importance of respecting other religions

3443823. Therefore, the first rule reminds us that it is important to do our studying and focus that study on the appropriate sources. Belief in heaven also is widely held by evangelical Protestants (88%), Catholics (85%), Orthodox Christians (81%) and mainline Protestants (80%). [24] Gordon B. Hinckley, The Marvelous Foundation of Our Faith, Ensign, November 2002, 81. In my case, the central meal has always been and continues to be Mormon Christianity. It will further assist us as we continue to expand our missionary efforts by endowing us with a better understanding of the cultural and religious backgrounds of the people we will teach. This requires developing religious tolerance, . Even though a theme of embracing all the truth is quite prevalent in the restored gospel, we Latter-day Saints probably struggle the most with this third rule. Fewer Catholics (30%), mainline Protestants (29%) and Orthodox Christians (27%) turn primarily to religion for guidance on questions of right and wrong. To use an illustrative analogy, if the Church is the only true original Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo, then other religions are cheap imitations which falsely claim to be what they are not; they are frauds. When looking for answers to questions about right and wrong, more Americans say they turn to practical experience and common sense (45%) than to any other source of guidance. This is why, as part of our work, we have created a resource that allows local interfaith groups to measure their effectiveness. For example, seven-in-ten Christians think of God as a person with whom people can have a relationship. This means finding ways to live our lives of faith with integrity, and allowing others to do so too. There are many examples of interfaith work at a community level such as coordinated responses to COVID-19 or faith groups coming together to tackle knife crime. This is because: It may upset the person from a different culture. Israel and Palestine, for example, have over 190 active interfaith organisations in operation. These findings are little changed from 2007, when 44% of affiliated respondents said their religion should preserve its traditional beliefs and practices, 35% said their religion should adjust its traditional beliefs and 12% said their religion should adopt modern beliefs and practices. There are global projects such as the G20s Interfaith Forum, national initiatives such as the UK governments Near Neighbours programme which aims to bring religiously and ethnically diverse communities together and the Jewish Muslim womens network Nisa Nashim, and myriad local groups engaging in arts, sports and scripture studies across religious divides. To add an RSC website shortcut to your home screen, open the website in the Safari browser. At the same time, I believe that it is important for Latter-day Saints to learn about, appreciate, and be nourished by the good of other religions. Nearly six-in-ten Mormons (57%) and Jehovahs Witnesses (57%) say there are clear standards for right and wrong. But while most religious nones say the Bible was written by men, about half of those who say they have no particular religion and who also say religion is at least somewhat important in their lives believe the Bible is the word of God (51%). They also are as likely to believe in God, although the share of religiously affiliated adults who believe in God with absolute certainty has declined somewhat. If we have all the answers, then we have no questions, and if we run out of questions, then we cease to learn or to seek for divine guidance. Helping interfaith initiatives quantify their success will allow them to identify areas that are not working. In so doing, I should highlight that I am not referring to official prophetic pronouncements or to authoritative exegesis of scripture. Perhaps this is not what most members want to communicate when they justify their indifference to the worlds religions through the only true church argument, but it is certainly difficult for any non-LDS observer to feel that Mormonism is sympathetic to other faiths when remarks on different religions regularly culminate in patronizing criticism. While religion remains important in the lives of most Americans, the 2014 Religious Landscape Study finds that Americans as a whole have become somewhat less religious in recent years by certain traditional measures of religious commitment. . Yet Mormonism advocates equilibrium, and the gospel may be rightly viewed as a harmony of correct principles that ought to be kept in fruitful tension with each other. In 1985, during a press conference associated with the construction of the LDS temple in Stockholm, Krister Stendahl, the Lutheran bishop of the Swedish capital, spoke in defense of the Mormons right to erect the sacred building. Respect for religious diversity is an essential element of any peaceful society, and religious freedom is a universal human right that all states have a responsibility to uphold. Their focus is exclusively on the evil; in fact, they would be the first to suggest that important scriptural evidence indicates that God condemns other religions, especially apostate Christianity. And religious nones who believe in God are far less certain about this belief compared with those who identify with a religion. Don't leave it to your kids to figure out religious leanings; initiate a conversation. Similarly, if we were to compare Mormonism to Catholicism, for example, it would not be fair to highlight the great good that is brought about by bishops, missionaries, and other LDS priesthood leaders while painting the whole Catholic priesthood as abusive and corrupt by focusing exclusively on the recent scandals associated with a minority of priests. Thus identifying hierarchies of truth is inherent to the human experience and is not in itself an indication of arrogance; some of the humblest people