About this site

Our editorial principles

A clear account of the values behind Religious Tolerance: respect for human worth, freedom of conscience, equal treatment and careful discussion across genuine differences.

People from varied backgrounds sharing a thoughtful conversation

Principles before persuasion.

Belief statements create useful transparency

Religious communities and educational sites often use familiar terms in different ways. Even the word Christian, for example, may refer to one church, one theological stream or the full range of Christian denominations. A statement of principles makes the scope and assumptions of a site easier to understand.

Religious Tolerance does not require agreement on theological questions. The collection includes atheistic, agnostic, Christian, Wiccan, Buddhist and other perspectives. Questions about a supreme being, sacred texts and an afterlife remain matters on which sincere people reach different conclusions.

Our shared commitments are therefore editorial and civic rather than creedal. They guide how the site describes communities, compares claims and approaches difficult public issues.

Shared commitments

What guides the collection

These principles provide a framework for covering religion and non-theistic worldviews without presenting one tradition as the default.

Human worth

Every person has inherent worth and should be treated with care and respect. Questions about the beginning of legal personhood remain contested, and the site presents that disagreement rather than claiming a universal consensus.

Equal treatment

We support a society that resists discrimination based on characteristics including gender, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, nationality, disability, language and age.

Dignity

Human dignity is incompatible with torture and cruel punishment. Our archive also examines ethical and legal arguments about capital punishment.

Democratic participation

Religious, political and civic institutions benefit from accountable processes in which people can participate, subject to constitutional rights and safeguards.

Religion and government

Government should neither privilege one religion over another nor favor religious belief over non-religious belief. See the archive's introduction to separation of religion and state.

Freedom of conscience

Freedom of belief, speech, association and expression is essential. Like other freedoms, it operates alongside protections against harm and unlawful discrimination.

Open comparison

Readers should be free to compare religious claims with one another and with scientific findings. Responsible criticism addresses ideas, institutions and effects without demeaning people.

Truth claims in context

Moral and religious teachings vary across cultures and eras. We describe that variation while recognizing that many traditions understand some teachings as absolute truths.

Religion's varied impact

Religions have supported meaning, community, education, reform and service. Religious ideas and institutions have also been involved in exclusion, coercion and conflict. Both dimensions deserve careful historical treatment.

Discernment and prayer

Personal prayer may hold deep spiritual meaning, but it does not provide an independently verifiable way to settle public factual disputes or establish a single divine instruction. The archive explores this question in its essay on prayer and discernment.

Accountability within traditions

Believers can examine harmful policies in their own communities and advocate reform. Criticism should identify conduct and consequences precisely rather than treating every member as responsible for an institution's position.

Religious literacy

Education is stronger when students encounter major religions and ethical systems, learn to evaluate evidence and understand both beneficial and harmful historical effects.

Freedom with responsibility

Rights are not unlimited permissions to endanger others. Questions involving children, medical care, direct incitement or credible threats require legal and ethical safeguards. The precise boundaries are matters for careful public reasoning, not broad assumptions about entire communities.

Editorial practice

How these principles become articles

The goal is not a view from nowhere, but a transparent and repeatable way to handle disagreement.

Define the terms

We identify when groups use the same word differently and link to background material where useful.

Represent differences

We describe important positions in calm language and distinguish shared teachings from internal diversity.

Check context

Claims are placed within their historical, cultural, scientific or legal setting rather than presented in isolation.

Correct the record

Essays remain open to clarification and correction. Substantive errors identified by readers can be reviewed and documented.

Style and notation

Dates, language and scope

CE and BCE notation

Religious Tolerance generally uses CE and BCE for historical dates. These labels correspond to the same numbered years as AD and BC while avoiding the assumption that readers share one religious framework.

Descriptions of harm

The archive may discuss discrimination, oppression, slavery, war and other serious harms. Current editorial practice summarizes such material in factual, non-graphic language and avoids slurs or demeaning labels.

Limits of the statement

This page describes editorial principles, not a creed that readers must accept. It does not resolve every philosophical question, and it does not suggest that all religious or non-religious claims are equivalent.

Explore the site's purpose, history and broader approach.

Reader guide

Frequently asked questions

Is this a religious creed?

No. It is an editorial statement explaining the civic and educational principles used to organize and revise the collection.

Does Religious Tolerance say every belief is equally true?

No. The site distinguishes respect for people from agreement with claims. It compares evidence, teachings and consequences while acknowledging genuine disagreement.

Does freedom of religion override other rights?

Freedom of conscience is fundamental, but its public exercise exists alongside protections for safety, dignity and equal treatment.

How does the site approach criticism of religion?

Criticism should focus on identifiable teachings, policies, institutions or outcomes. It should not stereotype all adherents or demean people because of their identity.

Why use CE and BCE?

They provide a widely understood historical notation without requiring readers to adopt a specifically Christian framing of the calendar.

Can an article be corrected?

Yes. Send the page title, relevant passage and supporting information through the contact page.