We do this all the time, I’d be nice to see a comparison from a historical point of view, fair or unfair doesn’t count. So what is your sect/religion stance on following:
Peace
Tolerance
Love
Intellectual and independent thought process
Please no religious references in hadith or religious scripts form, only ‘historical’ references.
Re: Comparison of religions and sects
Islam, if followed as it is supposed to allows and/or offers all these options.
Re: Comparison of religions and sects
In my opinion, every religion allows the above mentioned. Its mankind that drifts away from these from time to time.
Re: Comparison of religions and sects
I can talk about Hinduism
Peace - Hinduism does not seek to convert people. Those who find the philosophy relevant convert on their own. Hindu philosophy venerates all life and hence violence is only the last resort in any situation. This is the main difference on this issue with more non-violent religions like Jainism/Buddhism which renounce violence on all counts, even in an extreme situation.
Tolerance - Hinduism is by far one of the most tolerant religions. In fact, a core set of principles guide all Hindus and they are free to worship to the Almighty in any manner. This is the main reason why you would find the occasional Hindu in a mosque, church etc. because the fundamental principle is that God is One even though He/She can manifest in any form/manner. This is the main reasons why Hindus worship so many “gods”. Those are actually different manifestations of the Absolute. In colloquial practice, they became corrupted to become separate “gods”. Therefore, Hindus are equally at home with Ram, Allah or Jesus as they are merely names of the same God given by different believers. There is no “my god” and “your god” thought process here. However, many Hindus might not be in accordance with this philosophy and could be intolerant of other religions. The religion itself does not lay any stress on any specific God or mode of worship.
Love - This is a contentious issue as Hinduism has always had an institutional mode of oppressing people with casteism. Numerous scholars have pointed out that this anomaly is more a social more than a religious belief. However, Hinduism does not call for any sort of physical punishment on anyone who does not agree with its principles or becomes an apostate.
Independent thought process - Hinduism is an individual’s religion more than a communal one, unlike Islam or Christianity. The positive side is that the concept of conformity or heresy is not too deep-rooted. Hence individuals could challenge a certain philosophy and get away with it in a non-violent manner. Three major theologies exist - Dvaita, Advaita and Vishishtadvaita. They offer different meanings of the relationship of the one with The One. In fact, there has been a well-established atheist school of thought that historically engaged in many public discussions with Hindu philosophers. This gave rise to Jainism and Buddhism which do not believe in a definite God.