do friendship btween 2 with dfferent background exist?

[flyinghigh]

Recently I am doing a project on this topic.
"Do friendship exist between 2 ppl of different races and religions?"
ARe races and religions barriers to friendship?
Im wondering.. :roll:

[deRame]

yes and no.


friendship between 2 different people won't exist when people are so into race, religion, status, language, ideologies, wealth and etc (read: extremist).

if you don't have this "rejecting feeling", you can be friend with anyone.

[Maxforce]

I am a Chinese. And a freethinker.
I have Chinese friends who are Christians and Buddhist.
ALso, I have Malay friends who are Islam.
I also have Indian friends who are Hindus and Christians.
And vice versa, I do not get along with certain Chinese, Malay, Indians, Buddhist, freethinkers, Christians, Islam and Hindus.
I think it is just a coincidence they are the race they are and practise the religion they practise. It has no connection whatsoever to how I choose a friend.

[ck]

I believe it's the common interest that what makes you be in a friendship longer. Religion play a small part unless you preach that other religion is inferior to yours. That goes for race as well.

Other than that, I really do not see how religion or race is an issue here. A lot of people think that religion or race is a barrier. But when you look at inter race / religion marriage, you will notice that this is not the case.

[YunShyuan]

Religion can be a barrier at most times. However, if both people are open minded and are able to accept each other's cultural values, friendship between the two will prevail.

I have friends who are korean, indonesian, japanese, canadian, chinese...etc

Of course, I cannot be ultimate good friends with everyone, but it is inevitable that we acknowledge each other's existence as friends.

It is wholly individual at times. I feel that nowadays people tend to choose their own friends base on skin colour and religion. I think people choose friends from the same origin as they come from for many possible reasons - communication, common interests due to same cultural background...etc.

[janewai]

I am a Chinese. And a freethinker.
I have Chinese friends who are Christians and Buddhist.
ALso, I have Malay friends who are Islam.
I also have Indian friends who are Hindus and Christians.
And vice versa, I do not get along with certain Chinese, Malay, Indians, Buddhist, freethinkers, Christians, Islam and Hindus.
I think it is just a coincidence they are the race they are and practise the religion they practise. It has no connection whatsoever to how I choose a friend.

Excuse me, it is a bit out topic, but I just wonder whether being a freethinker is illegal in Malaysia?

Quite a long time ago, in here, ReCom, I was told by someone that to be a freethinker in Malaysia is illegal, after I said that I consider myself as a freethinker in a thread long time ago.

[Thirdshifter]

Freethinker is OK as long as you weren't born a Muslim.

If your anything else then a Muslim by Birth or a Muslim convert it is ok to be a freethinker.

For Muslims it is Illegal and by admitting your a free thinker the punisment is up to 10 years in prison.

Although this law exist its not really enforced... well.. almost all law is not enforced in Malaysia anyways.

Apa-apa pun Boleh!

[Maxforce]

Well, in my IC and resume, it spelled Buddhist.
Social reasons - society acceptance.
Maybe freethinker is not recognised in Msia as a religion but definitely not illegal. But for Muslims, yeah like what Thirdshifter said, those restrictions.
(Hey at least I am not one of those who proclaim my religion as "Jedi")

Anyways, I have always thought that religion is a sensitive topic to embark upon unless you already know the person (friend) very well. If not, you bring unneccessary tension, unless of course it is between two exceptionally rare open minded people.

[flyinghigh]

Religion can be a barrier at most times. However, if both people are open minded and are able to accept each other's cultural values, friendship between the two will prevail.

I have friends who are korean, indonesian, japanese, canadian, chinese...etc

Of course, I cannot be ultimate good friends with everyone, but it is inevitable that we acknowledge each other's existence as friends.

It is wholly individual at times. I feel that nowadays people tend to choose their own friends base on skin colour and religion. I think people choose friends from the same origin as they come from for many possible reasons - communication, common interests due to same cultural background...etc.


yea.. quite agree with some of the points..
when i m choosing my frens i've never looked at their skin colour, religions or watsover..
that's not a pb for me.. but many ppl nowadays tend to stick to ppl who are of same origin with them.. yea.. why?
Do u guys encounter any difficulties when getting along with them? i mean yuor friends of different background with u?

