Re: Is religion antithetical to democracy [formerly: Are Islam and Democracy Incompatible?]

AE wrote:
> chris alden wrote:
>
> > AE wrote:
> >
> > > chris alden wrote:
> > >
> > > > AE wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Christian tolerance always meant that everybody was allowed to 
> > > > > become Christian, not that other religions ever would have been
> > > > >  tolerated.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Define tolerance.
> > >
> > >
> > > The base of tolerance is to believe the other person is equal to 
> > > oneself.
> >
> >
> > The other person, or the other person's ideology?  Certainly you're 
> > not accepting my ideology as equal to your own, or as correct in the
> >  long run.  Are you being intolerant?  Human tolerance allows for the
> >  person being tolerated to be wrong, while still loving him.
>
>
> I don't judge your ideology. You might be right or wrong - I couldn't tell.
>
> What I'm claiming is that you are not tolerant - and that you can't be
> due to your ideology.

You do not claim you yourself to be tolerant (for a truly tolerant 
person would tolerate another's intolerance). And neither does your 
opponent claim himself to be tolerant. Where is the disagreement?

Patience is numbered among the classic virtues, but in what system is 
tolerance a virtue?


> > You are making an exclusive truth claim that all exclusive truth
> > claims are bad, but that the ultimate goal of tolerance is to accept
> > all truth claims as equal, even if they are exclusive.
>
>
> I'm not saying they are good or bad: I'm saying exclusive truth claims
> are incompatible with tolerance.

Granted, truth is intolerant. Of err. Is that a problem?