Jesus said we should tolerate jerks by being civil and respectful and considerate. How much more should we tolerate those of different cultural, ethnic, or spiritual backgrounds! Jesus said, you should say hi to different types of people, not just those who go to your church, attend your weddings, or participate in your ethnic dance parties.
To me, what Jesus means is, you must love all who fear God, whether Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, Agnostic and any other group I have not mentioned. Religion does not make somebody good or evil, anymore than clothes change somebody’s skin colour. In the end, It’s God, and not religion that makes somebody good or evil.
The pharisees were very religious, but they committed the unforgivable sin and murdered Jesus. The Syrian Phoenician woman was not religious but walked over 40 miles to get a prayer from Jesus because she valued His words. It’s about kindness and philanthropy, religion is simply the symptom of a life well lived, and if your life is bad, your understanding of religion will be bad too. This isn’t just true for non-Christians, it’s true for Christians too.
God expects you to love everybody who is compassionate and merciful and respectful, whether they are Jewish or Sikh or Atheist or Christian. They might not know the parables as well as you do, but they love their families and their neighbours because love is universal in all religions, and even in non- religions.
I’ve met atheists who practiced love for others and became God believers over a 15 year period and I’ve met God believers who were opposed to love and became atheists over a 15 year period. Do not discredit the oil of sympathy, or the water of prayer and love. That is the currency that prevents spiritual bankruptcy in the kingdom of God.
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