that. Beliefs are just beliefs. We don’t respect people because they are entrenched in their belief system. We respect people who have integrity and honesty is integral part of having integrity. I have found very freeing reading Carl Rogers theory as he stated that psychologically healthy people have a flexible belief system. They don’t need to invest all energy to defend their belief system but they are open minded and change their beliefs when introduced with new information. Secondly, I have found quite interesting to see striking similarities in many religions. It doesn’t matter if it is Buddhism, Hindu, Egyptian, Greek/Roman, Gnostic, Muslim, Judaism, or Native American religion. We may ask question: why we argue?

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

The "Aryan Nation" is nothing to be worried about. The "nation" in they're name is misleading. Something more accurate would be "Aryan Group of a Dozen or so White Trash, Beer Swilling Morons Who Have No Real Power and Like to Occasionally Hold Signs." I'd doubt if the actual number of people in the "Aryan Nation" goes higher than a 1000.

[Paulclem]

I would argue that. Beliefs are just beliefs. We don’t respect people because they are entrenched in their belief system. We respect people who have integrity and honesty is integral part of having integrity. I have found very freeing reading Carl Rogers theory as he stated that psychologically healthy people have a flexible belief system. They don’t need to invest all energy to defend their belief system but they are open minded and change their beliefs when introduced with new information. Secondly, I have found quite interesting to see striking similarities in many religions. It doesn’t matter if it is Buddhism, Hindu, Egyptian, Greek/Roman, Gnostic, Muslim, Judaism, or Native American religion. We may ask question: why we argue?

There are similarities, but also many differences. It's interesting to note that the three religions who are the most similar, and indeed come from related traditions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism - have had the most trouble between them.

I agree that a person who is openminded, whatever their personal belief, is likely to be less intolerant. True tolerance comes from accepting that people believe totally different things from oneslf, but that this doesn't matter in normal interpersonal relations.

[ftil]

There are similarities, but also many differences. It's interesting to note that the three religions who are the most similar, and indeed come from related traditions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism - have had the most trouble between them.

I agree that a person who is openminded, whatever their personal belief, is likely to be less intolerant. True tolerance comes from accepting that people believe totally different things from oneslf, but that this doesn't matter in normal interpersonal relations.

You have only mentioned Christianity, Islam, and Judaism and it is obvious. I have found fascinating to find similarities in Buddhism, Hindu, Greek, Egyptian, or Gnostic. I have found more similarities than differences.

[Vonny]

There's quite a bit I'd like to say but my mind is a bit muddled.

First, if I am prejudiced, it's not something I'm proud of.

Mutatis, I can relate to how you felt on the AR/TX border. I don't feel any better about Christians than I do Muslims, it's just that Christians are more familiar.

Washington is a different world from Idaho, Montana, etc.

It's true that there are not a great number of Aryan Nation members, but the average person on the street here has those sentiments, at least to an extent. And when you go into a store here, you do not see minorities - just a fact. They aren't tolerated here. Now, the black man who works at Costco is treated well, but that's because everyone understands why he's there.

Anyway, this is just a point I want to make because it seems that here on the forum people don't believe this is true. I've become very aware of our difference from coming here and reading how people interact with Muslims and whatnot on a daily basis, and I'm in a different world. Varenne, I really don't know why we have no minorities, maybe we don't have all the poor people - yet, anyway.

In CdA there are a group of men who have a computer repair business, and they are all gay. They even have a picture of two of them getting married setting out. This is very new for here, and they are taking a chance. They couldn't do it in a small town.

I know of a woman who had a boyfriend from Tailand. I don't know how she met him, but he moved here. He was determined that he was going to stay here, but after he got beat up a couple of times, he moved to Hawaii. She also had a black boyfriend who came over from Washington for a weekend. He didn't understand why they couldn't go out together to a bar here. This woman is actually rather daring, but she said she told him, "You just don't understand!!" They did go out somewhere together, but she said that it was an uncomfortable evening.

Paul and cl15 - Thanks for your comments. I know that what you say is true. The truth is that I have a sort of social anxiety, and I avoid all kinds of people a lot, at least for the time being.

