Most major religions of the Far East, such as Buddhism, either demonstrate a high degree of tolerance or, at least, do not advocate intolerance, especially of other religions. That is why their sites are listed here.

Much of Judaism, too, displays a strong and admirable commitment to tolerance (although a growing orthodox community of intolerance and exclusion bears close watching).

Many other religions, however, are a different story. Although some Christian denominations are moderately or highly tolerant, Christianity as a whole is not. For example, the leaders of the two largest denominations in the U.S., the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention, militate against female clergy and against gay rights. As to Islam, many of its leaders, such as those of Sudan, Iran and the Taliban of Afghanistan, have developed a siege mentality towards the progressive values of the modern world and towards the West. They are resolutely intolerant and resistant to change and to the secular values which promote true freedom. Of the many sites which represent these religions, only those which do not advocate intolerance have been listed here.

Did Christ teach love or is that just a liberal bias? In the current climate, it's hard to remember, but one thing is certain: Once a tight cabal of fundamentalists takes over any denomination, Christ's teachings go out the window. The reversal of Christianity from a religion of love to a religion of hate is the greatest religious tragedy of our time. - Deepak Chopra

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The national government will maintain and defend the foundations on which the power of our nation rests. It will offer strong protection to Christianity as the very basis of our collective morality. Today, Christians stand at the head of our country. We want to fill our culture again with the Christian spirit. We want to burn out all the recent immoral developments in literature, in the theatre, and in the press - in short, we want to burn out the poison of immorality which has entered into our whole life and culture as a result of liberal excess during recent years. - Adolf Hitler in his first radio address to the German people after coming to power in 1933

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Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. - Steven Weinberg, Physicist and Nobel Prize Winner

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African Religions and Their Derivatives From PORCHNUS, a collection of resources.

Al-Fatiha The goal of The Al-Fatiha Foundation is to provide a safe space and forum for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered Muslims to address issues of common concern, to share individual experiences and institutional resources, and to reconcile sexual orientation or gender identity with Islam. Al-Fatiha promotes the Islamic notions of social justice, peace, and tolerance through its work, to bring all closer to a world that is free from injustice, prejudice, and discrimination.

thebigview.com This is a must-see, not only because it is beautifully done, but because of the quality of content. The covered topics: Buddhism, Tao Te Ching, mind and consciousness, Greek philosophy, space-time, and an entertaining past life analysis.

BuddhaNet: Worldwide Buddhist Information and Education Network A large, well-organized site that provides a wealth of information about Buddhism and offers a large number of free e-books to download.

Buddhist Studies WWW Virtual Library A central resource for Buddhist information. Covers the full range of Buddhism.

The Center for Progressive Christianity encourages churches to care about people who find organized religion irrelevant, ineffectual, or repressive. We wish that all Christian churches followed the highly enlightened principles advocated by this network.

Church of Humanity An interesting combination of rational inquiry, science and spirituality without doctrine or dogma. Sign up for free membership.

Contextual Criticism A commentary on religion - its various forms, bases for existence, creedal formulations, leaders, and impact on the world. Special attention is given to the influence of religion in the United States.

Council for Secular Humanism The religious right calls it a religion. Among secular humanism's major contributions to humanity's welfare are its firm stands for reason and tolerance. Many interesting articles.

The Despoiling of America A well-documented article about "how a political religious movement called Dominionism gained control of the Republican Party, then took over Congress, then took over the White House, and now is sealing the conversion of America to a theocracy by taking over the American Judiciary."

The End Of Faith by Sam Harris, analyzes the clash of faith and reason in the modern world. Also, articles by and about Sam Harris:

• An Atheist Manifesto
• Sam Harris: Interview
• Sam Harris on the Reality of Islam
• Killing the Buddha
• God Wrote A Book
• Why Religion Must End

E-Sangha Buddhism Portal This meeting place for Buddhists and those who are interested in Buddhism contains free e-books, free e-cards, a discussion forum, interactive chat, an extensive collections of links, and more.

The Hindu Universe Comprehensive site about Hinduism. While Hinduism is not always tolerant in its cultural expression (the caste system, for example), many of the major philosophies arising from it, such as Vedanta, are highly tolerant.

Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society This site promotes the ideas of rationalism, secularism, democracy and human rights within Islamic society - a difficult and dangerous job.

Irvine United Church of Christ This church is remarkable for its degree of acceptance and inclusiveness, not only because it is "open to persons of every age, race, sexual orientation, and religious background," but because it is the first church we've come across which includes worship by congregations of Christians, Reconstructionist Jews, and progressive Muslims. Admirable.

Islam From Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, extensive information about Islam.

Islamic Monitor A non-sectarian site that upholds secular government and freedom of thought, speech and religion.

From Jesus to Christ From PBS, this Frontline series is an intellectual and visual guide to the new and controversial historical evidence which challenges familiar assumptions about the life of Jesus and the epic rise of Christianity. A large number of fascinating articles.

