Religion, tolerance, and intolerance: Views from across the disciplines

This chapter examines the causal relationship between religion and tolerance. Is religion a cause of tolerance, is it a cause of intolerance, or do some aspects of religion cause tolerance while others cause intolerance? The chapter begins by looking briefly at the concept of tolerance, and at the historical emergence of the political ideal of religious tolerance. It then examines work in psychology where the causal relationship between religion and tolerance has long been a focal point of research efforts. It concludes by briefly discussing emerging work in the anthropology of religion that is relevant to the issue of religious tolerance.