I have ever met have also been among the most devoted to the fixed standards of truth found in their respective religions. This includes 64% of Muslims, 58% of Catholics and 53% of mainline Protestants. Why? Far fewer Jews (37%), Hindus (29%) and Buddhists (15%) say their scripture is the word of God. Yet many members of different faiths would be confused in hearing Mormons state that theirs is the only true church, particularly when these words are used as a set formula without additional explanations. The chapter also examines Americans views on religion and salvation, religion and modernity, and religion and morality. This can be an opportunity for students to not only take pride in their beliefs and identities, but also a way to help foster respect for people with different backgrounds, traditions and beliefs. In 1993, it developed, in consultation with its member bodies, guidance on Building Good Relations with People of Different Faiths and Beliefs. For others, success could be an increased closeness to God or more engagement with people from different faiths. [1] Huston Smith, The Way Things Are: Conversations with Huston Smith on the Spiritual Life, ed. This is whats known as the interfaith movement and initiatives range from shared meals in local places of worship to high-level acts of international diplomacy. In many cases, however, these demographic differences in belief in heaven are smaller within religious traditions than among the public as a whole. Tel: +44 (0)20 7730 0410 Email: ifnet@interfaith.org.uk [12] Wilford Woodruff, in Journal of Discourses, 17:194. Chapter 1: Importance of Religion and Religious Beliefs While religion remains important in the lives of most Americans, the 2014 Religious Landscape Study finds that Americans as a whole have become somewhat less religious in recent years by certain traditional measures of religious commitment. Most Muslims say a person cannot be . False Obstacles to Learning and Appreciation. They are among its auxiliaries, and can do more good for the cause where the Lord has placed them, than anywhere else. We have spent two years listening to interfaith organisations and studying decades of psychological research on intergroup relations to find out what a successful interfaith project or collaboration looks like. My hope is to demonstrate that these obstacles, which emerge every so often in the Mormon cultural milieu, skew what I deem to be a proper LDS perspective on other religions. However, before condemning something as evil simply because it emerges from a different religious context than ones own, it is important to be aware of our human tendency of seeing only the bad in the other and only the good in us. Although there is widespread agreement across Christian groups on this question, there is disagreement about whether the Bible can be taken literally, word for word. Most evangelical Protestants (55%) and members of historically black Protestant churches (59%) believe the Bible should be taken literally, but fewer Christians from other traditions espouse a literalist view of the Bible. In short, learning about the truth and goodness of other religions will help us become better people and better Mormons. According to the Pew Forum's U.S. Cookies are also used for further functionality and performance. . Therefore, when the fullness argument is used to masquerade this kind of rigidity and is motivated primarily by a fear-driven refusal to step outside ones comfort zone, it becomes a serious problem. . Some cookies are required for our site to function. For Americans who are religiously affiliated, the importance people attach to religion varies somewhat by religious tradition. Learning for Justice, then Teaching Tolerance, and the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding teamed up to offer educators a free webinar series: Religious Diversity in the Classroom. It has been true in the past, it is true today, it will be true in the future. In the same general conference speech he then cited the late Apostle Orson F. Whitney, who stated: Perhaps the Lord needs such men on the outside of His Church to help it along. In both 2007 and 2014, roughly two-thirds of people who believe in God said they think of God as a person, while just under three-in-ten see God as an impersonal force. Latter-day Saints obviously have a vested interest in this process, particularly when responding to the claims that distinctive Mormon teachings on the family and society are incompatible with the rights of individuals in a secular world. The survey also finds that older adults are more likely than younger adults to say religion is very important in their lives, and women are more likely than men to express this view. Furthermore, these messages underscore the importance of freedom for the many consciences shaped by religious teachings while also recognizing that our society's multiplicity of perspectives requires patience, understanding, and respect for opinions that often conflict with each other. The Latter-day Saints cannot do it all. Indeed, this is a time when we should feel more threatened by some aspects of the world, such as materialism, sexual immorality, pride, violence, and faithlessness, than by any religious competitor. I conclude my analysis by listing three principles, articulated by the late Lutheran theologian Krister Stendahl, which can assist Latter-Day Saints in relating to other faiths. Both pragmatic and spiritual reasons are central to what I am proposing, yet in what follows I am able to offer only a few markers in a discussion that certainly ought to extend beyond a single article. Love the brotherhood. True, all humans, whether religious or not, experience some of the laziness, pride, and accompanying anxiety which are inherent in this refusal to look beyond the familiar, but this approach belongs to the natural man rather than to the person enlightened by the fullness of the gospel. Three-quarters of U.S. adults say religion is at least somewhat important in their lives, with more than half (53%) saying it is very important. Of course, uncritically positive approaches to other faiths would also miss the balance, but in the present context I am not going to address that side of the equation, since in some ways it is more explicitly dealt with in official LDS teachings. ed. Please see our privacy and cookies page to find out more, and manage your consent at any time. Furthermore, could such an approach potentially weaken the unique claims of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as its missionary commission? [7] It is then balance between the faiths exclusive claims and its liberal recognition of the general goodness of religion that allows Mormonism to be both particularist and inclusive. Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge . Therefore, learning about other religions is a pragmatic necessity rooted in a spiritual foundation for Latter-day Saints who want to build effective and mutually fulfilling relationships of collaboration with members of different faiths. Among evangelical Protestants, for example, men are just as likely as women to believe in heaven, and young people are just as likely as older evangelicals to hold this belief. It is then in the spirit of these rules that I believe we could and should approach other religions as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The truest fruits of religion are healing and positive. It is one thing to disagree with a particular belief while recognizing that it has some value and credibility (thus retaining respect for the believer); it is another thing to reject that same belief as utterly absurd or as the product of lazy motivations. As children we are taught (one hopes) to respect our parents and teachers, school rules and traffic laws, family and cultural traditions, other people's feelings and rights, our country's flag and leaders, the truth and people's differing opinions. Respecting other religions is a basic aim of secularism. Certainly most Mormons would protest if a focus on controversial historical issues like plural marriage or the pre-1978 restrictions on priesthood ordination for blacks would be used as a starting point of comparison between Mormonism and another faith, especially if great humanitarian achievements or virtuous and heroic lives originating from the other religion were to function as the other side of the juxtaposition. We implore all states to live up to their obligations and to hold accountable those who seek to restrict the freedom of religion. Very few Jehovahs Witnesses (5%) believe this. As was the case in 2007, most religiously unaffiliated people continue to express some level of belief in God or a universal spirit. . Additionally, 83% of blacks say they are absolutely certain about Gods existence, while roughly six-in-ten whites (61%) and Hispanics (59%) hold this view. Situated in a buffer zone between the Israeli Army checkpoint and the Palestinian Authority, the cafe is an easily accessible meeting place for Israelis and Palestinians. God is using more than one people for the accomplishment of His great and marvelous work. In our dealings with people of other faiths and beliefs, this means exercising good will and: When we talk about matters of faith with one another, we need to do so with sensitivity, honesty and straightforwardness. While conversations between people of different faiths appear to make a difference, and despite significant contributions made by faith communities, knowing if anything works remains a challenge, as the effectiveness of interfaith initiatives are rarely measured or evaluated. Truth includes actions, thoughts, emotions, and many other visible expressions of the created world; channels of divine influence and communication, with greater or lesser intensity, are spread throughout history, geography, and religions. Across the major religious groups, most people say it is very important to respect all religions to be "truly Indian." And tolerance is a religious as well as civic value: Indians are united in the view that respecting other religions is a very important part of what it means to be a member of their own religious community. Understanding Other Religious Beliefs - This lesson helps students learn more about different religions and discuss the importance of religion freedom, Teaching Tolerance; Teacher Resources - Instructional and Learning Resources . December 29, 2020 in [ Teaching & School Administration ] Embracing various religious beliefs in the classroom requires intentional thought and planning. Better education on other faiths will facilitate trust and respect as we join hands in the defense of religious freedom and of other foundational values like morality and the family. Those who opposed the temples construction had used reports based on anti-Mormon publications to criticize the Church, its beliefs, and its practices. [5]Selected Beliefs and Statements on Religious Freedom of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/beliefs-statements-religious-freedom. Additionally, more women than men and more blacks than Hispanics and whites say their religions holy text is the word of God. However, there are minimal differences between men and women and between younger and older adults on this question. Religion is a specific set of organised beliefs and practices, usually shared by a community or group. On the one hand, Peter tells us, "Honor everyone. Receiving respect from others is important because it helps us to feel safe and to express ourselves . To be sure, finding this balance may be challenging, and in this context we do not need to look too hard to find examples of two very different kinds of excesses. Fewer than half of Mormons (40%) and only about one-in-ten Jehovahs Witnesses (8%) believe that many religions can lead to eternal life. He came to speak with me about his