Religious intolerance

Post by **otseng** » Mon Nov 16, 2020 9:29 am

Religious intolerance is 'bigger cause of prejudice than race', says report

Attitudes to faith said to drive negative perceptions more than ethnicity or nationality

Religion is the "final frontier" of personal prejudice, with attitudes to faith driving negative perceptions more than ethnicity or nationality, a report to be published tomorrow will say.

How We Get Along, a two-year study of diversity by the Woolf Institute, is due to conclude that most people are tolerant of those from different ethnic or national backgrounds, but many have negative attitudes based on religion.

Religion is a "red line" for many people, the study based on a survey of 11,700 adults in England and Wales will say. This is particularly so in the case of Muslims.

Almost three-quarters of non-black or Asian respondents said they were comfortable with a close relative marrying a black or Asian person, but only 43% were comfortable with a close relative marrying a Muslim.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... ays-report

Does this study effectively make the case that religious intolerance is a bigger cause of prejudice than race?

Difflugia · Post by **Difflugia** » Mon Nov 16, 2020 10:26 am

otseng wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 9:29 amDoes this study effectively make the case that religious intolerance is a bigger cause of prejudice than race?

For England and Wales, it does, and one may perhaps extrapolate that to the rest of Europe. In Europe during the last several decades, intolerance of Islam has manifested as intolerance of Muslim immigration. The arguments tend to be similar to ones made in the US regarding Latin immigration, including fears of crime, economic impacts, and the overwhelming of local cultural identity by the incoming culture.

nobspeople · Post by **nobspeople** » Mon Nov 16, 2020 12:30 pm

otseng wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 9:29 am From Does systemic racism exist?:

Religious intolerance is 'bigger cause of prejudice than race', says report

Attitudes to faith said to drive negative perceptions more than ethnicity or nationality

Religion is the "final frontier" of personal prejudice, with attitudes to faith driving negative perceptions more than ethnicity or nationality, a report to be published tomorrow will say.

How We Get Along, a two-year study of diversity by the Woolf Institute, is due to conclude that most people are tolerant of those from different ethnic or national backgrounds, but many have negative attitudes based on religion.

Religion is a "red line" for many people, the study based on a survey of 11,700 adults in England and Wales will say. This is particularly so in the case of Muslims.

Almost three-quarters of non-black or Asian respondents said they were comfortable with a close relative marrying a black or Asian person, but only 43% were comfortable with a close relative marrying a Muslim.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... ays-report
Does this study effectively make the case that religious intolerance is a bigger cause of prejudice than race?

Not sure how 'effective' it is, but religion is always a hot button. Probably because it's based on nothing other than wants and needs.
And it would depend on where you ask the question and the audience the question entertains. For me, I see more racism scattered around, but I see more religious intolerance (on both sides of the coin) in higher capacity than racism.
If people could just get past their innateness of 'me me me' and learn to 'live and let live', the world would be a much better place.

Post by **otseng** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 5:55 am

otseng wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 9:29 am Does this study effectively make the case that religious intolerance is a bigger cause of prejudice than race?

I would argue the claim made by The Guardian is misleading and jumps to an irrelevant conclusion that "Religious intolerance is 'bigger cause of prejudice than race'".

The report cited was "How We Get Along: The Diversity Study of England and Wales 2020" by the Woolf Institute.

Some background of the Woolf Institute:

Beginning as the Centre for Jewish-Christian Relations, the Institute later expanded to include the Centre for the Study of Muslim-Jewish Relations the first and only centre in Europe dedicated to fostering a better understanding of relations between Muslim and Jews and the Centre for Policy and Public Education.

https://www.woolf.cam.ac.uk/about/history

The goal of the institute is to better relations between religious groups, not to incite religious intolerance. Also, nowhere does it mention in the study does it say that "religious intolerance is a bigger cause of prejudice than race".

The study focused on marriages. "The researchers focused on the question of marriage as a way of measuring tolerance and prejudice." Marriage is a complex issue and it cannot be extrapolated to how one views race in general. What they found was "43% were comfortable with a close relative marrying a Muslim." How people view marrying Muslims cannot be extrapolated to how people view all religions.

So, how people view marrying Muslims does not lead to any conclusion about people being intolerant of religion. This would just be an example of twisting something to create a sensationalist article which really has nothing to do with the original research.

1213 · Post by **1213** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 11:24 am

otseng wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 9:29 am ..
Does this study effectively make the case that religious intolerance is a bigger cause of prejudice than race?

I think it can be true. Religion explains more what person does or thinks than the "race". Religion gives a world view and idea of good and right, "race" doesnt actually give anything that determines persons actions. Culture is also one thing that I think is greater than the "race", because it gives values for person and culture may in some case be mixed with "race", all though they are not the same.

