Subverting Hatred
Christianity is one of the foremost religions in our world today; it has a billion of followers spanning almost every country of the world. For Christianity to have reached this stature in our culture today it is either one of the most tolerant religions, accepting all humans for who they are, or very successful in its intolerance, forcing them to convert. We now know through history that it has succeeded with a mixture of both of these approaches. Christianity is a very exclusive religion, the outlook of its followers considering all other religions to be inferior. However, as much as Christians feel superior the heart of Christ's teachings was about unity, fellowship, and love with all of mankind.
Part I
Christianity's exclusiveness comes from several passages in the Bible that are still at the heart of Christian teaching. The first and probably the strongest is the first of the Ten Commandments:
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:2-3)
This teaching tells its followers to believe in only one God and Him only. This gives Christianity (as well as Judaism because this particular passage comes from the Ten Commandments, which are also a foundation of the Jewish faith) a pervasive air of exclusiveness. Their God is the only God for all mankind. Even though the passage does not directly mention all of humanity, it is often inferred in teaching or practice. This feeling of exclusiveness leads to persecution of non-believers as heretics. This in turn can lead to misunderstanding or conflict between Christianity and any other group that does not feel that the Christian God is the only God.
Another very popular passage used throughout Christianity that promotes the feeling of exclusiveness is from the Gospel of John:
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).
The idea of Christianity being exclusive from other religions is further propagated in the preceding passage. It teaches Christians that the Jesus is the way to an ever-lasting life in paradise and that non-believers face the prospect of being denied everlasting life. This teaching of everlasting life is the one of the most important in all of Christian teachings; in essence it is the goal of the followers to achieve everlasting life. The Acts of the Apostles continues with the same principle that only through Jesus can there be salvation.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
This passage creates even more of a sense of Christian elitism with stronger vocabulary such as "salvation" and "saved." It implies that non-Christians are in danger or condemned and need to be made to believe in Jesus or face damnation.
The idea of salvation creates much antipathy between the Christians, whose ultimate goal is ever-lasting life, and people of other religions whose goal, could be quite different. Christians feel superior to other people of other religions being promised with salvation through Jesus Christ. Other religions that do not believe in Jesus as the savior and "the way" (John 14:6) are therefore doomed even if those people do not believe in the same things. Christians over time have used this feeling of superiority to convert masses of people to the religion, sometimes through violence or political influence. In addition, this feeling of exclusiveness propagates persecution of non-believers as inferiors.
Part II
Jesus did not focus his teachings on the exclusivity of religion, but rather taught kindness, tolerance and love for all of humanity. A prime example of this is the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. In the sermon Jesus teaches two passages in particular that demonstrate the use of tolerance:
But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire (Matthew 5:22).
These passages show the ideals of love and tolerance for all man. In the first verse Jesus is not just saying do not hurt another man but do not even think ill of another man, or you yourself will face the judgment of the Lord. This is a good example of tolerance towards the rest of humanity. For example, if somebody else thinks ill of you according to this teaching, it is still in your interest to not think ill of him or her in return.
Another passage from the sermon talks of loving everyone even those who would do wrong against you.
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44).
This verse demonstrates Jesus' teaching of love: do not just love your family and neighbor, but all of humanity, including your enemies. Specifying further, he goes on to tell followers to pray for their enemies in hope that they may see the wrongs they are committing. A true Christian is one who regards these ideals set forth in the Sermon on the Mount as the central ideals of the religion and considers the exclusiveness secondary to them.
The Gospel of Luke tells the story of the Good Samaritan, another belief in Christianity to help those less fortunate and have mercy on them. The story tells of a man who had been stripped, robbed and destitute on the road. He ad been previously been passed by without assistance by two other men.
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him (Luke 10:33-34).
This parable of the Good Samaritan teaches Christians compassion and mercy to all people. According to the parable to mimic this behavior in life will give you everlasting life. By being merciful and compassionate to those who are less fortunate then us, shows a sacrifice that is worthy of everlasting life. This encourages Christians that just to believe in Jesus is not enough to get into heaven but to practice his teachings of tolerance, love and compassion to be assured paradise.
Part III - Common Ground
Christianity, for all the exclusiveness mentioned in part one, has many attributes and teachings that can be used in establishing common ground and dialogue with people or groups outside of the faith. Christians believe in assisting those less fortunate then themselves, as related in the parable of the Good Samaritan. This is a common practice in most religious and secular groups. Discussing the ways to help the less fortunate or setting up facilities or programs to assist them has already become a common link between Christianity and other religious and secular groups.
Another teaching and practice that Christianity has in common with many other groups is the practice of nonviolence. The passage from the Sermon on the Mount teaches Christians to love their enemies and not retaliate against them, but instead to pray for them. This nonviolent practice is held in common with many other groups, both religious and secular, and could create dialogue to deal with troubled lands of our modern world. Vigils and gatherings could be held against current violent issues in the world and be open to all people and encourage cooperation between religions. The war in Iraq for instance, involving many faiths, has much opposition from people in many religions. These people could share a gathering to promote a non-violent solution to the war and appreciate their common beliefs in non-violence.
Judaism and Islam have in common with Christianity the same God, at least from a historical point of view. Having the same God, they could create dialogue about worship of God, rather than their respective prophets taught them. This common ground among them may be towards a little radical, but it is still a common attribute of all three of these religions. Discussions could be had about the nature of God, and the His influence on the current events in the world like the tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
Through this essay it has been discussed that Christians have a sense of exclusivity that promotes intolerance towards people or groups that are not Christian. Then we went on to discuss how Christ himself promoted tolerance and love. It can be said that, taking its cue from the teachings of Christ, Christianity should be seen and lived as not an intolerant religion, but a welcoming, accepting and loving tradition.
All excerpts from the Bible are taken from the Revised Standard Version found at http://rosetta.reltech.org/ECanon/ECanon.html