difficulty in reading the course textbook, which he attributed to the reading process being so emotionally charged that it took him hours to complete every assignment. Religion as a whole is beneficial to civilization, and it provides a solid foundation for ethical behavior. Of course, respecting other people's religion is very important, especially if you are trying to raise children who are also respectful of others, whether they are the same as you or different. [22] These rules provide a solid philosophical and ethical foundation for any engagement in comparative religions and thus are particularly beneficial to any discussion about LDS approaches to other faiths. The whole context negates this interpretation, however, for that which precedes and follows this passage deals entirely with the religious people of Josephs day. Two-thirds of Catholics (68%) and mainline Protestants (65%) say some non-Christian religions can lead to eternal life, as do 59% of Orthodox Christians. If asked whether other religions are considered to be primarily good (although somewhat misguided) or primarily evil, I would hope that most Latter-day Saints would opt for the former choice. [10]But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God. Whether the issue that brings us together is the defense of religious freedom, humanitarian work, some other commonly shared value, or simply friendship, working teams are most successful when individual members trust each other. All member bodies subscribe to this guidance, and it has also come to be used by a number of inter faith organisations around the world. In 1993, IFN developed, in consultation with its member bodies, guidance on Building Good Relations with People of Different Faiths and Beliefs. This turn to religious teachings as a source of moral guidance has occurred across many religious traditions, with the largest increases among evangelical Protestants and Catholics. Recognizing and respecting the religious beliefs of others is essential for peacefully existing with people of other faiths and cultures. But instead of finding guidance through religious teachings, more of the nones are turning to scientific information; the share who say they rely on scientific information has increased from 10% to 17% in recent years. They can even be given something to have faith in. Young leaders from different faith backgrounds came together and, in partnership with two local refugee charities, the project ran two sports events for young asylum seekers at Arsenals football ground, the Emirates Stadium in London. Indeed, encounters between people of different faiths might lead to more positive attitudes towards other faith groups. The Inter Faith Network offers the following code of conduct for encouraging and strengthening these relationships. Phil Cousineau (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003), 143. More recently, key events such as 9/11 have thrust interfaith onto the global stage. Showing kindness to others is something virtually all religions teach; however, religion is one of the most common causes of conflict. As it relates to an LDS approach to another religion, this means that we will want to describe a religion in such a way that if a believer of that faith were to drop into our discussion unexpectedly he or she would not consider what was being presented to be a caricature of that religion. All you know is that the believers of other religions describe Him differently. Furthermore, the qualifier that follows, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually, seems to be a warning against the use of this formula in support of personal pride or self-righteousness. For example, in relation to the previously quoted passage in Joseph SmithHistory, retired BYU professor Roger Keller once stated, There is a tendency to understand the word creed here as a confession of faith, such as the Apostles Creed or the Nicene Creed. [11] John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses (London: Latter-day Saints Book Depot, 185486), 1:155; 14:337. Then, since the Church already gathers all the partial truths taught by other religions, the argument continues, no additional truth of salvific value can be found in other faiths because all knowledge of this kind is already available through official Mormon teachings. There are many others like them today.[16], Still, a few Latter-day Saints find it particularly difficult to see much or any truth in other religions. Slightly bigger shares of blacks and Hispanics than whites say they believe in heaven, and older Americans are slightly more likely than younger adults to hold this belief. Even when accounting for missing or distorted elements in these religions teachings, there remains much in their distinctive expressions of faith that is uniquely beautiful. Therefore, there is no incompatibility between the sympathetic study of other religions and a solid commitment to the truths of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Among thousands of world religions, Christianity is the largest, with 2.3 billion followers. Also see W. Cole Durham Jr., The Doctrine of Religious Freedom, in BYU Speeches, 20002001 (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University, 2001), 21326. But for interfaith to be truly successful, changes within individuals must spread, or be transferred, throughout whole communities and into wider society. As far as spiritual benefits are concerned, we will be able to deepen our friendships with family, friends, and neighbors of different faiths by appreciating more fully the truth and beauty that they have embraced in their lives and by being able to express without prejudice our own enthusiasm for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It happens in sports, national politics, and international relations, and religion is no exception. We zoom into the Earth in a blur,. The unaffiliated not only make up a growing