RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE

Intolerance in Theory and Practice

Consider Northern Ireland where essentially the entire population is Christian: the majority Protestant and the minority Roman Catholic. Protestants are more likely to extend love to other Protestants than to Roman Catholics; and vice-versa. Consider the same dynamic in the former Yugoslavia with its Moslems, Roman Catholics and Serbian Orthodox. Consider the conflicts in the Middle East, between Jews, Moslems and (to a lesser degree) Christians.

Intolerant belief is fundamental to some faiths. If a religion teaches that they are the only valid spiritual path, then people of other faiths must logically be in error. Some believers extend this concept further and feel that other religions have no merit whatsoever. A few take this idea to an extreme; they believe that all other religions are demonic. And some of the latter take the next logical step, which is to go beyond intolerant belief and actively persecute followers of other religions or denominations.

Types of "Faith Bashing"

1. criticism of activities by people who are motivated by their religion to change society; for example, a Christian group might:
   • press for a revision to the "sex-ed" classes in the local school to remove references to contraception and STD prevention and substitute a chastity program
   • agitate to close an abortion clinic
   • take political action to deny unmarried heterosexual and same-sex couples the same family benefits as are enjoyed by married couples
   Here the media usually criticizes the actions of Christians but not their beliefs. Once any group, religious or other, attempts to change society, they can expect to be criticized. This is one of the logical results of freedom of expression and belief. We can only hope that the media will treat the group's actions in a balanced manner, and that all views will be given equal and respectful treatment.
2. ridicule or unbalanced treatment of religious leaders. A TV program might:
   • criticise a religious leader for financial misconduct
   • riducule a televangelist for extra-marital sexual activity
   • seek to embarrass a minister for using manipulative techniques to increase donations
   • present a member of the clergy in a drama or situation comedy as a bumbling idiot, or incompetent professional or person of low ethical standards
   It seems that the media often treats clergy and other religious leaders differently from other people. Some surveys show that perhaps 40% of men commit adultery. This is not news. However, when a religious leader does it, his/her moral lapse is given great exposure - even on international TV. This is unfair, and we hope that it will be discontinued.
3. raw hatred and misinformation, typically directed by one religious leader against one or more religions such as:
   • asking the federal government to round up all members of a particular religion and exterminate them for their religious beliefs
   • stating that a minority religion is planning to exterminate all US Christian leaders
   • accusing a small religion of kidnapping, torturing and ritually killing tens of thousands of children per year in the US
   This type of faith bashing is in a class by itself:
   • It is typically based on misinformation knowingly spread by a religious leader against a small religion.
   • It often seeks to build up public hatred against a benign faith group. It can contribute to public hysteria that results in attempted murder, firebombing etc.
   • The charges made are very serious, often involving criminal activity - even murder.
   • Proof of wrongdoing by the targeted religion is either totally absent, or typically consists of lurid headlines unsupported by hard evidence.
   This form of faith bashing is our main concern. It is this type of hatred that we term "religious intolerance". It is a continuation into the 1990's of the types of hatred which fueled the Witch burnings of the Renaissance, the Spanish Inquisition and the Nazi Holocaust.
4. riducule and criticism, by secular groups, typically directed at one or all religions such as:
   • implying that all religions are led by unethical leaders whose main goals are to dominate, manipulate and control their followers
   • ridiculing religious individual groups for their beliefs
   Many such groups exist on the Internet.

Types of Religious Intolerance

1. A person of one faith group directing hatred against another faith group
2. A person of one faith group directing hatred against a secular group
3. A person from a secular group directing hatred against a religion.

We define religious intolerance rather broadly to include:

• spreading misinformation about a group even though the inaccuracy of that information could have been easily checked and corrected;
• spreading hatred about a group; e.g. stating or implying that all members of a group are evil, behave immorally, commit criminal acts, etc;
• ridiculing an entire group for their sincere beliefs and practices;
• attempting to force religious beliefs and practices onto others.

