And acquaintance of mine posted on Facebook last night, saying something to the effect of 'I am proud that my family and friends have diverse religious beliefs and that we all compassionately get along.' Many people 'liked' her post and almost everyone in the comments agreed, supporting the importance of tolerance. While this path of agnostic, tolerance, privatizing religion, and placing an emphasis on personal spirituality is the trend in America, I see this as a move away from truth and am afraid for where it will lead.
On one hand, coexisting is important. History is full of examples of religious differences causing wars where hearts went untouched. I am guessing very few true converts were made during the wars in Ireland, the Bosnian/Serbian slaughter, or the multitude of attacks in the Middle East. Threats of death do not promote truth.
However, the coexisting that is promoted by bumperstickers, t-shirts, and the media is also very unhealthy. If we ignore our differences and try not to bring them up, then we are completely overlooking the point of religion.
Perhaps my view of religion is different than most peoples'. I believe that we must seek truth and aim to have true beliefs, regardless of the subject matter. As I am not an atheist, I believe that God exists, can be known, and so I aim to align my beliefs with who God truly is. Religion is not a cultural preferece, pure spirituality (whatever that means), or a mere set of practices. Instead it is a way of viewing the world and intentional character change to become the kind of person God wants. As I have very different beliefs about God, the world He created, and the kind of person I am supposed to be than Muslims, Mormons, Hindus, and Buddhists, we have different beliefs.
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