Meaning of religious tolerance (what is it, concept and definition)

What is religious tolerance:

The religious tolerance is the ability to respect the religious beliefs and practices of others, even if they are different from their own. As such, religious tolerance is a moral virtue that supposes respect for the human and spiritual integrity of the other, towards their ideas, practices and beliefs, regardless of whether they are contrary to ours.

In this sense, religious tolerance implies the recognition and awareness that all of us have the right to think differently and to profess different beliefs or to completely renounce religious faith; all of which also means being able to understand that all beliefs are equally valid and respectable, without in itself assuming a real impediment to harmonious coexistence, based on freedom, respect and justice. Religious tolerance, then, is essential for life in society.

Likewise, religious tolerance means that no one has the right to impose their beliefs on others, or to compel others to observe and abide by the same principles that their spiritual doctrine dictates. For this reason, no one has the right to restrict or coerce another person's freedom of expression in matters of a religious nature, since religious tolerance also implies respect for the values, beliefs and freedom of expression of others., even when their values, beliefs and opinions clash with their own.

On the other hand, religious tolerance is contemplated in many modern political systems, which guarantee tolerance of worship and full individual liberties. In this sense, all people have the right to profess or not to profess any religion without thereby running the risk of being subjected to discrimination, abuse or threats. Hence, freedom of worship is also a fundamental human right.

For Voltaire, for his part, religious tolerance, addressed in his Treatise on Tolerance , referred to the possibility that all men, without distinction of class or religion, could coexist and interact without imposing one's beliefs over the other's. He affirmed, among other things, that human beings "have enough religion to hate and persecute and we do not have it instead to love and help others." Likewise, it was opposed to the spirit that prevailed among the intolerant, and affirmed that "the right to intolerance is absurd and barbaric."

Religious intolerance

The religious intolerance involves the lack of respect the right of others to profess and practice religious beliefs different from ours. In this sense, religious intolerance is a violation of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of worship, embodied in the declaration of Human Rights.

Religious intolerance has been the excuse, in various places and times, of great crimes and massacres that cannot be justified in any way: the indigenous genocide in America, the burning of Jews in Europe during the Middle Ages, the massacre of Christians in Islamic countries, among others. Hence, religious intolerance is nothing but a way to violate human rights under the protection of a faith.