portion of the population, they also are growing increasingly secular, at least on some key measures of religious belief. Religion harnesses deep emotions which can sometimes take destructive forms. But this conviction has declined noticeably in recent years among several Christian groups. While reading these words, he had felt driven to continuously deny them in his mind by retorting the exact opposite, namely that Satan had inspired the Quran, and Muhammad was clearly a false prophet.. Then why would any believer be indifferent or even opposed to such divine evidences simply because they emerge from a different religious or cultural context than the one to which one is accustomed? Please indicate your consent to this sites use of cookies. In other words, it is better to err on the side of internal bias than on the side of external prejudice. I will label these arguments the fullness, the only true church, and the creedal abomination arguments respectively, an ordering which also reflects the increasing rejection of the study of other religions that they advocate. About six-in-ten Americans (58%) believe in hell, little changed from 2007. Where the fullness argument explicitly emphasizes the perfection of Mormonism (while implying the irrelevance of other religions), and the only true church argument explicitly emphasizes the exclusive truth of Mormonism (while implying the falsehood of other faiths), there is nothing implicit in the creedal abomination argument. If we set out with the desire to understand and identify what is true rather than false about a particular faith, then when we finally are in a position to evaluate it more broadly, it is more likely that our criticism will be fair. Lots of religions share the same ideas - like compassion, solidarity, and love for other people. Respect has great importance in everyday life. For instance, fewer U.S. adults now say religion is very important in their lives than did so seven years ago, when Pew Research Center conducted a similarly extensive religion survey. rev. In that context Stendahl, who had previously served as the dean of the Harvard Divinity School, expressed what have come to be known as his three rules for religious understanding. [5] Joseph Smith and other prophets have repeatedly taught about the significance of religious freedom, not only by recognizing it as a founding principle of the US Constitution, but also more broadly by highlighting the sacred role played by agency in leading people to God or to any principle of truth. In my view, however, the meaning and the sources of truth are quite broader than what this particular interpretation implies. For us it means that we do not want to express an LDS perspective on a particular faith until we have had the time to examine and understand it. If there is any truth in heaven, earth, or hell, I want to embrace it, I care not what shape it comes in to me, who brings it, or who believes it, whether it is popular or unpopular. In another context he declared, If there are any religious ideas, any theological truths, any principles pertaining to God, that we have not learned, we ask mankind, and we pray God, our heavenly Father, to enlighten our minds that we may comprehend, realize, embrace and live up to them as part of our religious faith. Religions were made for betterment of. Six-in-ten Americans (60%) view their religions sacred text as the word of God. . Smaller majorities of most other religious groups say religion plays a very important role in their lives. Respect for other religions . This chapter takes a detailed look at the religious beliefs of U.S. adults including members of a variety of religious groups and compares the results of the current study with the 2007 Religious Landscape Study. The belief that their religion should preserve traditional practices is held by most Mormons (70%), Jehovahs Witnesses (60%), evangelical Protestants (61%) and members of historically black Protestant churches (53%), as well as half of Orthodox Christians (50%). Any LDS clarification articulating the significance of priesthood authority or the claim of historical continuity with the early Christian church would then need to be included to prevent misunderstandings of this kind. Specifically, I have encountered at least three kinds of arguments, loosely interrelated and usually based on particular scriptural passages, which purportedly highlight the dangers of approaching other religions favorably. In short, our leaders have stressed the fact that religious freedom is not a denominational issue; instead, it is a value commonly shared by people of all faiths that must be defended by the united efforts of people from all faiths. That description is based on their perception of God, as described by their religion's founder. Again, the problem with this argument is not its emphasis on the uniqueness of Mormonism or its status as the truest religion; instead, it is its failure to explicitly recognize any truth or salvific value in alternative religious paths. While I subscribe to the belief that the prophetic authority of the Church ensures a preferential revelatory channel, and even an exclusive authority in the realm of doctrinal declarations, I also understand truth to involve more than mere propositional statements or declarations of beliefs. It's also. [18] Roger Keller and others, Religions of the World: A Latter-day Saint View, rev. Religion. Mauro Properzi, "Learning about Other Religions: False Obstacles and Rich Opportunities,"Religious Educator16, no.1 (2015): 129149. . Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals.[20] I reiterated to him that viewing individuals, sacred texts, and religions as either perfectly inspired by God or satanically motivated is a false dichotomy, because God can confer various degrees of light and knowledge as he sends portions of his Spirit to individuals and groups.

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