On religious tolerance
published: Sunday | October 10, 2004

THE EDITOR, Sir:

AS A consequence of some recent letters published, I have come to the conclusion that many Jamaicans are very intolerant towards others' religious beliefs. However, this issue seems to go deeper than just being Jamaican. It appears that humans have this (cultured) tendency/ability to believe anything they want to believe, and will blight any other belief that may be contrary to or different from theirs.

Because of the tendency, many persons will believe whatever they want to believe so long as they feel a desire or an obligation to do so. It is a fact that our beliefs are highly influenced by our prevailing world view. Therefore, in any given society, the people's way of thinking and acting will be formed by the prevailing values of the day. So, when the evolutionists say that evolution is a fact like digestion, when the deists say that God has nothing to do with the path of Hurricane Ivan, when Christians say that God turned away Ivan from Jamaica as a result of his mercies then there should be no surprises!

Sir, our society is made out of many one people who think, act, perceive and see things differently. The variations are obvious and while as a society we should not condone all behaviours, we need to be more respectful and tolerant of each other's religious beliefs, lest we start fighting against each other like the Israelites and Palestinians.

I am, etc.,

GFK

Thethornbird_gang@hotmail.com

NCU, Mandeville