By James F. Drane
The first Europeans who came to America were motivated by strong religious beliefs. Tolerance did not have a large role either in their belief systems or in their moral practices. Tolerance, however, is crucial for creating and maintaining a decent society which inevitably will be made up of persons with differences.
The first colonies in America reduced the need for tolerance by trying to eliminate religious differences. Puritans, Anglicans, Catholics were separated one from another, each in its own territories and communities. The U.S. is still more religious than other developed nations, but religion today is in decline. So, too, is the important moral virtue of tolerance.
Tolerance played a much more important role in the secular belief systems of our founding fathers. They were formed by believers in the 18th century European Enlightenment rather than by the 17th century Protestantism of the first colonists. Among the founding fathers were unbelievers and marginal believers (Deists). They set aside 17th century religious perspectives in favor of scientific understanding and secular philosophies.
Scientism and secularism continue to advance in today’s American population. The reasons are many but among them is the shocking violence around the world originating from religions. American religious groups were never as violent as some of today’s religions, but they showed little respect for one another. They tended to emphasize their differences rather than their commonly held beliefs. In Africa and Asia and the Middle East today, the moral conduct of religious people is much more shocking. Different groups, even within the same religion, use violence toward one another. Tolerance for differences is rarely visible and some religious leaders respond to violence within their own communities with silence.
It is difficult for many Americans to accept the fact that we are at war. We have already been attacked and suffered great loss. This is our present reality despite sophisticated efforts to protect ourselves. The young attackers are religious fanatics who believe they are martyrs and what awaits them is an eternity of sexual orgy. Their beliefs are absurd from our perspectives and yet they motivate an expanding army of suicide bombers. These fanatics constitute a serious threat because they have no respect for human life, neither the life of others nor their own. In their religious mindset even innocent little children become infidels, heathens and the embodiment of evil.
In Western culture enemy soldiers enjoy human respect and human rights. For the fanatics, even women and children enjoy no protection and no rights. As young fanatics gain access to more destructive technologies all human life has become vulnerable, especially the life of Americans.
One human right whose loss is not likely to be regretted in today’s war climate is religious tolerance. If tolerance even for other Christians who hold different beliefs has not enjoyed a high prominence in American religious history, what will happen to tolerance for the millions of Muslims around the world who are not jihadists, not hateful, not threatening, but yet different from us? If all Americans are targeted by the Muslim fanatics, all Muslims are likely to become targets of a hateful reaction from some Americans. This is a tragedy because we live in an even smaller world and the challenge is to live in peace with persons who are different. American Muslims who have lived in the U.S. for generations now are afraid of hateful reactions from fellow citizens who are unable to distinguish between fanatic Muslim jihadists and ordinary Muslim believers.
It is too bad that tolerance has rarely been a highly regarded value in American religious history. Religious intolerance is not a new problem but has taken on a new importance. If Americans respond with intolerance toward ordinary Muslim believers in the U.S. and around the world, they will become the American version of fanatic jihadists. The religious climate around the world is likely to move from minimal respect and cooperation to strong suspicion and alienation. The possibility of creating a world community supported by religious tolerance is slipping from both the political and religious agenda.
Respect for other human beings and tolerance of different religious beliefs is essential for a truly human society. Without this basic value, human societies return to barbarism.
The behavior and beliefs of today’s Islamic jihadists is barbaric. Painting every Muslim with hatefulness is also barbaric. In fact, all intolerance is barbaric because it precludes the possibility of talking with others respectfully and living together in peace. Muslim terrorists threaten all human life and in the process threaten to destroy the vulnerable virtue of tolerance everywhere.
The big challenge for Americans today is to avoid slipping into intolerance and barbarism toward all Muslims. Maybe we could exercise a training program and strengthen ourselves morally by practicing a little more tolerance toward fellow Christians, and fellow Jews.
Drane is Russell B. Roth Professor of Bioethics at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
