Our tolerance for forms of religious expression we disagree with is a precise barometer of our own spiritual security.
Interpretation
The way we handle differing religious beliefs reflects our own spiritual confidence.
This quote suggests that the extent to which we can accept and tolerate religious expressions that differ from our own is an indicator of how secure and confident we feel in our own beliefs. When someone is spiritually secure, they are less likely to feel threatened by opposing views and can appreciate the diversity of thought in religious expression.
In practice
During a panel discussion on interfaith relationships, this quote could be used to highlight the importance of acceptance.
...the goal of all spiritual life is to get your ego out of the way - outwit the sucker; dissolve it; shoot it; kill it. Silence the incessant planning, organizing, running, manipulating, possessing, and processing"... "because these activities preclude awareness of the Divine.
If the Lord wills, we shall make this Math a great centre of harmony. Our Lord is the visible embodiment of the harmony of all ideals. He will be established on earth if we keep alive that spirit of harmony here. We must see to it that people of all creeds and sects, from the Brahmana down to the Chandala, may come here and find their respective ideals manifested.
He that can live alone resembles the brute beast in nothing, the sage in much, and God in everything.
O sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams That bring to my remembrance from what state I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere.
Nothing could be more jolting and discordant with the vision of today's intellectuals than the fact that it was businessmen, devout religious leaders and Western imperialists who together destroyed slavery around the world. And if it doesn't fit their vision, it is the same to them as if it never happened.
Sometimes the biggest disasters aren't noticed at all β no one's around to write horror stories.
To be a woman is a great adventure; To drive men mad is a heroic thing.
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