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Synoptic Strand 3- Tolerance - Coggle Diagram
Synoptic Strand 3- Tolerance
General
Tolerance= ability/ willingness to tolerate the existence of opinions or behaviour that one dislikes or disagrees with
Characteristics of tolerant society
virtue that characterises pluralist & liberalist society
members of tolerant society not attempt to supress or change beliefs or values of others, though may disagree
Religious Tolerance
John Locke- 'tolerating everything is heart of gospel'
Locke- "I esteem that toleration to be the chief characteristic mark of the true church... the toleration of those who differ from others in matters of religion is so agreeable to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to the genuine reason of mankind, that it seems monstrous for men to be so blind as not to perceive the necessity and advantage of it in so clear a light"
should try to be tolerant of everything except if it harms people
Areas of Religion viewed as Intolerant
Jihad- associates with Islamic terrorism, spreading islam across the West
Honour killings
religious views on moral/ ethical debates
e.g. same sex marriage, abortion etc...
missionary work
every religion beliefs it is true religion
views on homosexuality, women's rights etc...
Paradox of Tolerance
Karl Popper- 'The Open Society and its Enemies'- 1945
'In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must maintain the right to be intolerant of intolerance'
'Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappointment of tolerance'
how do we decide what is intolerant?
Is it anything that happens to another person?
Christian Teaching
William Barclay- "Jesus welcomes rich and poor, distinguished and disreputable, saint and sinner alike. Never was a man who had such a vaired circle of friends as Jesus of Nazareth"
NT Paul warns early christians against divisions saying "we are all one in Christ"
Bible and Tolerance
female leaders e.g. Deborah
Good samaritan- parable
all people Jesus was with
women at the well
Mary Magdalene- was a sinful women, but became follower
Paul- used to persecute christians
Zachias- tax collector- was hated
David murder Bathsheeba's husband- God tolerant?
women caught in adultery
Jesus talked to Cananite woman
Galatians 3v28
Jesus attitude to Women
Women caught in Adultery
women caught in adultery & brought to Jesus by religious teachers (tried to trick him)
approaches matter differently- understands women has sinned, knows law & punishment but doesn't leap to condemnation
tells religious leaders "he who has never sinned may cast the 1st stone"- realised they were all sinners & therefore could not condemn the woman
only person who could condemn her was Jesus and he told her to 'go and sin no more'
Jesus condemns sin but not the sinner
Jesus and the Sinful Woman
came into Pharisees house and washed Jesus' feet with her hair & perfume from an alabaster jar
Pharisees judged her due to her sin (possibly prositute)
but Jesus praised her and forgave her for her sins
Jesus attitude to Different Races
Visit of the Magi
were from the East, so likely gentiles
shows Christianity not just for Jews, but for everyone
were chosen to be first to worship Jesus- christianity for every race
Parable of the Good Samaritian
makes samaritian hero of story- looks after man, pays for inn etc...
Jesus challenges racist beliefs of Jews towards Samaritians, should bbe tolerant to all religions
Jesus' Attitude to Tax Collectors
Jesus and Zacchaeus
Jesus dines at house of the hated tax collector Zacchaeus much to shock and disgust if the Jewish leaders
Tax collectors were hated because they worked for the romans & often cheated people out of their money
Jesus' acceptance of Zacchaeus leads him to repent of his old ways & start a fresh
Jesus teachings applied to tolerance
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" Matthews 7 v 1-2
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" Matthew 7 v 12
"Love your neighbour as yourself" Mark 12 v 31
Paul's teachings on Tolerance
"You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgement seat" Romans 14 v 10
tolerate your differences, don't judge each other on the small things
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" Galatians 3 v 28
Examples of how Religion promotes Religious Tolerance
"Ecumenism"- efforts by Christians of different church traditions to develop closer relationships and better understandings. Also used to refer to efforts towards visible and organic unity of different Christian denominations in some form
World Council of Churches
brings together churches, denominations & church fellowships in more than 110 countries & territories throughout the world
representing over 500 million christians and including most of the world's Orthodox churches
broadest & most inclusive among many organized expressions of the modern ecumenical movement- goal is Christian unity
Clonard-Fitzroy Fellowship
rebuilding relationships between protestants and catholics
established 1981 as result of friendship between Rev Ken Newal of Fitzroy presbyterian and Fr Gerry Reynolds of Clonad Monastery in West Belfast
aim of fellowship is to promote mutual understanding, respect and a common witness between people from various Christian traditions in NI through their programmes, friendships & activities
Unity Pilgrims
group of Catholics who worship at Clonard
after mass every Sunday, they visit various protestant churches to worship together with them
representitives from each denomination attend regular assemblies to discuss issues affecting the church; work together on mission/ charity initatives; promote ecumenical theological training
Role of Religious Leaders in Resolving Issues of Intolerance
Martin Luther King
considered hero of freedom as well as tolerance- work for human and civil rights
bbelieved in non- violence activism & considered 'love' as biggest weapon
promotion of equality
fostered values like courage, justice, unconditional love and service to others- promotes tolerance and equality
King's demand tha black people be treated with dignity is ethical implication of his theology that said they were created with dignity
commitment to radical love had everything to do with this commitment to Jesus of Nazareth and his dream had everything to do with community
'Agape' love in bible- "love that seeks nothing in return"
\love your neighbour, says Bradley,"means loving people that don't love you back, because God commands love as a means by which the world is completely turned upside down"
King's notion of love was revolutionary in that it threatened to undo the social stratifications that undergird our modern world
If goal was, as KIng believed to truly create a new world of reconciled humanity, then the path of hatred would never lead there.