[WristBandMan]

sure freethinker is technically "legal" in malaysia?

Rukunegara #1 is
Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan

(I believe someone said to me this is made when we were combatting communist... no idea)

[johnleemk]

There is no law banning atheism, as far as I know. The Rukunegara is the national ideology, but it does not have the force of law.

[youngyew]

There is no law banning atheism, as far as I know. The Rukunegara is the national ideology, but it does not have the force of law.
Precisely. If being freethinker is illegal just because of this Rukunegara, then being a Buddhist is also illegal, since strictly speaking, Buddhist doesn't believe in a God.

[johnleemk]

Anyway, back on topic, this is a difficult question to answer, because Malaysians are divided by so many things - location, class, race, religion, etc. Based on my own experience, I've never had problems making friends with anyone - Malay, Chinese or Indian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Christian. Ironically, I have more "lower class" friends than rich ones - I was almost totally friendless when I briefly attended a private school. Then I transferred out to a public school near a squatter kampung, and made lots of friends among the Malays, Indians and Indonesians there. :roll:

So I would say for me, class is the real "divider". Perhaps indirectly intelligence might have some influence too, because schools divide you into classes according to your grades, so I tended to mix with the smartest. (Although it's really all relative - in most public schools I've attended, merely managing to pass all the papers you sat for in the past year's final exam would be good enough to gain entrance into the top class. YMMV, however, since most of the schools I attended were very new and often situated near squatter kampungs.)

[wpyeoh]

I think that the main reason races and religions group together is that people who have the same race or religion usually have the same type of upbringing, way of life, etc. Of course, it's not always true, but most of the time, that is the case. It's not a matter of whether we're looking at a person's race to form an opinion about that person. It just so happens that the personality is influenced by the race.

[Jhuen]

I think that the main reason races and religions group together is that people who have the same race or religion usually have the same type of upbringing, way of life, etc. Of course, it's not always true, but most of the time, that is the case. It's not a matter of whether we're looking at a person's race to form an opinion about that person. It just so happens that the personality is influenced by the race.

we can be friends with everyone..and best friends with almost everyone, regardless of race or religion..but,sometimes it's not that a person chooses his/her friends based on religion and race.. often, a person of the same race, uses the same native language..which makes communication easier..i notice this is the case that happened during ns..and everywhere for that matter..back to the title of thread, yes, we can be friends with everyone and friendship can exist..it's just how close and this often stems from the background differences and the person's own personality....rather than a direct refusal to be friends{due to prejudice or whatsoever..}..of course, when it comes to marriage, that is a totally different matter..

btw, i've always thought that there's a dif between free thinkers and atheists..the former believes in God but not in any particular religion, the latter doesnt...errm, is this right??

[ptamarai87]

well i seriously believe that only attitude is important in choosing a friend.you may find a person of the same background but u can't get along with her because of her attitude and you may also find another person of a different background but that person can turn out to be your best friend.

about freethinking and atheism,freethinkers believe there is god in many different forms,for instance allah for malays,buddha for buddhist and so on.atheist belive that everything that happens in this universe has got a logical scientific;no god.
in that case,freethinking is along with the rukun negara'kepercayaan kepada tuhan'.

[youngyew]

about freethinking and atheism,freethinkers believe there is god in many different forms,for instance allah for malays,buddha for buddhist and so on.atheist belive that everything that happens in this universe has got a logical scientific;no god.
in that case,freethinking is along with the rukun negara'kepercayaan kepada tuhan'.
I beg to differ on your definition of freethinker. It's undeniable that some freethinkers today adopt such a thought as you have described (Allah, God, Buddha etc are the different incarnations of the same God), but it would be wrong to say that all freethinkers believe as such.

To quote from some sources:
Link (http://www.ffrf.org/nontracts/freethinker.php)

free-think-er n. A person who forms opinions about religion on the basis of reason, independently of tradition, authority, or established belief. Freethinkers include atheists, agnostics and rationalists.

