Namaste Yajvan and all,

I can tell you how you are taught to respect other religions/faiths/philosophies in a traditional Hindu family (in India but may be in other countries too).

My parents taught me to respect all faiths. If I started arguing that Jesus didn't exist, most likely I would get a strong disapproval from them. Similar with Islam, though it is one religion which has long-drawn conflict with Hindu faith. I remember we had Christian friends and had strongly family relations with them. I still fondly remember my one "Didi" (elder sister) of my childhood who was a christian. We could never ever think that their "God" was false ... this "false God" concept is missing in Hinduism. All forms and names of God are considered valid and any question on their being 'true' is not encouraged ... and not considered auspicious.

I remember going to Sufi shrines in my childhood. A few years back I was at Khwaja Salim Chisti's shrine in Agra with my family. We all offered "chAdar" and prayed there with full respect.

What I feel that intolerance is a political thing which is fed and encouraged by some interested groups within Hindu society. Most of the times, they are fed with distorted history, their dark sides so that you start hating them while conveniently forgetting that there are some such examples in our faiths too.

Jesus existed or not is not an issue at all, this can be understood only by a truly spiritual person. "Is the path shown by him is right ?" is the more valid question. There have been many great saints that Christianity produced ... Ramkrishna was able to "Realise" Jesus Christ in meditation ... so that is what is important.

The Consciousness of Christ whether appeared in the mind of "Jesus" or any other saint is more important than a human being named "Jesus" in flesh and bones. The faith of the Christ devotees does the rest. A "Christ/Jesus vibration of Consciousness" is automatically created (even if such personality never existed) by the power of strong faith of the devotees and starts helping/guiding you. Let's remember, mind creates what we strongly believe in either here or in the subtle world.

So, I will say that we should respect all faiths ... not just tolerance. Hindu Dharma doesn't teach us to tolerate, it teaches us to respect all faiths and all forms of God.

OM