Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The Right to Coexistence... Belief Coexistence

The 20th century term tolerance morphs to
become the 21st century word coexistence.
Instead of a hierarchy of allowing or permitting,
now the idea is to live side by side, as equals, together.
Coexisting humans live with different religions, races, and ethnicities.

The Right to Religious Coexistence
may be the key for building
a peaceful world in the future,
providing the means to our Right to Peace.

Major religious players are attempting to line
up the pieces in this direction:
 the Pope Benedict XVI, the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu,
among many others worldwide.
There is a desire for interfaith dialogue,
 and more centers for this purpose
are being created and supported.

The Catholic Pope with other religious leaders,
Temple Mount, Jerusalem, 2011

I declare the Right to Religious Coexistence.


41 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe in the right to religious coexistence. Everyone has the right to worship any way they like as long as it does not harm anyone.
Sarah M

Anonymous said...

Wow! This one, for me, hit close to home. In my family, we have a mix of religions which conflict with each other. We are intertwined together; from my spiritual fiancée, to my Catholic father, to my Baptist mother, not to mention all the many religions of my friends. Coexistence is so important. No one should try to take away the God one has faith in. Everyone should have the right to worship freely. People should not have to have another religion imposed on them nor should one group be persecuted for a particular belief. Everyone who truly believes in peace should agree to the right to coexist.

-Ma Mo

Anonymous said...

The right of religious coexistence is a right everyone should be entitled too. No matter where you go around the world, there will always be religious coexistence.

http://sapblatt.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/coexist-%E2%80%93-really/
-----Lauren Franco

Dan said...

Unfortunately, many religions often contain some form of intolerance within their doctrine. For example, Christianity mandates proselytization, which can be, in and of itself, an act of intolerance. Mathew 28:19 states: "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." Ideas and actions like these can make peaceful coexistence difficult at best and impossible at worst.

Dan M.

Anonymous said...

The right to religious coexistence is real connected with the right to freedom. Everyone is free to have their own religious beliefs, so we just have to respect each other and accept how other religions are. Thus, different religions should not harm each other. I am pretty sure that this may be the key for building a peaceful world in the future. I agree with this right.

JCCD

Anonymous said...

In some parts of the world such like Serbia and Yugoslavia different religions did not coexists. In fact hundreds of thousands Serbian people were killed and slaughtered for their religious beliefs. However, for the most part in the civilized world most religions do in fact tolerate each other. Here in the USA, we are fortunate as are Great Britain, France, etc., that it is a custom and a law that individuals be allowed to express their religious beliefs freely. Truth be told religious for the most part has not coexisted very well at all in the history of mankind while it is true the desire to connect with God runs deep in most people’s vain. Since the beginning of time history has shown that people have a need to connect with God. People have made great strive in accepting other people’s choices and views on this matter, but it is a shame that more people have been killed and more wars have been started in the name of religion than all other factors put together. Hopefully the tolerance we have found recently will continue to spread and religious persecution will be and stay a thing of the past.By: LJBR

Anonymous said...

There are a lot of people who dream of religious coexistence. Religion comes with absolute laws that have absolute authority. Man, society, state, or any other religion do not have the power, authority or right to overlook any divine commands. This makes coexistence and religious tolerance more than simply a challenge, but nearly impossible, due to the fact that they are incapable of the same tolerance that they demand.

LC

Anonymous said...

I agree with this right. I think the right to coexistence can be connected with the right to religion as well as the right to freedom.

N.Av

Anonymous said...

I look at religions like businesses, were the president or head of it its the wealthiest. Having a merge of companies would be huge for the business. Some won't like it some will but that is just the cost of doing business. Don't get me wrong I believe in God I just don't believe in the people that made a business out of it. Take a good look at the Pope, he looks like a superstar rapper with big clothes and fancy chains and big rings. Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Vanity was a sin.

Carlos G.

Anonymous said...

The right to coexistence would be a beautiful thing. Since the beginning of time humans would be persecuted by their act of faith. Such as in WWII, when there was genocide. No person has the right to say which religion is wrong.

-Alli Brecht

Anonymous said...

The right to religious coexistence it is a right that everyone should be able to have. People around the world should be free to believe in whatever they want to believe in. Many studies proved that humans beings have the necessity to believe in something, and they should be free to choose whatever they want to believe in. Therefore, no discrimination should be taken by your beliefs. I agree with the right to religious coexistence.

