Why don't religious and non-religious people get along?

Kierkegaard, I'm not sure what you mean by the topics the OP raises aren't very "inspiring." Is that your way of saying they just don't personally interest you? Also, I don't know if you saw, but I had asked earlier what does "loving" people that you don't like, for various reasons, look like in practical ways. I genuinely don't know what that means. I can treat them civilly, but inside I'm thinking "Ugghhh." I'm sure you'll say that doesn't count as "loving them." So, please explain what is.

 

You have never felt disdain for anybody? That's a rare quality in a human. Maybe God blessed you with that? I have never really felt hatred for anybody, but I definitely have felt strong dislike for people. The problem I have with your approach is that I know the person I dislike is NOT the same person I have affection for. That being the case, the feelings of affection are NOT going to be felt for that person. Maybe God can FORCE me to have feelings of affection for people I normally dislike. If I ask Him to override my feelings, do you think He would do that for me? To clear up your confusion, the reason I dislike certain people is pretty simple. It typically, if not always, has to do with the fact that they treat me lousy in some way. They act like they're better than me. Smarter than me. They're rude. They stab me in the back. They treat me unfairly. Are very disrespectful to me. Make false accusations against me. It's kind of difficult for me to feel "warm fuzzies" for people like that.

 

Well, if it's only necesssry to limit it to "actions," I CAN do that. I already do that. I can TREAT somebody I dislike very decently. If I don't have to FEEL affection for them while doing it, then I'm already doing what I need to do. I can guarantee that doing loving things to people I don't like will NOT begin to make me feel affection for them. Not unless they then somehow change in a positive way. If they're being rude to me, disrespectful, arrogant, condescending, sarcastic, aggressive, etc., affection just isn't going to come.

 

Because the different ideals will naturally lead to friction on deciding mutual governance. If someone was deeply religious in a faith that said "wearing red is idolatry of the highest order", then its adherents would be desperate to LEGISLATE that. The non-religious who simply want to wear red would be perceived as immoral actors for questioning the legitimacy of that legislation. Likewise, if a religion has a time tested legitimately moral principle (even if its people can't defend it), then they will be natural enemies of those who treat morality as absolutely relative.

 

I think this is true. It varies from person to person. There are some religious people who get along well with people who aren't religious. There are some religious people who don't get along with people who aren't religious. There are non-religious people who get along well with religious people. There are non-religious people who don't get along with religious people. There are non-religious people who don't get along well with other non-religious people. There are religious people who don't get along with other religious people. Me, I get along with people, religious or not, if they're respectful to me. If they're not...well, you know.

 

Love is a verb, not a feeling.

 

Which is why I believe it's totally possible to actively treat people in a "loving manner" (speak kind things to them, feed them if they're out of food and money, etc.) without even liking them personally. Maybe even intensely disliking them. Agape love is what we're called to display to others. This is a love that looks out for the welfare of others. You do loving things for them simply because it's the right thing to do. It's a sacrificial love. Nowhere in the Bible does it say we must have philos, or affectionate love, like with a close friend, for everybody we meet. This is why we CAN love our enemies, as Jesus commands us to do. Our love for our enemies does NOT require us to have warm fuzzies for them. We just have to treat them with kindness. Too many Christians have the mistaken impression that we MUST feel affection for everybody, including our enemies, however the Bible does NOT say we have to do so.

 

I'm glad love is a choice and not based on feels, because I don't even consistently feel affection for my own family or friends ... never mind my enemies. Ha.

If it was all depending on how I feel, then I'd mostly be hitting people over the head with blunt objects. Just sayin.

 

I haven't read up all the above posts except some of first. But i'd like to my thought reegarding to the question.

Well, Religious and non-religious people can live together. I being a muslim have got many christian friend, hindus and some of other religious mates. Its since the childhood we are friends. Pakistan is a sub-continent and the area i used to live had collective religious people... Being non-religious we celeberate each other functions, occasions Eids or whatever you name it. Even we go at each others home make parties together and have fun. Go for a play or on a walk together. Neither our parents nor somebody else has ever stopped me from doing so. Because there's nothing wrong in doing this thing. But in all this, we just avoid the religious talks because we know each one has its own religion and posses own religious rules and guides. We also know that before religions there comes ' humanity '. We being humans have got humanity. That's why we don't make different in humans atleast.

There are some people ( i have seen myself ) who avoid making friendship with non-religious persons. If i talk about my elder uncle, he is a religous person. He never eats the food came from a non-religious person. Never celeberates their occasions but also don't forbid us to. So in this way the conflicts occur. Each person has got its own thoughts and nature and would lead his life accordingly. We can't acutally force anyone to do this or that. Also there are some non-religious people who avoid us because they believe in their religion. Even if now we start working on making good relations between religousn and non-religous people and we might success in it, But one day these religious conflicts will out break and everything will be destoyed again.

 

Now that is the funniest thing I've read in a long time! "Matrix the twinkling of an eye bit"...I literally spit out my water. Oh, and just to let y'all know about the OPs avatar, I think it's the default avatar for the site. I had a female gender sign until I changed it.

Anyway, regarding the discussion here, I have atheist friends who I find difficult to get along with because they say they don't want to talk about it, but then they do. They say they don't want to try to convince me God is a man-made idea, but then they try. They act astounded that someone of my intellectual level could fall for something as ridiculous as God. To be fair, I feel the same way about them insofar as thinking they should be smart enough to do something to save their souls, but I don't actually get into that with them. I just say a prayer.

 

Yes exactly.

My religion tells me to love God and to love my neighbor as myself. My neighbor is every person in the world, but really is whoever is in front of me and is suffering, and I should help them when I can. I am to especially love my "brothers and sisters" who are my "religious family."

I am Christian and many in my family are Christian. Some are atheist/agnostic (or "non-religious"). Some are Muslim. Sometimes we talk about religion, but most times not. We normally just talk about family things and life things when we are together. But we all know what everyone believes, and we have respect for one another. We raised our Children in the Christian religion but they are adults now and can choose for themselves.

I think there will always be people who build community ... and people who destroy community. I want only to build, if I can. But that is something everyone must decide for themselves.

 

The topic is left broad to help stimulate conversation, I don't intend to be offensive in any way, I just like hearing the different inputs of a variety of individuals.

One that believes in religion in some variation, vs an atheist that believes in nothing.