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Achievable-- possibly, likely-- slim chance. The problem lies in the fact that religion (all religions) are built upon tribal cultures that go back to a time when mankind's survival was based on the law of the jungle, survival of the strongest and until if and when religions and religious people come to terms with our own history and the reasons we continue to pit brother against brother then the goal of which you speak will never be achieved.

I worship God, but reject all religions-- nothing else will bring about true spiritual tolerance. The very idea that any religion might be closer to God's ideal than another religion attempts to make God smaller and less than what all religions claim God to be.

The problem lies in the fact that religion (all religions) are built upon tribal cultures that go back to a time when mankind's survival was based on the law of the jungle,"

Sorry, Poet, but the law of the jungle is still with us - big time! It is called SIN! And the divine provision for it was the historical atonement of Messiah on the cross. The biblical faith is NOT built upon tribal culture, even though ancient culture was the unavoidable setting of much of its outworking. It is based upon divine revelation.

Believers such as you fail to see that your "religion" IS a religion, with its own beliefs and parameters, etc. There is NO way to avoid having a religion - for ANY poisition you take MUST have content - even saying you are simply a breathing entity who believes in nothing. So you're a breathing nihilist.

All of this furrur about tolerating religions is simply a mass humanistic effort to avoid the fact that they are condemned sinners awaiting God's judgment; that there is a biblical God who has real and understandable moral laws (parameters) that all men, created in His image, are accountable.

Obedience His Law brings life, joy and peace; disobedience, guilt, misery and death. And rebleiious, atheistic man just cannot abide the idea that there is anything, or anyone above him to whom he must give moral account. He wants to sin and think as he will.

That's what's really going on. But people either want their false religions or their self-made theories of transcendence, like yours. The ultimate end game of history is the sorting out of the sheep and the goats, (believers and unbelievers) which is polaying out in our time and beyond. Either you submit to God's Messiah, or youo continue to rebel.

God's name is Allah!

Yah, sure.

Yeah, sure.

let's look t see what scripture says about respect ( i.e. tolerance). below is a small sampling of what scripture says on this subject......

1 Timothy 6:3-5
If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
Thessalonians 3:6
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.
Matthew 24:1-51
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ...
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Matthew 24:1-51
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ...
Genesis 19:1-38
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” ...

some denominations claim Jesus is just an ordinary man......some denominations claim everyone will be saved.......some denominations claim there are many ways to gain eternal life.....some denominations claim if you don't belong to their denomination you can't get to heaven and each of these claims are refuted throughout scripture.......

scriptures leave no option but to accepting Christ as Savior, NONE. what is there to tolerate or respect....only the word of God....all of it.

all one really needs to do is read the entire bible and they will see that God is not respectful or tolerant towards those who stand against Him and His Word. yet He is longsuffering in that He desires His creation (us) to accept Him - today is the day of salvation,amen.

anonymous posted this: "scriptures leave no option but to accepting Christ as Savior, NONE. what is there to tolerate or respect(?)"

This person, whoever he is, has no interest in tolerating people when he finds out they disagree with him on religion. How interesting. And he claims to follow a religion that (last I checked) ORDERS its followers to love everyone.

Now I know it's a stretch, but I always thought that love was a whole lot more positive than mere tolerance. Tolerance means to me that you'll let someone live unmolested. Love means accepting them as your neighbor and giving them whatever you can if they need it - among many other things.

Anonymous, by contrast, appears unwilling to even leave his unorthodox neighbor to live in peace. It appears that he has read the Bible, but chosen to retain only the bits that support his desire to hate everyone who is different. I wonder if he has even bothered to re-read the Sermon on the Mount?

when satan temtped Jesus forty days at one point he misquoted scripture to Jesus - he simply left out some of the word spoken in psm.91:11-12. satan is a liar and deceiver and misquoting scripture is one of his tools.
namtac misquoted me as well and by so doing misrepresents what i stated....."scriptures leave no option but to accepting Christ as Savior, NONE. what is there to tolerate or respect....only the word of God....all of it". my statement shows that Gods word is preeminent and if we are living the word we will be part of the world but not partakers of it. my statement was meant to imply that Gods word takes precedent over my willingness or desire to tolerate or repect, but not necessarily to the exclusion of it. if your statement were true "has no interest in tolerating people when he finds out they disagree with him on religion" then i couldn't possibly function in this world. apparently you are new to this blog (welcome) for if you had been around awhile you would realize that we have a wide variety of poster here - some are atheist - some appear to be agnostic - while some seems to like to voice their opinions. one of our vocal posters is eric (i.e. an atheist) and over the years i have grown to tolerate his comments towards the faith - i also have a certain amount of respect for him, he was once a man of faith and has since fallen away, he provides insight to both ends of his spiritual journey - he comes across as a well studied individual with a wide variety of interests - so it's untrue that i can't tolerate and respect others who different from my spiritual pov - neither he nor you should be too concerned about my level of tolerance or respect but rather concern yourselves with what God thinks of you.
rest assured if i came across you laying in a ditch and injured, i would do whatever was necessary to help you and guess what i wouldn't even ask you what your religious affiliation was - so contrary to what you state about me being a hater, i disagree.

