Why can't people from different religious backgrounds just respect each other?

One of my best mates is a catholic priest and i am non-religious (not an atheist). We chat about lots of stuff including religion and he never trys to convert me. Its all very relaxed and we respect each other. Why can't everyone do the same?

Why can't people from different religious backgrounds just respect each other?backgrounds for myspace

Well, we just about reached that on this chat group. We disagreed, and we said bad things about each other, but you could really feel that we respected each other on a personal basis. ... And then one particular group , that I am not going to mention, has put a new wrinkle on discussions.

"I demand that you stop saying bad things about us, I demand that you convert to my religion, I will be insulted if you do not agree with me."

That would be bad enough, but now, I am afraid to mention that group because, I am afraid they will report me for even mentioning their name or disagreeing with them.

I like this chat group idea, but I feel very intimidated by anyone who does not believe in free expression of ideas. Rather than fighting this group, I would rather just find another chat group,or whatever.

I know someone will probably click my icon with a thumbs down, and I don't mind that at all. And someone will tell me that I shouldn't worry about it. But, I do worry about being stifled in the form of annonymous deletions of my opinion.

I have just been honest, and for some reason I thought you might be interested my opinion.

I hope this problem of anonymous reporting and deleting will settle down, and I can continue with this chat group.

Why can't people from different religious backgrounds just respect each other?myspace games myspace.com

Everybody is doing it. How do u think u still exist?
Without religious crusades we would be living under a Muslim theocracy or the Church of England. Be glad for religious wars.
most people have religion forced on them in their childhoods, so they learn to do that to others in return.

just an opinion
They could but they often choose not too.
Because a lot of religions tell you to try and convert others. Some even tell you to kill others who are not your religion. Organized religion bad I think.
Because they all identify with their beliefs and can't accept that their faith could be wrong or that any others could be right.
Perhaps they should take a course in irony.There will always be extremists from every grouping-religious or other.
It's not the nature of man, and it never will be.

People can be passionate about their beliefs, and their defintions of right and wrong. Many of these passionate people see dissent as a threat to their beliefs, and staunchly defend them, often by condemning opposing or dissenting beliefs.
Almost all CAN, just ask the Pope..

He held an ecumenical gathering that included witch doctors, Buddhists, Taoists and the like.

Ask any of those "belief systems" to declare Jesus as GOD come in the flesh... therein is "the rub"
Tell that to the Christians hell-bent on converting or at least ruling the entire nation by passing faith-based legislation. Suppressing scientific research on stem cells and global warming, suppressing much-needed vaccines that could be life-saving, trying to suppress basic science education in favor of fairy-tales.
Easy, because their respective religions have told them NOT to respect each other. Heck, even the Pope said that if you are not Catholic, you will 'go to hell.'
I know what you mean...I try the best to be cool to Christians and Jews and we get along but sometimes there is that one person who likes to cause negativity and will start saying untrue things about my religion (Islam). Other then that, I know lots of cool ppl from any religion from Sikhs to Hindus to Christians to Jew...mmm well you get the idea. We express our religions views in a fair way and try not to make other feel badly or put down. I always remember Surah al-Kaffiruun in the Qu'ran and it reminds me to respect others religions.

Peace:D
Because most people think they have the answer to salvation....every religion thinks they are absolutely right and try and force it on others. How self righteous of people to think they have the answers and only they know how to be saved. If someone truly had the answers their would not be dozens of denominations of christians, muslims, jews, etc etc
I do not know, but I have an idea. I have had friends that are Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims, and we can discuss religion and ideas. I am a Jew. It is Christians that I would not dare bring up the subject with. They cannot carry on a civil conversation about it. They take offense when I differ with them.
I ask myself that question everyday.
there are a lot of people like you

this site just makes it seem worse
Islam has a central premise of destroying other faiths. Hinduism is similarly strict (in India, anyway). Catholicism tries to force its own views on contraception and abortion on the general public, and has no qualms about promoting laws that affect everyone. Ditto for the conservative Christians.

I'm Lutheran (ELCA) and we welcome all professed, baptized Christians to communion. Not only is that not true of the Catholic church, they teach their own that our communion is worthless, and merely symbolic. That is wrong. We don't believe in transsubstantiation, but we believe in CONsubstantiation. There isn't a whole lot of difference, but Catholics describe our views as being heretical. And we're the next closest thing to the Catholic church that there is.

The bottom line is that in each of these faiths--Islam, Hinduism, Catholicism--there is no room in their heaven for anyone who practices any differently than they do. They are exclusive. There similarly are Christian denominations (the stricter ones, including some branches of Lutheranism) that are exclusive instead of welcoming. The big difference in the more inclusive denominations is that they aren't fighting to be top dog, and don't presume to declare that those who don't join, or who leave, are cut off from the body of believers and damned. Anyone from a faith so strict and exclusive will not respect the faith of others. They may, however, pretend to.
Yes I agree. This is such a shame that more people don't think like yourself. The world would be a much better place to live in. What does it matter what some one else thinks, so long as we can live along side each other.