"Religious tolerance" is one of many religious terms that have multiple, conflicting meanings:
To many religious conservatives, a religiously tolerant person must accept the concept of pluralism -- that all religions are equally true. Most find this totally objectionable.
To most religious moderates, religious liberals and secularists, a religiously tolerant person simply allows others to pursue their own religious beliefs and practices freely, without discrimination or oppression.
This includes the freedom to change one's own religion, to assemble with other believers, and to proselytize others. Most find this a badly needed addition to culture.
We use the second definition on this web site. Unfortunately, this means that some religious conservatives will find this section difficult to understand. Our site receives many angry Emails for this reason.
In our religious essays, we treat beliefs and actions differently:
We are tolerant of people's theological beliefs. We advocate that others be tolerant as well.
We are critical of actions which harm people. We advocate that others be similarly critical.
Unfortunately, the concept "actions which harm people" is not well defined. It leads to a question whether it is acceptable, and even preferable, to harm a few individuals in order to avoid a larger harm to the society as a whole.
Religious tolerance does not require you to accept other religions as true.
Religious tolerance does not mean that you cannot compare one religion with another, or compare religion with a secular belief system, or analyze the scientific claims of a religion.
Religious tolerance does not necessarily mean religious indifference.
We feel that the world would be a much better place in which to live if everyone were religiously tolerant. Civil unrest, mass murder, and genocide would be greatly reduced. However, tolerance is only the first step towards actively enjoying the diversity that other faith groups contribute to a society. Unfortunately, it is a step that many people have yet to take.