Why are Christians accused of being intolerant, while anti-Christians are deemed tolerant?
452534
This is a GREAT question,(for me anyway)because it touches on two points that have been driving me crazy lately. The first is the intolerance some people display towards Christians. I have a hard time understanding how someone can call themselves a liberal and state that they stand for tolerance and understanding but then down people who are practicing Christians. It's a double standard and hypocritical to boot. Every issue in this country seems to gravitate to ridiculous extremes-there's never a sensible and practical middle ground. Though I believe firmly in seperation of church and state (which our forefathers took months to painstakingly state in the constitution, and with very good reason)I cannot think of one good reason why a child quietly saying grace over his school lunch should be so offensive to some that he should be expelled from school. It's not like he was standing on the tables preaching or anything. Just silently thanking God for the food he had that so many in the world are forced to do without. It's absolutely shameful. Such people are not liberals in any literal sense of the term, but rather small people with set ideas and closed minds-inflexible in their thinking and intolerant of other points of view. You don't like the term progressive regarding such people and neither do I. I call them "Left Wing Conservatives" because their thinking is just as rigid and inflexible as their right wing counterparts. They have an agenda, and they follow it thoughtlessly. \nI think this stems from an innate human need to feel superior and special in some way.  Many, many people find something that works for them and, out of this need, become convinced that their way is the ONLY way. Stupid, yes, arrogant, yes but that's how it seems to work.\nThat being said, let me lob one at the other extreme and say that I'm really tired of hearing certain elements of the Christian Right raving about how oppressed and persecuted the poor helpless Christians are. Let me explain something to you folks-Christianity is by far the majority religion in this country. It is also the richest and has the greatest representation in our government. The Christian Right has more politicians in their pocket than EVERY OTHER religious group in this country combined. People opposing you from passing legislation to impose your religious beliefs on others regardless of what their own beliefs may be does not constitute oppression. What they are doing is resisting YOUR attempts to oppress them.  Again, ridiculous extremes. When in all of history has the group with the largest numbers, the most power, and by far the most money been considered oppressed? It's crap! \nThe extremists on both sides are the problem.  They shout the loudest because that's the only way they can get people to listen to their idiocy. Neither side has a monopoly on intolerence and self righteousness. My solution: Take 1% out of the military budget and build a huge city on some piece of land that no one cares about-White Sands Arizona would be my vote, but other wastelands such as Detroit or Hoboken would work as well. Build a big wall around it and then move all the extremists from both sides in there where they can shout, stomp and do whatever else to each other all they want while the segment of the population with enough sense to pound sand gets on with the business of improving the country. It'll be a better world without 'em. But maybe that's just a little extreme....
785334
Religious tolerance is simply not being rude to people of other faiths. You dont have to respect my faith or me respect yours. You can even hate it and I can hate yours. You don't even have to respect or like the person themselves. Having tolerance is about accepting the fact that they believe in something other then you and not being rude about it. You can ask and or debate with a person without being rude.
498876
No, those are fanatics of christianity.  Christianity is supposed to teach tolerance and acceptance.  A true christian is not supposed to such a thing.  Those people are also close minded morons.  Ignoring them is the best way to handle them.
643125
You obviously never heard the stories of Jesus accepting sinners, lepers and pagans when Jews of his time shunned and out casted these people.  Do you bash Christianity because it teaches that being gay is wrong or are you just not knowledgeable about Christianity?  It sounds like you're bashing Christians.
198328
It's a religious thing. They both think theirs is the ONLY true religion, and are intolerant of others.
362899
The Christians are a large group and even though they teach tolerance most have none, They did to religion what the white man did to native americans, at least they are trying. \n\nWell this ought to get things rolling lol! \n\nPagans unite! \n\nI don't need the 10 points I had fun answering this one, gotta love a dry sense of humor.
755409
Of course, whoever is open minded is tolerant. Mostly all religions encourage tolerance towards those who are not theirs, but few people actually practice it. \n\nThe problem is that the idea that they have that those people will perish and are sinful creates a barrier. They tend to look at disbelievers and other religious people as inferior as they won't be saved. \n \nMany atheists do not respect and tolerate theists. They too take believers for inferior beings. \n\nPeople who are more into mysticism are more tolerant. Note that mostly all religions have a meditation/mysticism part, like in islam there is sufism. Hinduism have many mystics n meditations, buddhism is all about it. \n\nI find these type of people more tolerant. But of course there exists exceptions like myself, i'm agnostic but I do not look down at people.