H.D.A

Anonymous said...

I really don't like to talk about religion but I think coexistence is a beautiful idea. The fact that there are people out there that have seen the logic of peace and understanding over ignorance and hate gives me some hope for the future. I have met a bunch of ignorant racists over the years that all preached to the same god as all the people that I consider geniuses, so I think the most important thing about religious tolerance shouldn't be about God and who he loves most, but about people and how we should all love each other.

Javier H.

Anonymous said...

I agree with religious coexistence because if you really think about it, who are we to determine what or who people should believe in or not believe in? I believe there is a God who has authority over all the things he has created in this world, and I don't believe that it is our place as humans to determine what one should do with their lives. I agree with the right and the idea that humans can live in harmony with each other despite their incompatible religious beliefs. SJB

Anonymous said...

As the world strives for religious coexistence, it is important to remember not to compromise our beliefs for the sake of others. Some people who claim to be open minded about religion by accepting many paths to god do not accept people who believe in one path to god. Whatever someone believes should be respected.
-A.B.

Anonymous said...

Religion not only stands side by side with coexistence but it also creates uniformity. If we didnt have "organized" religion...their would be too much entropy in this world. So, religion does not really give you the absolute freedom that peace does. Inner peace is found individually. Which then we can offer in return.
-GR

D.Zabala said...

One thing is to coexist and another is to actually spend time and enjoy life together. While many people religiously coexist together religion unfortunately creates a separation between people. Religions have a certain culture that members tend to live by. For example my brother now has converted to a Jehovah Witness and now has missed out on family gatherings because of his new beliefs.

N.Cruz said...

I agree with the right to religious coexistence. I also have a family member that is part of another religion unlike the rest of my family. My grandfather is part of the Jehovah witness religion. He was never part of any birthday celebrations, Christmas, or family gathering because of his religion. The ironic part is that we read the same bible, the only difference is the way his religion interprets the bible. Without a doubt there is a variety of multi-religions throughout the nation, but the idea of religious coexistence will allow us to live in peace and harmony.

Anonymous said...

Religious coexistence has been a discussion topic for centuries. If we humans of the world have to learn to coexist we should read what religious leaders predicate about the topic. The Dalai Lama on his web site talked about India as an example of religious coexistence he also mentioned “Ahimsa” as a value of that coexistence. Pope Benedict complimented the harmonic coexistence of religious in Albania that has been as is for centuries during the recent visit of Albania presidential couple to Rome. Religious coexistence is the common term of these two different religious leaders as they mentioned happening in two different countries; why not to learn from these countries that have learned from their ancestor the practice of religious respect? A.L.

Anonymous said...

Who is to know how God intented it. Prior to the coming of His son, perhaps he wanted to reach out towards people in an array of diffrent ways according to the intellectual, and theoretical outlook of that person.
F.H
6/4/11

Arturo A. said...

I agree with the right to religious coexistence since everyone has the right to think, or believe as they want. Also, when family-in-laws meets, there is a difference of backgrounds, generally, that mixes, at times, also does their religious beliefs and ideals.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right for religious coexistence. I also think the right to coexistence can be connected with the right to religion as well as the right to freedom. To me the right for religious coexistence does not mean that we should force our religions upon one another. As human beings we should respect one another's beliefs.-D.C.

Anonymous said...

Tolerance of different faiths is a vital part of the foundation of American freedom. We do not have a national religion and thus, allow virtually all religions to exist side by side.

Stefan H.

Anonymous said...

The right to religious coexistence should not be misinterpreted. It means to me, the right to respect and tolerate the beliefs of others in order to live in global peace and harmony. It does not mean that all religions lead to heaven. Universalism is the belief that all roads eventually lead to heaven, including atheism. All mankind will be saved no matter the path they follow, this cannot be further from the truth. For Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." You cannot save yourself nor can you work for your salvation, which is the deception of many religions.
-Ana DM

Anonymous said...

I agree to this right. I think that we should live in peace with each other especially as a matter of religion. Each person has their own believes and we have to respect that and i think once we do this we are on the right path to a better world. (LCL)

Anonymous said...

Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor. (Exodus 16) So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are all members of one another. (Ephesians 4:25)
-Krystal Garcia

Anonymous said...