"If we retaliate with hate and bitterness", he said, "the new age will be nothing but a duplication of the old age"
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
lifelong advocate of equality, he tirelessly campaigned to end apartheid & for racial equality, also was a committed propnent of LGBTQ+ rights
said he would 'not support a homophobic God' and would rather 'go to hell than a homophobic heaven'
in 1990's, Tutu wrote that it was "the ultimate blasphemy" to make lesbian & gay people doubt whether they truly were children of God, whether their sexuality was part of how they were created by God
said, "I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this "
"I oppose such injustice with the same passion that I opposed apartheid"
Tutu said, "cannot keep quiet when people are penalised for something about which they can do nothing"
Examples of how Christianity has Promoted Intolerance
Inquisitions 16th & 17th Centuries
powerful office set up within Catholic church to root out and punish heresy throughout Europe and America
Spanish inquisition was worse for more than 200 years resulting in 32,000 executions
would arrive in town and announce their presence- give citizens chance to admit to heresy
those who confessed received a punishment ranging from a pilgrimage to whipping
if they did not confess- torture & execution were inescapable
not allowed to face accusers, receive counsel and were often victims of false accusation
King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain believed it was caused by Jews who had convertted to Christianity- known as 'Convertos'
1478- under influence of clergyman Tomas de Torquermada, monarchs created tribunal of Castile to investigate heresy amongst conversos
Galileo put on house arrest for finding that earth was not centre of the universe
Treatment of Women
perated by the religious orders (Sisters of quiet mercy, Sisters of Charity and the Good Shepherd Sisters)
those who were perceived as 'promiscus' unmarried mothers, the daughters of unmarried mothers, those who had been sexually abused & those left in care of Church and State
once inside were imprisoned behind locked dorrs, barred or unreachable windows and high walls
names were often changed & given indentification numbers
refusual to work included deprivation of meals, solitary confinment, physical abuse, forced kneeling for long periods or humiliation rituals e.g. shaving of hair
were verbally insulted
inadequate hygiene
Attitude to other Religions
2014- Pastor James McConnell of Whitewell Metropolitan tabernacle was investiagted for remarks he made about Islamic religion in sermon
described muslim faith as 'heathen' and 'satanic' and Islamic religion as 'a doctrine spawned in hell'
2016- acquitted of 'grossly offensive' remarks about Islam
charges against him had been improper use of electronic communication since sermon posted online
Attitude to LGBT
in text written to the Catholic church the church names 'homosexual acts' as "immoral and contrary to natural law
names 'homosexual tendancies' as "objectively disordered"
while Catholic Church doesn't consider 'homosexual ordination' sinful and of itself, does have negative attitide towards it
1986 letters state, 'although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is more or less strong tendancy ordered towards an intrinstic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder'
70,000 people subjected to conversion therapy programmes, involving hyponsis, testicle transplantation experiments (at start), electo-convulsive therapy etc...
Northern Ireland assembly have banned gay conversion therapy
E.g. Matthew Drapper from Sheffield subjected to conversion therapy by his Church, ST Thomas Philadelphia
forced him to say a prayer like an exorcism to rid himself of the demons of homosexuality
Have people become too Intolerant of Religion?
increased focus on tolerance is closely linked to rise in relativism
2005- Pope Benedict spoke out about what he called the 'Dictatorship of Relativism'
"a new intolerance is spreading, that is quite obvious. There are well established standards of thinking that are supposed to be imposed on everyone. These are them announced in terms of so-called "negative tolerance"
John Finnis
Professor of Law and Legal Studies at Oxford
argued against the morality of homosexual sex, homosexual adoption and mass immagration
views deemed by petitioners as 'hateful' and 'discriminatory'
defended work by saying "there is not a phobic sentence in them"
describes his work as a "strictly philosophical moral critque of all non-martial sex acts"
over 350 people added their names to the petition to get him removed from his teaching position - said 'he has a long record of discriminatory views'
rejected criticisms insisting, "he had absolutely no hatred for homosexual people and he described petition as having muddle & misrepresentation"
Jenny Cain
primary school receptionist
faced disciplinary action as result of sending email asking friends to pray for her daughter
Caroline Petrie
community nurse
was suspended for offering to pray for a patients recovery
employer reinstated her
North Somerset Primary Care Trust said it had been recognised she had been acting in 'the best interests of her patients' & that nurses did not have to 'set aside their faith' in the workplace
Case of Foster Mother
cared for foster children for more than 20 years
struck off by her local council when her 16 year old Islamic foster daughter converted to Christianity of her own free will
local authority struck her off from their list of approved carers
Has Religion contributed to Intolerant Attitudes?
