Religion
In reply to the discussion: What I am is what I am, are you what you are or what [View all]okasha
(11,573 posts)The really offensive portion of that post was its hyposcrisy--accusing others of claiming to be "better that you" while clearly carrying the message that the poster and others who agreed with him were indeed "better than you."
I'll admit to having a very liberal circle of friends and acquaintances; that pretty much goes with being a former academic and current art student. They range all the way across the denominational, belief and non-belief spectrum, from Mormons to atheists. In many cases, their liberalism is not shared by the hierarchies of their organizations but comes from their own life experience. What they all agree on is that their (non-)belief is right for them. I think this acceptance of others' opinions is more widespread than polemicists at the extremes are willing to acknowledge. Regardless of what's going on with the honchos, there's much less "We're right/You're wrong" as you get down to pew/personal level. Indifiduals' acceptance of dogma/doctrine is invariably colored by their own life experience. It's even possible to have a very devout but firmly anti-clerical body of believers, as is the case with the Mexican Catholic Church.
Which means in turn that there's a lot of room for individuals to work together, regardless of philosophical diffrences.