How to be friends with someone of a different religion

I have a personal quote that I came up with before I was a believer in anything.

My boss thinks its funny because I use it weekly at work.

it is

it is a liberating philosophy :thumb:

 

It's not that it's scary Tim, it makes me sad...without going into detail.

 

Joanne,

Just curious….. Why is that is? :hmm:

I believe that “True Friends” do…. Talk “Personally” about “ALL THINGS”.

Why does there halve to be “Rules” of “Topics”?

How are you going to “Learn” about “Who” your Friend “Truly Is Inside” if you “Shut Off” a “Very Important” Part of Them?

Why would you want to put “Limitations” on “Sharing” such an “Important” part of your “Friend’s Life”?

 

Yeah I understand

My oldest boy is agnostic and his twin sister is as catholic as the pope

He teases her all the time and calls her Jesus's biggest fan. So sometimes things can get interesting. I figure I'd rather have them communicating that hating each other

 

I sent you a pm

 

My daughter claims she is agnostic as well. I never knew that word existed until recently, lol

 

No offense but that sounds like a Lifetime Movie of the Week conversation.

Cafe, on the West Bank of paris....Friend takes GGG's hand in hers, smiles wistfully:

"GGG, how's your relationship with God lately? I know things have been pretty rough between the two of you... Anything I can do, hon?"

Yes, true friends can of course talk about anything together. I can only judge by my own world. My friends and I have reams of things to discuss, and can barely stand waiting to see each other for Friday happy hours or hockey games but honestly, our relationship with our creator doesn't come up. They do their thing, we do our thing and if they ever mention church it's to say who they ran into and that person says "hi"...

Politics comes up because a couple of friends are inflammatory Republicans and are still pissed because they lost the Big Chair. The rest of us change the subject. We know where that road leads and we've all been down it with them. Best to move on.

But it's the same with my Jewish friends, my Muslim friends, I even have a Santeria friend. She tends toward dramatic religious hand gestures but doesn't really talk about it, per se. But so do my Catholic relatives and friends, hand gestures that is. NBD.

The only one who talked religion ad nauseum was my Catholic former mother-in-law and it was clearly because I wasn't quite up to par with my Prostesant upbringing and she loved to constantly remind me of that.

Jennifer

 

:surrender:
Another Post
Another Tread
Another Time

 

Great quote Tim.

I wonder what why people find other people's comments/ideas scary? Is it the thought we may be wrong on the big topics or just want to right about things in our own lives and justifying our actions? Is it that we are told from birth to school to work that we are wrong in what we are doing and we need to do it the other person's way; and we just want to be right a lot of the time instead of wrong and not measuring up (if you don't get 100% on a test/project then you are always lacking, right)?

I don't know the answers to the questions; they are definatley something to think about.

My wife and I always set aside New Years Eve for yearly goal setting and each year we pick a specific area of our life for our focus - this year is is us and our relationship. I think this quote will be at the top of our discussion.

Thanks. :thumb:

Tom

 

LOL!!!
No offense taken.
I LOVE IT!!!
Now that is really funny!!!
And thanks for putting me in PARIS!!!
Now let me start writing that movie!!!
I see major $$$$$$$$$ !!!!!

Basically, it is more like this…. Friends and Coworkers can feel the FREEDOM to talk to me about whatever they want although we both know that our belief systems or political views are different.

So whatever is going on in their life or whatever is on their mind….. just Go For It…. And Talk About It…. Because it is 100% COOL with me….. I actually prefer it that way because you get to know the Person as a Whole Person without limitations and I expand my knowledge and my understanding on a variety of issues which is always a goal of mine. :yup: :thumb:

Is that all we talk about…… Of Course Not... But NOTHING is off limits….. Why should it be? Mature adults should be able to discuss all topics (even the sensitive ones) without getting into arguments and agree to disagree if they truly have mutual respect for one another.

Has it all been a “Bed of Roses” with everyone I have met? LOL!!! Of Course Not! And that includes my own Christian Faith. However, this reflects on THEIR inability to have a conversation with someone who believes differently than they do which tells me a lot about them and their inner stability.

Cheers!! :cheers:

 

:yippee: Yay! A post where I don't disagree with anything!! I feel...a freedom that is indescribable!

PS: your avatar photo looks like a AA Gockel painting but he usually doesn't have his people with feet, just points....