Religious Fundamentalism
fundamentalism is when religious believers take a strict, literal interpretation of religious teaching
are traditionalists who want to return to the fundamental elements of their faith
society has become increasingly more liberal and places importance on values e.g. autonomy, reasonableness and tolerance
religion attempts to impose their ideas of absolute rights and wrongs on others are often seen as counter-cultural to our secular society
most religious fundamentalist are not violent extremists, however, is true that religious extreminism has roots in religious fundamentalism
Origins
first used to describe a Christian movement within Protestantismin USA during early part of 20th century
movement wanted to reaffirm theological teaching that they considered to be fundamental to Christian belief
movement arose as reaction to societies growing acceptance of evoluntionary theories and Biblical criticism
Christian Fundamentalism
Amish
American Protestant group who split from group of European Anabaptists called Mennonites during 17th century
anabaptists don't accept infant baptism & will re-baptise anyone baptised as a child
Amish take literal biblical interpretation
E.g. conduct communal foot washing x2 a year during special communion services based on example set by Christ in NT
Amish are pacifists and follow 'non-resistance' apporach to violence
non- resistance based on Sermon on the Mount
means that won't fight in war or sue someone in court
see violent apporach to solving problems as non-christian
shuns anyone who leaves Amish society or anyone who broke Amish law
Seventh Day Adventists
keeps Sabbath from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday, because God set apart the seventh day of creation week to be a day of rest and memorial of creation
early seventh day adventist made things more difficult for themselves by criticising Christians who kept the Sabbath on Sundays as apostates
believe in a literal & historical six-day creation
in regards to conflict can believe in respect for human life and biblical principles on conflict resolution
Intolerant Christian Fundamentalism
Moral Majority
prominent American political party
opposed state recognition (or acceptance) of homosexuality, prohibited abortion (even in cases of rape & incest) & supported christian prayers in school
supported 'marketing' Christianity to Jews & non-christians
Falwell- "role modelling the gay lifestyle is damaging to the moral lives of children"
Westboro Baptist Church
American fundamentalist church
founded & led by Pastor Fred Phelps until death in March 2014
known for use of inflammatory hate speech against:
LGBTQ+ people
Catholics
Orthodox Christians
Atheists
Muslims
Jews
Romani people
US soldiers & politians
described as hate group & the WBC is monitored by the Anti-Defamation League
not afflicted with any Baptist denomination, although it describes itslef as Primitve baptist & following the 5 points of Calvinism
gorup carries out daily picketing in Topeka & travels nationally to picket the funerals of gay victims of murder, gay-bashing or people who have dies from complications related to AIDS
uses verses like Leviticus 20 v 13 to support them - "if a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman.... They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own head"
picketed funeral of Matthew Shepherd, who was beaten to death by two men, due to his sexuality
Phelps SR- "Our attitude toward what's happening with the war is that the Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime"
Islamic Fundamentalism
Sharia law comes from combination of sources including Qur'an
Sharia regulates all human actions and puts them into 5 categories:
Obligatory
Recommended
Permitted
Disliked
Forbidden
Sharia has been adopted in various forms in different countries- strict interpretation in Saudi Arbia and Northern States of Nigeria to relatively liberal interpretation in Malaysia
The Mutaween- Saudi Arbia's Secret Police
tasked with enforcing Sharia as defined by government
Example
March 11, 2002- prevented school girls from escaping burning building in Mecca
girls not wearing headscarves & abayas (black robes) & not accompanied by male guardian
Mutaween didn't want any physical contact to take place & civil defense forces for fear of sexual enticement
girls were locked in by police or forced back in building
15 girls died & 50 were injured
Raif Badawi
arrested in 2012 on charge of "insulting Islam through electronic channels"
Badawi said, "To me, liberalism means simply to live and let live"
constitued apostasy- crime punishable by death- Raif was accused of this despite being devout muslim & believed that freedom was worth road of such sacrifice
writings later tolerated by liberal King Abdullah, byt angered Mutaween- arrested him in late 2007
interrogated him for hours & later released him
first detained on apostasy charges in 2008
prevented leaving Saudi and his & his wife's bank accounts were frozen in 2009
2012- arrested
2013- badawi sentenced to seven years in prison & 600 lashes for founding internet forum that "violates Islamic values and propagates liberal thought"
2014- sentence increased to 1000 lashes & 10 years in prison & fine of 1 million riyal for "insulting Islam"
OAHE Religious Extremism
different from Fundamentalism
extremism refers to an ideology that is considered to be more radical than the attitudes held by the majority of the faith
usually resort to methods such as, martyrdom to make their point
Neil J Kressel- "one reason for the rise of contemporary religious extremism has been the perception among believers that their ways are under attack from progressive forces"
ISIS
Who they are/ beliefs
Islamic militant jihadist group, theocracy, proto-state & salafi jihadist group.
