Religion and Tolerance
2 199 8 Religion and tolerance Figure 8 Come, come, whoever you are; Wanderer, idolater, worshipper of fire; Come, even though you have broken your vows a thousand times; Come, and come yet again; Ours is not a caravan of despair. Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, 13th century 8.1 Introduction Do you realise how deeply religion(s) affect(s) your life? All around you, whether you are a believer or not, you can see the signs of religions. You may hear a call for prayer from the minaret of a mosque or church bells. When your friends get married, you might go to a synagogue or a church, or just attend a ceremony in the city hall. Every year you may decorate a pine tree at home and celebrate Christmas, or you might buy egg-shaped chocolates for Easter. For religious festivals, you may buy new clothes and visit your relatives or elderly neighbours, or give gifts to children. At a funeral, you hear prayers. No matter where you live in relation to the Mediterranean, religion plays an important role in your society, whether you are religious or not. Themes 200 In European and Mediterranean societies, there have always been different religions and religious diversity, around which there is a complex mixture of facts and myths, truths and misconceptions. On the one hand, religions bring people together: in principle, they constitute spaces for living, for practising the more noble qualities of human beings such as humanism, solidarity and compassion, by bringing together humanity’s efforts for a better shared future. On the other hand, history shows that religions have also been used or misused to justify painful conflicts and wars, persecutions and intolerance in the name of God, which have ultimately divided people rather than bringing them together.
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