Creeds create intolerance? (ritual, reject, tradition, beliefs, church)

[Victor]

Is intolerance intrinsic to every creed/tenet? Is the central tenet of every [most?] religious tradition that all others are mere repositories of error or, at best, dangerously incomplete?

From my POV, no matter how you slice it, we all create our own creeds whether religious or not. So, is this just a matter of religious folks having longer creeds/tenets?

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by Victor

Is intolerance intrinsic to every creed/tenet? Is the central tenet of every [most?] religious tradition that all others are mere repositories of error or, at best, dangerously incomplete?

From my POV, no matter how you slice it, we all create our own creeds whether religious or not. So, is this just a matter of religious folks having longer creeds/tenets?

IMO, it is not the creed that is intolerant, it is how one approaches the creed.

Here's a bit about theology, but I think it applies very much to religious creeds:

"Theology is like that (art). It is an attempt to put into words what human beings have come to understand about God. It is never fully satisfactory, nor does it ever replace the need for individuals to come to know and respond to God directly themselves. Perhaps the question we need to bear in mind is, What is theology for? If it is intended to unite us around clear and definitive statements, we may well find ourselves divided instead. But if we look to worship to unite us and to theology to help us understand and express the God we encounter in worship, then theology comes into its own."

Christopher Webber (Weclome to the Epsicopal Church)

[doppelgänger]

People create intolerance. Creeds just make it easier to justify it. And I am not just referring to "religious" creeds.

[Victor]

Originally Posted by lunamoth

IMO, it is not the creed that is intolerant, it is how one approaches the creed.

Can you expound on this? Perhaps some example of a tolerant vs. intolerant approach?

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by Victor

Can you expound on this? Perhaps some example of a tolerant vs. intolerant approach?

Sure.

Intolerant: Mormons are not Christians because they do not accept the creed.
Tolerant: The creed is meaningful to me and informs my spiritual life and my worship. Others feel the same way.

[Victor]

Originally Posted by lunamoth

Sure.

Intolerant: Mormons are not Christians because they do not accept the creed.
Tolerant: The creed is meaningful to me and informs my spiritual life and my worship. Others feel the same way.

I'm not sure I understand. Does this mean you think tolerance has limits or not? I ask because what you noted for tolerance can be said for just about everything under the sun.

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by Victor

I'm not sure I understand. Does this mean you think tolerance has limits or not? I ask because you noted for tolerance can be said for just about everything under the sun.

I'm sorry Victor but I do not understand what you are asking, or at least I don't think that I can answer it the way you've phrased the question. Limits to tolerance? This does not compute.

Of course my example of a 'tolerant' approach can be used for anything under the sun. I've used it in application to the creeds. Are you trying to imply that I'm saying that everything is relative? That is not what I mean. That's why I emphasize the approach, not the belief.

You and I keep running up against this same issue Victor (I am saying this in a friendly voice). In my view, "intolerant" is not a substitute for adhering to your core beliefs and faith, and "tolerant" is not a substitute for relativism. Intolerant and tolerant are about how people relate to other people, not how we accept or reject or value ideas. Staying in good, loving relationships with other people is a core Christian teaching.

My approach is not to draw lines in the sand and say you are out and I am in, I am close and you are far. My approach is to share what I believe, to live my Christian faith out in my life to the best of my ability, and to refrain from judging others. Just because I refrain from judging others, trying to nail other people down on what they believe so I can judge them based upon that, does not mean that I do not attempt, in humility and prayer, to discern the Way to follow Christ.

Forgive me if I have failed to explain...I'll try again if it's still clear as mud to you.

[Aqualung]

Yes, creeds create intolerance, because they define appropriate beliefs and inappropriate beliefs. Calling something inappropriate is essentailly intolerance. It's not active intolerance (such as killing people with that belief) but it's certainly intolerance in some form.