They want the foundation of a Sunni Islamic state & to establish themselves as a callphate, an islamic state led by a group of religious authorities under a supreme leader- the callaph- said to be the successor to prophet Muhammad. They want a one state, one religion world- Sharia Law
How originated
emerged from remnants of Al Queda by Abu Musab al Zarqauri in 2004
faded for several years due to use troops in Iraq
changed its name to ISIS in 2013
began to reemerge in 2011
Example
in 2015, ISIS's Egypt affiliate bombed a russian airplane, killing 224 people
2015- 130 killed & more than 300 injured in series of co-ordinated attacks in Paris
2016- gunman killed at least 48 people in a night club in Orlando, Florida
videos of beheadings & executions
genocide against yazidis & christians in northern Iraq & Syria
systematically persecuted shia muslims
Religious teachings used to defend actions
Sunni muslims so believe callaphate needed to properly implement Islamic laws
justifies with Quran & example of Mohammad
e.g. burned an apostle Mohammad said not to as on way God could do that but they pointed out other places in Scripture where he justified eye- for eye type punishments
League of Militant Atheists
Who they were & beliefs
Stalin came to power in Russia in 1920's & quickly realised that the Russian Orthodox Church posed a serious problem for his Communist Regime
1925- formed League of Militant Atheists & in 1928 gave them powers to disestablish religion in the Soviet Union
Examples
bibles forbidden
went into people's homes & got rid of religious items/ symbols
churches closed
imprisoned church leaders & often executed them
church buildings (synagogues & Mosques) made into 'Museums' of Atheism
Why?
wanted to stamp out religion in the Soviet Union because felt it had too much control
Result
reduced numbers of religious communities, but this had little impact of people's actual religions faith
50,000 people- 1930
8,000- 1941
Ku Klux Klan
Who they were & beliefs
American white supremacist terrorist and hate group who primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Catholics, Native Americans, as well as immigrants, leftists, homosexuals, muslims and atheists
has advocated positions like white nationalism, anti-immigration & Nordicism, anti-semitism etc...
historically, 1st Klan used terrorism- both physical assult & murder
called for 'purification' of American society & all are considered right-wing extremist organizations
How originated
1st Klan established in wake of American Civil War & was defining organization of Reconstruction Era
2nd Klan started small in Georgia in 1915. Grew after 1920 & flourished nationwide in early-mid 1920's
3rd & current manifestation of KKK emerged after 1950 in form of localized & isolated groups that use KKK name
focused on opposition to civil rights movement, often using violence & murder to supress activists
Examples
Klan members adopted masks & robes that hid identities & added to drama of night attacks
attacked black members of Loyal leagues & intimidated Southern Republicans & Freedmen's Bureau workers
killed more than 150 African Americans in Florida
2nd Klan group- committed cross burning- dramatic display of symbolism & intimidation
In 1922- 200 Klan members set fire to saloons in Union County, Arkansas
Army of God
Who they are & beliefs
American christian terrorist organization, members of which have perpetrated anti-abortion violence
active underground terrorist organization in the United States
in addition to numerous property crimes, group committed acts of kidnapping, attempted murder & murder
group forbids those who wish to "take action against baby-killing abortionist" from discussing their plans with anyone in advance
How originated
was formed in 1982
known as 'leaderless resistance'
while sharing a common ideology and tatics, the group's members claim that they rarely communicate with each other
Examples
3 men stating they were AOG kidnapped Hector Zevallos a doctor who preformed abortions and his wife Rosalee Jean and held them hostage- released unharmed 8 days later
Planted bombs at 7 abortions clinics in Maryland, Virginia & Washington D.C. in 1985
1993 Shelley Shannon, found guilty of murder of George Tiller- 11 years in prison
group associated with number of abortion clinic bombings, arsons & murders of abortion providers
Religious teachings used to defend actions
is 'Army of God' manuel
"our most dread sovereign Lord God requires that whosoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. Not out of hatred for you, but out of love for the persons you exterminate we are forced to take arms against you. Our life for yours- a simple equation. Dreadful. Sad. Reality nonetheless. You shall not be tortured at our hands. Vengance belongs to God only. However, execution is rarely gentle.