I know I'm not prejudiced at all towards Asians or Jews because I have studied them a lot -- and the Holocaust and Anne Frank is very heartbreaking. Also, I don't want to be political, but my heart goes out to, especially, the children of Iraq.

[Paulclem]

You have only mentioned Christianity, Islam, and Judaism and it is obvious. I have found fascinating to find similarities in Buddhism, Hindu, Greek, Egyptian, or Gnostic. I have found more similarities than differences.

The point I was making is that there has been a lot of confict between the three religions that are closely related.

Of course there are similarities between religions, but on the one hand you have a religion with multiple Gods, Karma, rebirth, caste, meditation practice, Tantra and Yoga, - Hinduism, and on the other you have a monotheistic religion with a trinity, a single Holy Book, prophets, heaven/hell afterlife - christianity. I'm not whether your point is useful, but you could argue that there are as many differences as similarities.

[Drkshadow03]

The point I was making is that there has been a lot of confict between the three religions that are closely related.

Of course there are similarities between religions, but on the one hand you have a religion with multiple Gods, Karma, rebirth, caste, meditation practice, Tantra and Yoga, - Hinduism, and on the other you have a monotheistic religion with a trinity, a single Holy Book, prophets, heaven/hell afterlife - christianity. I'm not whether your point is useful, but you could argue that there are as many differences as similarities.

Not to mention there are far more differences than there are similarities. The Creation Myths of many of those different religions and cultures, even when sharing some similar elements, are extremely different in their meanings and emphasis. Even between Judaism and Christianity there are huge differences.

[Vonny]

Just want to add something because I feel that my comments on this thread have come out wrong, as is my habit.

I know that I'm not prejudiced against any race or religion. The only thing I want to avoid is anyone who could be threatening - any kind of gang activity - no matter who they are.

A lot of people today who call themselves Christians are bullies. And then with Muslims, I fear some retalliation, and then I guess there is fear of the unknown, which I have regarding just about everything that is unknown.

And then Buddhism makes a lot of sense to me, though there is no group of Buddhists to meet with where I live. But I like how Buddhists are non-aggressive.

It isn't that I don't like these different kinds of people, it's just that I don't know them, and because of my personal anxiety problem, it's difficult for me to venture out to meet them, (which would also mean going to Washington, and I'd need a whole lot of Xanax to really do that.)

[LitNetIsGreat]

Just want to add something because I feel that my comments on this thread have come out wrong, as is my habit.

I know that I'm not prejudiced against any race or religion. The only thing I want to avoid is anyone who could be threatening - any kind of gang activity - no matter who they are.

A lot of people today who call themselves Christians are bullies. And then with Muslims, I fear some retalliation, and then I guess there is fear of the unknown, which I have regarding just about everything that is unknown.

And then Buddhism makes a lot of sense to me, though there is no group of Buddhists to meet with where I live. But I like how Buddhists are non-aggressive.

It isn't that I don't like these different kinds of people, it's just that I don't know them, and because of my personal anxiety problem, it's difficult for me to venture out to meet them, (which would also mean going to Washington, and I'd need a whole lot of Xanax to really do that.)

Off post topic sorry. However, there is something about Vonny that just makes me want to hug her!!!

[ftil]

The point I was making is that there has been a lot of confict between the three religions that are closely related.

Of course there are similarities between religions, but on the one hand you have a religion with multiple Gods, Karma, rebirth, caste, meditation practice, Tantra and Yoga, - Hinduism, and on the other you have a monotheistic religion with a trinity, a single Holy Book, prophets, heaven/hell afterlife - christianity. I'm not whether your point is useful, but you could argue that there are as many differences as similarities.

My point is that if people see similarities they may not want to fight with each other but dance and laugh together. People argue when they see differences and if they can’t accept it but fight to death to defend their beliefs. On the basic level we see that catholic religion is different that Buddhism,or Hindu is different than Egyptian religion, or Gnostic is different that Greek/Roman. But when we look deeper we may be quite surprised.

[Calidore]

Half full/half empty. The similarities and differences are both there; which people focus on, and what they do about it, is an indicator of character, nothing more.