We define a group as being any identifiable organization, or any subset of humanity as defined by their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, language, nationality, political beliefs, age, or economic status.

Some Random Examples of Intolerance

A few examples might be useful to you:
• Television: This is a major source of intolerance. Vision TV's Mosaic service in Canada features "paid time programs from a variety of faith groups and broadcast ministries". Because Vision broadcasts programs from all types of religions and faith groups, one can differentiate between those groups which are relatively free from hatred and misinformation from those which often exhibit intolerance. We have been given access to data collected by the Wiccan Information Network's Ontario Coordinator. He found that of approximately 35 episodes that included religious intolerance:
  • 3% originated from a non-Christian program (targeting secularists)
  • 0% originated from main-line or liberal Christian programs
  • 97% originated from Evangelical or Fundamentalist Christian programs. Targets were (in decreasing order of frequency) followers of non-Christian religions, homosexuals, followers of non-Evangelical Christian religions, political liberals, working mothers, etc.

  Some of this intolerance is quite repulsive, and included:

  • a call for the Federal Government to exterminate all followers of Religion W
  • a statement that the leaders of Religion X are plotting to kill all of Christian leaders in America
  • a statement that it is the goal of Religion Y to give all Americans two choices: to convert immediately to Religion Y or have your head chopped off
  • that followers of Religion Z torture and kill babies and commit other unspeakable crimes.

  We find this result to be curious and self-defeating for conservative Christians. On one hand, they are committed to fulfilling the Great Commission which is to preach the Gospel to all the world. At the same time, they are broadcasting so much hatred against various groups that many "non-believers" are becoming resistant to the message. Why listen to the message from the "Prince of Peace" when it comes from a person consumed by hatred against others?

• Ritual Abuse Seminars We have attended one ritual abuse seminar in 1995-MAY and have analyzed the messages delivered at two others. Groups named by the seminar leaders as ritual abusers and murderers of children include:
  • members of a men's fraternal organization
  • members of small Christian, Jewish, and Pagan religious groups
  • persons who lead 12 step, mutual-support and self-help groups
  • criminal gangs

  None of this is true, because ritual abuse of the type described during the seminar simply does not exist.

• Religious Books: Again, we have consulted the records of the Wiccan Information Network's Ontario Coordinator. He finds that:
  • religious dictionaries by main-line and liberal Christian authors contain some errors when referring to non-Christian religions. However, these appear to be honest mistakes and were caused by lack of familiarity with those faiths. 100% of the authors responded to letters sent to them which explained their errors.
  • books by conservative Christian authors about non-Christian religions were heavily biased, and contained a great deal of misinformation. All of the reviewed books that described personal involvement by the authors with Satanic groups were clearly hoaxes. Presented as a documentary expose of real events, they were clearly works of fiction. To date, 0% of these authors have responded to letters sent to them.
• Desecration of Cultural and Religious Heritage A photographer was traveling through the four corners region in the US. This is the area where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah meet. He came across a troop of Boy Scouts with hammers and chisels who were defacing centuries-old native petroglyphs (rock carvings) on a rock face. The horrified photographer asked the troop leader why they were destroying priceless native history. The leader replied that their Christian faith taught that the petroglyphs were Pagan symbols of Satanic origin. They felt that it was their religious duty to eliminate them for all time.

  Note: This action was a violation of the behavioral rules of the Boy Scouts Association rules and of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. The example is not meant to criticize either organization, but was intended to show how members of groups misinterpret the rules of the organizations.

• Attacks on Religious Leaders Singer Sinead O'Connor appeared on "Saturday Night Live" on 1992-OCT-3, and sang a protest song which implied that victims of racism, child abuse and other forms of victimization have a legitimate right to fight back by any means, including war. At the end of the song, she held up a photograph of Pope John II. She tore it into pieces, saying "Fight the real enemy."

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