Wouldn't empathy for our fellow person(s) transcend all religions and cultural divides?
961530
everyone should strive to be more empathic , more in touch with others and how they feel\nonly in knowing this , can you really understand yourself and the world around you
863488
I would guess that it has polarized views even farther. Maybe we Americans just don't know how to play nice. My hardly contained contempt aside, our religious and spiritual beliefs, our values seem to be our identity, our purpose. What else is more important to argue about? I think we are all eager to communicate, but we just don't do it well. While the internet provides an easy and comfortable place to be expressive, we tend to let our ultimate desire for harmonious relationships and appropriate discussion go somehow...I guess collectively we are just figuring out how to speak and listen.
447641
No, people will never get along and respect each other's religion.. why? because people are egotistical and believe that THEIR religion and thoughts are the ONLY ones which are right.  It has always been so.. and WILL always be so.. sad and stupid.. but true.   \nand I MUST note.. I would have a lot more respect for someone if they took the time to actually SPELL what they are trying to say and then READ it before they post it.
184684
You pretty much answered the question the way I would.  It would be great to break down the language barriers, so we would realize there are less differences between us and "everyone else" than we think.  But yes, I think there's the danger of becoming too similar.  Maybe not, though...every country still has different customs and "slang", so maybe the cultural uniqueness would prevail.
44936
I think the key word in your question is respect.  It is entirely possible to disagree with someone and still respect them.  The other thing that we need to remember when dealing with people from other religions, is that we are representing our own faith to them.  As a Christian, my faith teaches me to love my neighbors, and it even teaches me to love my enemies.  So, I am certainly called to love people of other faiths.
861512
Ethnic cleansing affects us all:-- The peoples being annihilated, \n all those guilty of said cleansing, all of us for allowing these atrocities to occur. No matter what religion we believe in, I'm guessing most would have some kind of "rule against" such things. Even if we have no religious beliefs, we should still have compassion for our fellow man.No one person has the right to decide what race or culture has less reason for being here. Karmically we are all responsible for these horrors. Murder is murder, but on such a scale, mankind is in for some Karmic retribution.
469141
I'd like to believe we could become one big global community. Sadly, given the state of things in the world today, I don't believe that's possible. I may not agree with another persons' beliefs, but that doesn't make me hate, or even dislike, them. We aren't born to hate. Hate has to be taught. Prejudice is taught. I couldn't care less what color your skin is, where you were born, whether you're an "American" or not. America's supposed to be the great melting pot, but we discriminate against people for all sorts of superficial reasons.\n\nWhat makes me special? I'm a child of God.
653854
A very good and valid point, Nikki. Shame that will never happen though...humans are only human, so you will always have childish bickering and the need for some people to feel superior to someone else, using their 'belief' as an excuse.\nIf we all thought like you, the world would indeed be a much nicer place. I hope you don't lose that innocence as you make your way through this world.\n\nI'm not religious, BTW.
467779
well if we return to the essence of all religions and beliefs we can see clearly that they reject any kind of conflict between religions. in fact all religions have the main basics (doing good, helping pple, staying away from bad things....acting with humanity)...\nHoly Jesus-christ says: "u must love each other like i have loved u"..Christianity is the religion of love..u must love the others respect them...\nIslam is the religion of Forgiveness and respect, prophet Muhammad(pbuh) says: " extremists and those who doesn't respect other's beliefs aren't from us"...\nMoses had never insulted pharaon allthough he claimed that he's god. but Moses tried to bring him to the light and to save him from the darkness..\nso the conflict is in us, in our brains, in the mean human nature that makes us hate everything different than us without realizing that being different doesn't mean that we r better...\nin the name of the most beautiful thing in the universe, in the name of god we r trying to destroy this world..\nYes it will be an end to conflicts among pple on religion, when everyone acts truly like what his religion asks for. if u told me it's impossible i'll tell u lets try(it's worthy to try no?).....  \nwhen a christian apply the soul of christianity when a muslim apply the soul of islam when a jewish apply the soul of jewism...when a human acts with humanity then u'll reach this point...\nIn fact, everyone can have his own way to love and interact with god, religion is between god and each human alone..\nI personally beleive in all religions, so just lets act with humanity and forget about those conflicts that contradict our own religions and beleifs...
769510
Brilliant question. I believe it is the cultural layering we get as we are socialized into our various "clans" (religions, class structures, value systems, etc etc). This formative experience shapes us, molds us away from being truly empathic and into being more regimented and con-formative.
1099068
all religions could collide as one. but people won't be too tolerant about it.
617576
Do you mean, Is it only insane people that feel that they are 'all together'?  If that is what you mean, I would say 'No'. The average life has its stresses, but since we are in the religion section let me say that God is a God of peace and he gives it to us through the brave actions of the Prince of Peace.
949383
I agree! I'm always confused when someone tries to do that... T_T It just, besides being offensive when one tries to force religious beliefs on another, doesn't make sense. For me, that's something i think is so COOL, is how we all have different beliefs and yet we can be friends! :D
931566
Not necessarily.  I've seen alot with belief who step outside of what is considered moral, even by their own religions standards and then hypocritically justify it with that same religion.  I wouldn't consider that person better for their belief.  Though, on rare occaisions, I do find people with belief who have become better people for it... those are usually the one's who don't pressure others about belief.  Sad thing is, they're greatly outnumbered by those that step outside of the moral boundaries believing they are Better than others.
495128
Actually ... yeah ... I think it could could. If everyone in the world was filled with genuine love for others, we'd be rid of war, poverty, and greed.\n\nBut that's never going to be the way things are. For some reason, there always has to balance, and we never really appreciate the good without the bad to offset it.
1024618
Of course not.  Wisdom includes tolerance for the things we don't understand or disagree with.  If someone judge's and entire religion, country, race, culture or gender based on the actions, it is stereotyping the entire group.\n\nI am a white, Christian woman.  If a few white, Christian women rob a bank, does that make all white Christian women bank robbers?  \n\nReligious fanatics of any denomination or belief comprise only a small percentage of the denomination as a whole and it is unfair to condemn everyone based on the actions of a few.
379008
Yes I stop to help them because the full development of empathy is the next stage in human evolution.  When we are all contributing to society and respecting other peoples' rights, we will all be much more advanced.  When you look at the violence of the "caveman era" and compare it to today, the advancement is clear but certainly slow.  Patience and determination is needed.