Namtac said, "And he claims to follow a religion that (last I checked) ORDERS its followers to love everyone."

There is a sense in whish this true; and a sense in which it is not true. It is true in the sense that redeemed covenant believers, are to enjoy loving, spiritual fellowship. This kind of love is ONLY possible when the heart has been reborn and cleansed of the divisive and deadly effects of sin.

This is the context of Jesus' telling his FOLLOWERS to love one another; and of the Apostle Paul's detailed revelation of the dynamics of spiritual love in I Cor. 13. Noe of this has anything to do with the unbeliving sinner, who the Scripture says is dead in trespasses and sins, and alienated from the life of God. So quoting these scriptures at Christians who take a stand against error and unbelief is utterly misinformed and futile.

On the other hand, there is a love that is extended to sinners, both in terms of Jesus' death on the cross and the offering of forgiveness and redemption in the proclamation of the Gospel. This is where "God so loved the world" comes in. This is NOT the love referred to previously, but redemptive compassion. It is NOT fellowship love and communion, but rather the merciful love of redemption. Only when the sinner is born anew and filled with the Spirit can he or she have fellowship love.

For biblical Christians, there is a tacit understanding that truth and love are inseparable. That to jeopardize or compromise God's revealed truth is to undercut salvation AND fellowship and fellow believers. To seek to preserve this essential truth component of the Faith is NOT intolerance, but faithfulness.

Those who hate Christ and his Gospel place THEMSELVES in the position of being confronted wiht biblical truth. In their guilt and misery (exitantial angst) they charcterize a resolute defense of divine (biblical) truth as "intolerance," in an effort to dismiss and eliminate it in the human forum. It is merely a tactic of put-dwon and attack, rather than a rseaonable assessment.

As Buz, noted the Scriptures are historically in constant and unrelenting opposition to all that is alien to God and His revelaed Law/Word. This is by necessity, and ultimately ended in a man hanging on a tree being derided by legalistic religionists and sinners alike. It continued through the ages in lion-infested coliseums, Inquisition chambers, and the God-hating vitriole of modern athiesitic humanists.

I agree that intolerance of those who do not yet know the redeeming power of the Gospel and who openly exhibit disdain for God and His Word, should not be done in a vicious or hateful manner. But neither can it be done through milksop pleasantries either. After all, this IS an adult forum and the exchange - and clash - of ideas simply happens. But the redemptive love and compassion of Christ must always be extended, even to those who despise and persecute those who hold fast the truth.

What an assortment of views on tolerance/respect of varying religious beliefs and religions.

While I do not and basically have never agreed will all religions, I find myself now, at the very least, tolerant of those others. I also find myself seeking to learn more about them, which in turn leads to tolerance.

What is surprising is how biblical scripture is interpreted to suit ones need to explain ones unwillingness to tolerate (at the very least) differing religions/religious beliefs. Yet, I have seen others thoroughly ridiculed and thrashed for doing the same thing. Yet, that is not surprising either.

I choose to follow what namtac noted; "...to love everyone." This is the core of the Sermon on the Mount (to which I believe namtac alludes). And yes, while I disagree with what some have stated, I do love these people.

Shalom

"And he claims to follow a religion that (last I checked) ORDERS its followers to love everyone."

Same tired love argument.

Loving others and accepting their beliefs are two different things. Not accepting someone's beliefs doesn't mean that you aren't accepting them as a person. My husband and I have different political views. I don't accept his beliefs when it comes to politics at all, but I respect him as a person and his right to believe however he wants. We may indeed be a collection of our beliefs, but I refuse to embrace another person's beliefs, religious or otherwise, simply because I'm worried that they'll be offended. The last time I CHECKED, Jesus said that He came into this world, not to bring peace, but a sword. Take it any way you like. Those who aren't Christian aren't spiritually discerned enough to understand the meaning behind the scriptures anyway.

And one more thought...

Isn't it interesting how others, who ridiculing the principles and teachings of the Christian faith as being intolerant, are themselves being intolerant?