Jennifer

 

Hey Jen,

Sharp Eyes!!!! :tiphat:
And Good Catch!!! :thumb:

Yes, it is an Alfred Gockel!!!
I love Alfred Gockel!!!
He is one of my favorite Abstract Artists! :rulz:

And Yes, his style is “No Feet”…. “Just Points”!!

And I keep looking at this and wondering…..
Did he take the “Points” and bend them? :hmm:
Are the black lines “Shoes” or is it just an outline? :hmm:
LOL!! It is still a mystery!

I have it as my Avatar because I feel it is a “Reflection” of “Who I Am”!

It is called “Technicolor Love II”!

 

The desire of many on this board seems to be 'lets never talk about religion, period'. The tolerance of others seems to be, I can mention being a Christian, but that is IT, no talking about Jesus, the Bible, heaven, hell, or how you get to either one of those two places. People keep on saying 'hey, you're forcing your point of view on people', yet they never provide examples of just how it is that I am doing this, along with their reasons that my words are harmful to others or my cause. Instead I face opinions from people without a logical statement to back up their point of view. Then there are the people who have a very negative reaction to religious discussions involving Christianity. From what I've seen it leads me to believe that the negative reactions I've seen are coming from deep rooted emotional links within certain individuals, ones that get triggered simply by reminding people of their past experience in even a minor way. To those people, I hope that you realize what is going on within yourself and that you seek out a way to resolve your personal issues. What you're showing to all of us is called emotional baggage because it slows you down on your path in life, and it makes the journey much harder. I don't want to see anyone dragging along old grudges and hate for anyone, I've been there, done that, and I sat down my baggage in order to burn the t-shirt, then I walked away from those bags and now I feel free.

 

I am not like a salesman at all. In sales the person making the pitch has much to gain from winning over the person. But being saved is through God's grace alone, I am not required to do works in order to secure my spot in heaven. Nor do I get a kick back from any church for increasing their coffers.

Actually hell can is so large that it has not yet been filled.

No, what makes it true is the fact that Jesus is the Son of God.

Because He was the Son of God, so He was all knowing.

Through faith, because you can not prove or disprove what was said by anyone in the history of the world, without being there yourself.

By doing your own research. But you also must make sure that the sources you're looking at are not corrupted or biased.

I like how the critics poise this question in the most negative way. Let me rephrase the question in order to remove the stigma. 'If something else makes sense to someone else in a spiritual way, why would you suggest that they will go to heaven for believing in your version of how things are?' Now to answer the question itself, because it is a person you care about, you believe that your path is the right one, and you don't want to see people you care about going down the wrong path and not ending up in heaven with you. How can you care about someone and refuse to even make the effort to save them from a horrible ending?

When did 'I love you and I want to help you' become a cocky statement? When did compassion for your fellow humans start to get a bad name?

So Jesus died on the cross for nothing? He did not save us by doing what he did that day?

You're right, one person never made a difference in the lives of others through their words or actions. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Anthony Robbins, and Thomas Edison would have been better off just sticking with the norms of society and accepting things the way they were. We all would have been so much better off if we were still sitting at segregated lunch counters by the light of flickering candles, feeling uninspired and down in the dumps and feeling powerless.

Speak for yourself.

Good luck with that.

Not once has a Christian ever sent anyone to hell, not a single Christian has damned to hell the soul of another person. We do not have the power to do those things, only God has that power.

If Christians are supposed to be trying to be Christ like, and they are actually making the effort, then arrogance is not a trait they're embracing in their daily lives. So the real question is, why are you assigning that trait so easily? Why is arrogance first in your mind?

 

just wondering what do you suppose Jesus meant when he said never let your hearts be trouble he who believe in God believe also in me. In my fathers house are many mansions? could this be the different religions

 

There is nothing wrong to be friends with someone which is in different religion as long as you are open minded both and accept own opinions

 

many times where we go out on daily basis, the people we interact with, transact business with are not members of our religion but , they read us and not our religion, they study the way we behave, for example, if u are a xtian, those people who are not of your religion, don't read your bible, but they read you. therefore your way of life must speak something good of your life to show you as ambassadors of christ.

 

First,you must open your mind.

 

i have friends in every religion (i think). if he/she is a good person, regardless of religion then why not make friends with him/her?

 

A wonderful point.

I often get to meet a lot of people with different faiths in my line of work. Good people, regardless of their religion, are what they are exactly; Just good people. Leave it at that.

But I can't help but be curious about their religion and their ways so I ask about it most of the time. I'm never assertive though. It's like laughing at people who tell you that the world is round because you believe yours is 'rounder.'