And for example, Islam gives certain way of life, all though it is not always exactly the same and depends especially how seriously person takes it and how well one knows the teachings. But still, it is reasonable to assume it shows in some way in persons choices.

And I think in many cases the prejudices are correct. If person says for example that he is a Christian, it is reasonable to assume it shows in same way in his life. And everyone has right to dislike or like as they think is good. And I think people should have freedom to be intolerant to things they dont like. However, I think people should not do evil or bad things, even if they dont like someone.

Overcomer · Post by **Overcomer** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:30 pm

How are we defining the words "tolerance" and "intolerance" here? I ask that because the words have taken on new meanings of late. It seems that a lot of people define "tolerance" as accepting everyone's worldviews and belief systems as equally valid which means that we have no right to question them or criticize them in any way while the word "intolerant" is given to those who DO question and criticize the beliefs of others.

However, from a Christian perspective, the word "tolerance" means giving everyone the right to say what he or she believes, no matter what their beliefs might be, whether I agree with them or not. But I DO have the right to question those beliefs and I DO have the right to say that I think those beliefs are incorrect -- just as everyone has the right to say the same about my beliefs and the right to question me about them as well. That's what this web site is all about, isn't it?

So if someone says she doesn't want her daughter to marry a Muslim man because their worldviews are so different that she thinks the marriage won't work out, for example, is that really intolerance? Or is it just common sense and motherly concern? Has she seen other marriages not work out because of the extreme difference in worldviews? Has she seen the examples of Muslim men taking their children back to an Islamic country and the wife has no way to prevent it or get her children back? Is she trying to spare her daughter heartache?

To me, intolerance is telling the Muslim man that he has no right to talk about his religion and that he has no right to practice his religion (which is the case for Christians living in many Muslim countries, by the way). That's intolerance.

I keep thinking of the movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? I think Spencer Tracy as the father spelled out the kinds of concern a parent might have about marrying across race or religion. But he wasn't intolerant, just realistic.

JehovahsWitness · Post by **JehovahsWitness** » Wed Nov 18, 2020 6:16 am

otseng wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 9:29 am
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... ays-report
Does this study effectively make the case that religious intolerance is a bigger cause of prejudice than race?

Interesting article. It seems to really be focusing on attitudes towards ISLAM rather than those of religious people's attitude towards other faiths.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religio ... %20grounds.

Race of itself doesn't cause problems "racism" does. I personally wouldn't compare racism to religious intolerance because unlike racism (which is always bad), some religious practice should not be tolerated.

As for which if the two (race/racism or religious intolerance) cause more prejudice, I dont know, but I do think if the conclusions are based solely on the degree if intermarrage, the premise is flawed. Marrying someone of another nation, culture or religious background can give rise to many difficulties and recognizing this is neither prejudicial nor hateful.

JW

Post by **Tcg** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 2:50 am

JehovahsWitness wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 6:16 am
I personally wouldn't compare racism to religious intolerance because unlike racism (which is always bad), some religious practice should not be tolerated.

And here we have a perfect example of religious intolerance - "some religious practice should not be tolerated." Of course if we dug further we are likely to find that it isn't their religious practice that should not be tolerated.

Tcg

Post by **Tcg** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 3:05 am

[Replying to otseng in post #1]

Here is what could perhaps be the ultimate example of religious intolerance:

The ex-Jehovah's Witnesses shunned by their families

For some former Jehovah's Witnesses, leaving the faith is not just the mark of losing your religion - it can also mean losing your loved ones. In many cases, friends and family are told to cut all ties with ex-believers, leaving them isolated and sometimes suicidal.

"I don't speak to any of my family," Sarah - not her real name - tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.

"Because of being 'disfellowshipped', I can have no contact."

Last year, Sarah - in her 20s - was excluded by the Jehovah's Witnesses in a process known as "disfellowshipping", she says sparked by her refusal to live in an abusive relationship.

She claims her partner at the time had been violent towards her, at one stage leaving her with broken ribs.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40704990

Of course the JWs aren't the only ones to practice this extreme form of religious intolerance. Amish have a similar form of it and even some Evangelicals practice their form, though much less formal, of religious intolerance.

The ultimate evidence is when one religious group claims that those don't follow their particular form of worship will end up in eternal damnation. I've yet to encounter any racists who make a similar claim.

Tcg

JehovahsWitness · Post by **JehovahsWitness** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 3:41 am

Overcomer wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:30 pm
I keep thinking of the movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? I think Spencer Tracy as the father spelled out the kinds of concern a parent might have about marrying across race or religion. But he wasn't intolerant, just realistic.

Great movie. I wonder if it could have been made today. Sadly, it seems as if the world has become more not less tolerant of racism. I sincerely believe we will have a "colourblind" world one day, where a people will not be "judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" but that that will be by God's grace not human efforts.

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