I’m sure you’ve seen it. The bumper sticker that says “coexist” using symbols from different religious faith groups. Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking. The goal is tolerance, yet the effect seems to be ignorance.

The thought calls for tolerance on one basis. It is the basis that all religions are equally valid. And to someone who has no deep felt care or concern for matters of religious faith, than in their own mind where religions are nothing more than flavors of ice cream to choose from, than there really is no significant difference between religious options.

The problem however is that there is NO religious faith does not claim exclusive religious truth. Every faith in existence claims to be the one truth. Even in faiths that accept and tolerate other faiths, they still hold their own faith as the true path to salvation or enlightenment. Even the Dalai Lama is exclusive in his faith. As tolerant and accepting as Tibetan Buddhism seems to be, it is only as such, because it believes that given enough time, all people in the world will eventually be born into Buddhism through the process of reincarnation by which they will receive true enlightenment.

In general people hold to their faith as something very important to them. People live their lives according to their faith and people have died for their faith. Religious faith gives people the power to change the world, and yet the Coexist bumper sticker basically tells them that what they believe is insignificant and perhaps no better than a Dr. Seuss book.

Is it tolerant to tell someone that the one thing they believe in and live their life according to, is no more significant than the flavor of ice cream they decide to choose at Baskin Robbins on a $1 scoop night?