The Formation of Religious Tolerance in Christianity in Comparison with Islam

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Abrahamic Religions, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Today, in modern thought, the issue of tolerance with various branches such as political, social, cultural and religious tolerance has become a basic necessity accepted in the world culture and beyond that, much attention has been paid to the issue of religious and social freedoms and pluralism. Given that Western and Christian society throughout history, as many say, has not been tolerant, the question is: How did this idea find its way into Christian culture in the West? Did it have religious and social roots that were forgotten, or did the cultural elements and requirements of the time make this discourse necessary at a particular time? The fact is that despite the positive points about religious tolerance in the life and words of the early Christian leaders, this change was not spontaneous and self-originated from the text and foundations of the religion and tradition of the church, nor did it lead to a continuous tradition. But its acceptance in the late period, which occurred out of compulsion and due to the weakness of the church as well as political and economic interests and other requirements of the modern age (such as democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and thought, etc.), has been a continuation of Protestant developments and religious wars since the seventeenth century, which fundamentally distinguishes it from Islam and the Islamic world. In the Islamic world, under the influence of the practice and tradition of the Prophet and the Imams (AS), a "tradition of tolerance" was formed from the very beginning, which the rulers more or less observed over time. Of course, this does not negate the violent deviant currents in the Islamic world, especially in the present, which have led to Islamophobia in the West through misunderstanding and opportunism

Keywords

References

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Religious Research
Volume 9, Issue 17 - Serial Number 17
September 2021
Pages 123-147

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