This is a value we ought to be more aware of and to promote with all our might these days. Our march to progress and development, becoming ever faster and more diversified, is producing a growing variety of beliefs, mentalities and cultures even in the very same societies we live in.

Governments can only do so much. They, together with other institutions, can only cover the more external aspects of this phenomenon of social pluralism. To handle the more internal aspects, we need to develop the appropriate attitudes and virtues.

Among them is religious tolerance. This is to build an atmosphere that fosters cooperation rather than conflict, mutual understanding rather than mutual suspicion.

Religion, to many the bedrock of their identity, should not be a cause of division.

Rather, if understood and lived well, it should be a source of tolerance, mutual respect and help.

I believe that for any religion to be properly so called, it should learn to respect the faiths of others. One's fervency and zeal in his faith should not be allowed to degenerate into fanaticism and bigotry. We've got to be clear about this, because the line between them is often thin and shifty.

Thus, we have to be extremely wary of forces that foxily take advantage of religion.

This exploitation often arises in the areas of politics and ideologies. When religion is used in these areas, it often ends up being partisan, divisive and entirely human and temporal in character. The spiritual and divine get lost.

We have to understand that each religion's pursuit for unity is never marked by domination and coercion. By necessity, given man's nature and earthly conditions, religion fosters understanding, respect and love for one another.

This is because in spite of our mistakes and differences, in the end we know we are all brothers and sisters.

This is especially shown when disasters happen. We spontaneously help. This instinct should be allowed to develop to its more conscious and deliberate form.

For this religious tolerance to take root in us, we have to learn to truly love one another, a love that always respects people's freedom and rights, and a love that is shown in deeds and not merely expressed in words.

A certain element of trust, openness and interaction should go into the nurturing of religious tolerance. Other than what our natural prudence and discretion would dictate, we should be completely trusting and open with one another.

And a lot of contact and interaction is definitely a great help. As much as possible or as is prudent, we should always make ourselves available to the others. We even have to seek ways to be together more often. Unless necessary, we have to avoid isolation.

Our relations should always begin and end in the basic human courtesy of, for example, greeting one another, talking and sharing whatever little things we have with others.

Smiling and taking care of the many other details of good manners will go a long way to build and keep harmony among ourselves amid our differences.

We should be quick to rectify, even in our thoughts, anything that would undermine this harmony. Thus, we should be charitable in our thoughts, tactful in our speech, and generous in our deeds.

We need to be positive and encouraging in our words. Patience, or the capacity to suffer the defects and mistakes of the others, should be developed. So with being forgiving and asking for forgiveness when we are at fault.

Magnanimity should be cultivated. This is the opposite of what unfortunately is more familiar to many, to rub it in, to add insult to injury, to aggravate things. To be magnanimous is to be generous in forgiving, to avoid resentments, to be unselfish.

When discussing issues, especially those related to faith, the art of dialogue should be mastered. All parties should regard one another with respect. They should listen to each other.

As much as possible they should tackle more the points of convergence rather than those of difference. The latter should be handled with extra care, avoiding violence at all costs. Prayer should be fostered.

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Fr. Roy Cimagala is the Chaplain of Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE) in Talamban, Cebu City. You can email him at:Email: roycimagala@boholchronicle.com