Ignorance is bliss....

What is Ignorance?.....Definition: Lack of knowledge, information, or education; The state of being ignorant.
 It not so much a "bad' word some people just need to learn how to humble themselves and accept that they may not know what they are talking about in certain areas. When i talk to friends about certain topics such as religion, fashion, love, relationships, or parenting there are times when they can say to me, "I'm ignorant in that topic"... I usually say, "I prefer not to comment on politics or that religion because I'm ignorant in that area". I never make statements or judge when i don't know what the heck I'm talking about. If i don't know about something I educate my self so that i can understand the topic. I don't know much about certain religions and practices such as Scientology or devil worshipers so i went and educated myself. I'm not going to go off of what someone els has "told" me. Im not going to practice it, i just want to be fully educated and understand.  Someone has to have lots of confidence in themselves and faith in God to be able to do that.  That is where im going here...

I am a Christian and have been all my life but i also have been attending Catholic Church for some years now because my fiance is Catholic. I was never closed minded and never made any negative comments i just went in support of my fiance and still kept my faith. I wanted to become more educated in his faith to understand so i began to take RCIA class. I could see how "uneducated' people may have such mis-perceptions of the Catholic faith. At some gatherings I have had such people make negative comments towards the Catholic faith. I just feel so bad for them to be so ignorant and to be where they are in their faith.

It is so embarrassing when i am with someone who makes a comment about something they know nothing about. I begin saying to my self, "please stop talking, please stop talking!!"... Its sooo embarrassing!
One could say, "that's interesting" or "that different but interesting". Those are much better choice of words..Ask questions to educate yourself. When someone makes ignorant comments like that all i hear and see is insecurity... in yourself and in your faith.
  "If ur not asking questions ur not  learning".    Something doesn't mean the same thing for everyone, there isn't a "one size fits all". I don't let some one tell me what something means,  i take it for what i believe it means or what it means for me.
There is nothing more rude and ignorant for someone to make any kind of "negative comment" about anyone's religion or beliefs in anything. I was told at a young age that  Catholics worship Idols but  I come to find out that in no way do Catholics worship idols...They are not idols but saints who did the work of the Lord.
Catholics hold saints in esteem because they are such wonderful images or mirrors of Christ. Paul said several times exhorts his readers to be imitators of him. "Be imitators of me, as i am of Christ" (1 Cor 11:11 also Phil 3:17, 1 Cor 4:16) Devotion to the saints comes back to the theology of image: Christ is God's image, the saints are Christs image.

We can all find similarities and appreciate them if we truly had God in our hearts.
 I can appreciate the rules set for people who want to get married in the Catholic church. If more christian churches had such rules and invested time in preparing people then some marriages may still be together, stronger, and have God in their marriage today. I have seen the damaging effects of not having this first hand and still today in some marriages.

At this stage in my faith the awareness of God's inner presence leads me to be more aware that God also dwells in all others. As a result, one begins to see people of various creeds, races and nationalities as brothers and sisters. One 70 year old man says, " I have learned to have respect for anybody. I could sit down and talk to a Muslim or a Jew or an Arab or anyone, and if they start talking about religion in their way, I could really and completely fit my mind to theirs, see where their mind is going, and understand their ideas"....Wow! Sound like me, considering i did study Anthropology and medical anthropology. (for those who know what that is...) That is intelligence my friends...  Interfaith dialogue now becomes not a threat but an opportunity for new understanding. Recognition of the sisterhood and brotherhood of all people also intensifies one's commitment to the well-being of all humankind. A further degree of faith may be needed to get to this level.