Forget tolerance and all that talk about respecting other peoples beliefs. Forget about cultivating open dialogue or free discussions in Malaysia. The people are just not ready for such things. In fact some are just too immature for any form of high level thinking. This includes those in the seat of power in this country. As long as we hide behind the excuse of "tolerance" and "religious sensitivity", Malaysia will forever be in the backwaters.

Discussing religious ideas in an open arena would not damage the religion. The belief system would remain intact and God would remain who He is. The Creator of the Universe has no insecurity issues but those He created seem to be very insecure about their beliefs.

Would open discussion derail the faith of many?

There is a Religious Divide that cuts across Malaysian society and it is eating away at any notion of a Bangsa Malaysia. Religion should be a personal matter and should not be used as a tool to oppress or put down another human being. Too many wars have been fought along religious lines and many more will be fought as long as we have people who think and believe in their superiority over others.

The religious zealots are do not only have an insecurity issue but they also have a superiority complex. This is a human trait especially when one is brought up in an environment where one is taught that he/she is superior to other people of other religion. But such superiority delusions also breed insecurity issues where any perceived "attack" on their religion is taken as a personal attack. And in the case of the disruption of the Bar Council open forum, most of the protestors came to defend their own insecurity issues.

If the religion is strong then it will stand the test of time and words.

I'm sadden by the whole event. It just shows how far we are from real dialogue among people of different religions. When will we ever have the forum to sit down together and discuss the various tenets of our beliefs, not to criticize but to understand and to take the path of being at peace with our neighbors?

Forget tolerance, being tolerant means we put up with one another's quirks and mis-deeds. Instead, lets just point out what bothers us and come to an agreement on how to tackle the issue. Stop sweeping the matter under the rug, using excuses such as "religious sensitivities". Just say it out and lets have a good discussion about it.

Would open discussion make you or me less a Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or Hindu?