Respecting other Religions…?

I had a bit of a day the other day. I was at bible study and the study was about an un-tamed tongue and humility. The study went well and there were good points made. The study finished and because of the recent events with the election of the new Pope, things were discussed. I will just share with you the basic run-down of what happened…

We had just been studying James and how we must tame the tongue and act in humility and grace towards others. The study finished, then Pastor Harry brought up the topic of the new Pope. I spoke about how this new pope acts in humility, but I ask the question as to how humble he really is if he has taken the role of Holy Father and how the Catholic system is a false humility and pushes a work based salvation. I spoke about  how I believe that this pope will help bring about the social gospel and as St Francis of Assisi had said “Spread the gospel, and if you have to, even use words… yet Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. This pope will unite all faiths (or try to) and will get the politicians to fall for it too!
Well, this guy in our little study group of (he is about 50+ years) said to me… “Aren’t you doing the very thing that you should NOT be doing, just as we have learnt”. I said, “What do you mean?” He said… “an untamed tongue and exercising humility and grace … in the bible it says that we should respect other religions!”
I asked him where that was, and his reply was in the book of Daniel, and that Daniel never spoke ill of the other sages or Nebuchadnezzar. And then he went on to say that we were only given one commandment by Jesus to follow, and that was to “do unto other as you would have them to unto you, and love your neighbours as your self”.

My reply was that we are told to make disciples of men too! How can you do that if they are following mens traditions rather than being saved in faith.
The Pastor was trying to smooth over the situation. And I said to this guy… if I have spoken out of pride which is what you imply hasn’t the Pastor of this study done the same when he speaks about the TBN money preachers and the evangelical Church who use systems rather than the Grace of God to pull in the numbers? Hasn’t he also spoken about the new pope and how he could possibly bring in all religions!

THEN he goes on to say that we shouldn’t be talking this way about other religions at all, and didn’t I know that the Muslim god is the same as the God of the bible!!!!
Well, I just said an emphatic “NO!”… He then told me to learn my history! I said I do know my history, I have also read the Koran twice and the bible right through several times! I said to him that Allah is a pagan moon god, a left over from Abrams days in Ur!

Either of us wouldn’t agree with each other and he told me that I needed to learn more. I said… “Well, I am not going to go further with this, I had better go.
I left feeling attacked. And NOT for the difference of opinion, but to suggest that I was being prideful and exercised an un-tame tongue because I dislike religions systems that bring ppl to a work based institution that does NOT point to the cross of Christ, that was hard to swallow.

So, there you have it. Even with a good sound Pastor and a tiny little group, I can see how this new Pope and the mantra about all gods being the same is undermining and gagging those of us who speak the truth. I can also see how the “Golden Rule” will be the ONE thing that gets us.

So my question to you all is this. Does it state in the bible that we are to respect other religions? I would love to hear your thoughts. Please make sure to look up the definition of “respect”.

Sincerely

Vee