516972
If I am not mistaken, I don't think this was a generalization made that all non-beilievers are mean spirited and cruel.  (At least I hope not)  I think that each religion gets misunderstood at one time by those not of that religion, and some people just don't know how to address what they don't understand. There are those that do.  They respect the fact that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs.  I am a Christian, I believe, but i do not force my beliefs on anyone. i may share something about God, but I cannot judge anyone if they do not believe--and I don't think we should judge and ridicule each other.
344755
There is still an inbuilt discrimination in society against atheists - in many countries it's rampant and institutionalised. Another poster on Answers was recently 'asking' why it is considered intolerant to be Christian but tolerant to be anti-Christian. Seems like a persecution complex to me. To start with, atheists do not follow the teachings of a book that explicitly says theists are evil...\n\nIn an interview, Reagan was once asked to comment on the fact that 90% of Americans believe in God (whatever the percentage was at the time). His response, unremarked upon at the time, was that he wished it was 100%.\n\nWhat an amazing sentence! Imagine if he said that in reference to the perentage of Americans who were white or heterosexual or able-bodied! There would be a (perfectly reasonable) outcry. But about theists? No problem. Business as usual.\n\nFor my part I believe that you could easily make a statement that atheists are more trustworthy as they rely solely on an internal set of morals and ethics (usually established as a reaction to what they see around them) to decide right from wrong, as opposed to theists, who often have a conflict between their personal morals and a set of codes established thousands of years ago in a country far away. Trying to apply different - and even contradictory - codes of behaviour can lead to confusion an anomie.
600553
Good question.  I agree with you.  Christian's do not hate anyone, just the actions that they do.
613632
No, Christians are called upon to be tolerant and respectful of other religions and cultures.  But if you take a look at the "religion and spirituality" section of this site, you'll see that often isn't the case.
739891
I agree with most of the above. The things you say hold true for most believers ( in any religion). Their religion seems to make them intolerant. You are able to discern between what is reality and what is said in a very old book. Times change but the religions do not change with them, thus making a lot of religious people stay behind in the doctrines of their religion which were made thousands of years ago.
305954
I'm not quite sure I understand the question.  As a Jew I am not anti-Christianity. (not even sure what anti-Christianity would mean).  I believe differently than Christians, but I can respectfully agree to disagree. I also disagree with Muslim beliefs.  In fact I even disagree with some Jewish people's beliefs!  (such as reform, reconstructionists, etc.)  \nIn short I'm not anti anybody except evil people like Hitler, Bin Laden, and so on, (if you could even call them people)...
446364
God bless you for being real and telling it like it is. Christians have been too tolerent too long. \nLiberals want to take Christ out of Christians.
1165577
I don't know exactly which people you are talking about who are intolerant, and I don't doubt that there are some - even many - in every religion. In fact, I find that to be the case in particular among so-called atheists and agnostics, as evidenced by several of the answers you have received to this question. They seem to have this core belief that all Christians want to force Christianity down their throats, and are intolerant of their choice not to believe in God. But for the most part I don't believe that is the case. The truth is that most believing Christians believe that their faith expresses an absolute truth, and they would be happy to share it with others, but if the others choose not to believe it, they accept that (even if it may sadden them). On the flip side, it generally tends to be the atheists and agnostics who cannot stand to have someone believe that there is an absolute truth and that they possess it. They tend to want to force believing Christians to abandon their idea that there is such an absolute truth, and that what they believe is one of any number of possibilities.\n\nSo in the end, who are the intolerant ones?
284129
Unfortunately, many mock my faith and perceive me as  a mere simpleton. I am oftentimes shunned by peers because of my beliefs and dismissed when attempting to speak my mind. Frankly, I sometimes find being Christian rather difficult because it is the only religion that can be attacked without being politically incorrect.
965671
Because the only thing that is not being tolerated is intolerance of sin.  Go figure huh?