I agree 100%. There are so many religions and thoughts going around, wether you believe in your own god or not. We should just respect everyones place in the matter and live in peace. I am for religious coexistence. G.A.

Anonymous said...

The Right to Religious Coexistence would be an amazing thing. A world without controversy sounds great, doesn’t it? But unfortunately in today’s world it isn’t very likely that this would be possible. There are too many religions with different rules and belief’s. Maybe in the future we’d be able to coexist. C.M.A.

Anonymous said...

I agree in the right to coexistence, everyone should be allowed to have his or her own beliefs without being discriminated against. Having this right allows everyone to be okay with what other believe in. I think everyone is entitled to belong to any religion they’d like and be okay with it.

-M.Quintanilla

Anonymous said...

I personally believe religion is an excuse for many things, not saying I am not religious but lets face the facts here a lot of the major problems within this world portray around religion. So coexisting alongside of religious beliefs is an indefinite practice of peoples humanity and personification. The way we are brought up also has a lot to do with religion, we are brought up in different ways of the bibles beliefs. Well I say to the bible who are you to convince us how we should act and portray to what you say rather than just act and portray to what we say? - J.J.V.

Anonymous said...

This is nice to see. I always viewed religion as a guide for how we should treat our fellow man. It is sad to see it used as ammunition for negativity. Hopefully that will soon be behind us.

Sheeda M.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right to religious coexistence. Who is to say that the Bible, the Tora, Quran and any other religious text is wrong or right? We as humans live all live under the same sky, on the same earth, we breathe the same air, and depend on each other. As a human race we need to come together and realize that religion is a separation of the races. It doesn't matter what religion we practice, because in the end, we all meet the same fate.

Alexis Herrero

Anonymous said...

I agree with this right,but it seems to me as if many people out of the U.S don't agree with this. For example in the middle east, for thousands of years people have been fighting for religous beliefs; the muslims and christians.
A. Lazo

COL said...

If there is one thing that I have learned while living on this earth, it is that people can be very extreme when it comes to their religion. It is the fuel behing religioius wars, offensive slander, and most notably the slaying of people daily. The right to coexistence of religion does coincide with the right to peace. There is a right way to voice your opinion of your beliefs and there is a right to respond. We as a people need to learn the difference and reconsider what it means to have freedom of speech.
~COL

Anonymous said...

To coexist, in my opinion, goes beyond just accepting other peoples religious beliefs. It is about actually taking the time to understand and appreciate them for what they are and to respect those who follow them. -K.A.S

Anonymous said...

In this era when many of the wars are driven by religion, it would be such an advance for humanity to finally allow others to practice their own faith. We must understand that everybody is different and that we all deserve to be free to choose what we believe in. D.C.R.

Anonymous said...

I agree witht the right to religious coexistence. First I really don't like to talk about religion with other fractions, but I do believe that every religion should coexist peacefully. Everyone believes in different things so we shouldn't critize them and think that they should be converted to your own faith. Religion is a time of happiness and worship, but people have made it to where they want everyone to believe the same thing. Others use religion to hurt others. All I am saying is that believe what you want to believe and respect others if they choose differently. Robert S.

Anonymous said...

I agree that everyone has the right to worship or to believe on what they think is right for them. We have to coexist in this world even though not everyone is going to agree on what others believe, because at the end we are living together on this planet and is not our job to get everybody to think the way we do. O.V.

Anonymous said...

I believe in the right to coexistence peacefully. However in order to achieve this around the world, we first have to achieve this in our homes. There are still people who are treated differently because of the way they think and believe. Even in my family, there are conflicts because of the different religions. I know that once my family accepts each other’s ideas and beliefs, we will be closer than ever. With religious coexistence we can all live as one human race.

Angel M.

Anonymous said...

I agree with this right because everyone has different religions that we should learn to respect, unless the religion causes harm to its followers or to others – like a cult where the members are expected to blindly commit harmful acts. The more religious groups understand each other the more they are likely to tolerate each other.
Chelsea M.

Anonymous said...

Everyone has the right to believe in what they believe. No one can judge another by their beliefs only God can judge us. -ABL

Anonymous said...

Everyone should have the Right to Religious Coexistence. Religious Coexistence is about morals, beliefs, honor, and one's choice. These do not necessarily need to be accepted, but with respect we may all have peace. JPA