Kashi This spiritual interfaith Ashram was founded by Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, an American-born spiritual teacher of Kali Yoga. She is a strong advocate of service to those who are suffering - people living with AIDS, the homeless, the poor, and anyone in need - and is also very supportive of young people who are gay or questioning their own sexuality.

The Many Forms of Fundamentalism Fundamentalism has made an extraordinary impact on the world. But what is it? See, also, Interview: James Carroll, American Fundamentalisms.

Muslim WakeUp! Seeks to bring together Muslims and non-Muslims in America and around the globe to celebrate cultural and spiritual diversity, tolerance, and understanding in an atmosphere that is filled with compassion and free of intimidation, authoritarianism, and dogmatism.

Native American Spirituality From PORCHNUS, a collection of resources.

Native American Spirituality Concise summary of many beliefs.

The North Texas Church of Freethought is one the most honest and intelligent sites dealing with religion. Most of the Church's members are atheist and agnostic (see the well-written argument, Does God Exist?), which might seem paradoxical; but the site explains convincingly why they needed a church. Besides, as we've said elsewhere on the 3MG site, genuine spirituality does not require belief; an atheist is just as capable of spirituality as a theist is. If that sounds contradictory, remember that Buddhism is often interpreted to be an atheistic religion.

Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance Probably the best and most complete reference site about religion on the Internet.

The Other Side is a bimonthly, ecumenical magazine which advances a healing Christian vision that's biblical and compassionate, appreciative of the creative arts, and committed to the intimate intertwining of personal spirituality and social transformation. We recommend this site, because it represents what Christianity should be, as taught by Jesus: a religion of compassion and spirituality, not one of dogma and moral ideology.

Progressive Muslim Union of North America Provides a much-needed forum, voice and organizing mechanism for Muslims who wish to pursue a progressive religious, intellectual, social and political agenda.

Queer Jihad Contrary to the claims of some scholars that Islam is a tolerant religion, that is the one thing it seldom is on a wide range of issues. Visit the Essays & Articles page, for example, to read about some of the incredibly vicious attacks directed against Muslim gays trying to find understanding within their own religion.

Religion Religions Religious Studies Wide variety of information and links for study and interpretation of religions.

The Religious Action Center Reform Judaism proves its admirable commitment to tolerance.

Religious Right Power Brokers: The Top Ten "The United States is home to dozens of Religious Right groups. ...the most powerful organizations conduct nationwide operations, command multi-million-dollar bank accounts and attract millions of followers. They have disproportionate clout in the halls of Congress, the White House and the courts, and they wield enormous influence within the political system."

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Well known for their persistent efforts to promote peace, tolerance and justice. This site contains a long list of links to Quaker and Quaker-related information.

Siu Tao Learn about Taoism and its related subjects - deities, worship and rituals, Qi Gong, Feng Shui, Gong Fu. Includes Q&A, discussion, a newsletter, and more.

Society for Humanistic Judaism Humanistic Judaism offers a nontheistic alternative which combines the celebration of Jewish culture and identity with an adherence to humanistic values and ideas.

Taoism Information Page Texts include the Tao Te Ching, the I Ching, and more.

TheocracyWatch This project of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy (CRESP) at Cornell University is a major source of information about the increasingly pervasive role of the Religious Right in the U.S. government, and support for activism opposing it. The commentary on the subversive Dominion Theology movement is especially worth noting.

Unitarian Universalist Association One of the most liberal, open-minded churches in existence.

United Church of Christ Strong advocate for justice, tolerance, and inclusiveness. This is the church which had its TV ad rejected by major networks because of its message of inclusiveness!

Unity Also known as The Unity School of Christianity. This not-for-profit organization is the world headquarters of Unity, a remarkably inclusive and broad-based spiritual movement based on the teachings of Jesus and the healing power of prayer. The main areas of service are prayer, publishing and education. In the words of the Chairman of the Board, "Unity says that true religious growth is a 'do-it-yourself' project ... One might describe Unity as a religious philosophy with an 'open end,' seeking to find God's truth in all of life." Also, see Association of Unity Churches comprised of approximately 1000 member ministries and satellite ministries throughout the world.

Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches A highly tolerant, inclusive church founded by famous gay pastor, Rev. Troy Perry.

Universal Pantheist Society "Pantheists are persons who derive their fundamental religious experience through their personal relationship with the Universe. They feel that Nature is the ultimate context for human existence, and seek to improve their relationship with the natural world as their fundamental religious responsibility."

World Pantheist Movement A home to all forms of naturalistic spirituality - scientific pantheism, religious humanism, religious naturalism, positive atheism, deep ecology, philosophical Taoism, modern Stoicism, Gaia religion, Western forms of Buddhism that celebrate nature and everyday life, and to those in Unitarian Universalism who do not believe in supernatural beings.

The Yurica Report Many articles about the threat of the subversive Dominion Theology movement to democratic government.

Zen Buddhism WWW Virtual Library Central source of information about the elusive satori (enlightenment) experience.

I still say a church steeple with a lightening rod on top shows a lack of confidence. - Doug McLeod