(same source) Freethinkers are convinced that religious claims have not withstood the tests of reason. Not only is there nothing to be gained by believing an untruth, but there is everything to lose when we sacrifice the indispensable tool of reason on the altar of superstition.

Most freethinkers consider religion to be not only untrue, but harmful. It has been used to justify war, slavery, sexism, racism, homophobia, mutilations, intolerance, and oppression of minorities. The totalitarianism of religious absolutes chokes progress.
From how the word "freethinker" is being used, I think it might be more judicious to say that a freethinker is a non-conformist. A freethinker doesn't want to be controlled by dogmas or percepts, instead, he or she tries to form own opinion independent of the orthodox beliefs. A freethinker can be an atheist; but he or she can also be a believer of a faith, but then comes to question the faith, in the endeavour of evaluating the faith with the basis of reason.

[lXl]

choosing a friend and being accepted as a friend aren't the same altogether. u may want to be friends with A but A may not want t o be friends with u . thus, i believe (and experienced) that the rich and famous seldom (if ever) mingle with the poor(it does not apply to all though, somre are really couteous and caring). it is definitely class and status which proved as the barrier for friendship. i 've seen the rich discriminate the poor due to various and crazy perceptions plus first-look appearance. it happens all the time, regardless of place, time or occasion, whether it's in school or in the economy sector. sometimes it is really sad and pitiful to witness such an act but what can we do. don't u guys ever noticed that the rich gets richer, the poor gets poorer and the smart get smarter, the dumb'll be kept dumb ?

[eve88]

i dont think different race/religion/culture is a barrier as such... but students tend to form cliches with people that they're comfortable with...

usually cliches form around people with similiar thinkings and how we're brought up by our parents... so it doesnt depend on race that much (middle class kids tend to stick with other middle class kids and so on...)

the other thing is language... i for one feel more comfortable and am more likely to make friends with those who converse etc in english since my spoken malay and mandarin "sounds odd" :oops: it doesnt prevent friendships.. it justs makes it harder.

lastly, no harm trying to make as many friends as possible. =D

[limz]

well, religion something which is really personal; be it subscribing to any faith in particular for that matter....personally, for me, all religions are ultimately the same; ppl pray to various Gods, and well, its ultimately to God* Himself, which is referred to as differently (different incarnations) in other faiths. so, no matter which faith one professes, its practially similar nevertheless......all religion teaches their disciples to do good always, stay away from negative elements etc....well, as long as one has the right conscience, be true to her/himself, it's not that significant wheter one has a religion or not>
It's more so one's actions/thoughts which would decide wheter one is deemed good or bad...

Beliveing that there's one Person* overlooking all our actions up there, not necessarily any one person* would serve as a guide for us to lead a life in harmony with others. Religion smtimes clogs things up; artificial barrriers are created, mebe due to one's upbringing/community/peers/etc...which leads to insecurities, 'takut dipandang serong' , over having friendships/relationships with ppl of differing faiths...:(

fret not; believes are all simplistic and really practical. as long as one stay true to one's principles *assumptions, again* the world would be a better place to live after all! Let's not let these abstract ideas (faith) divide us; boundaries should be blurred, conflicts/oppresions shuould not be etched in religion....we are OnE.
make the best out of it>
Frens forever>
PUt past differences aside>
We aRe OnE :o

[gal_flower]

How possible are friendships between 2 person of different backgrounds is ultimately dependent on that 2 person.

I won't deny that many people tend to stick in their own niche, which usually involve people from similar background in all sense. This is because human relate better to people who have that similar background. I mean, how can you make jokes in Cantonese when the other person does not understand Cantonese?

However, having friends who are different from you is not that hard either. It's about stepping out of that comfort zone and out of the ring of prejudices. It's about finding points of similarity that is not necessarily from your backgrounds or even finding things that both of you share.

Needless to say, I have more Chinese friends than friends of other races. But this also depends on what classes you were in, what activities you were involved with and who you interact with. It is NOT impossible for 2 person of different backgrounds to be friends. I'm sure there's many testimonials to this.

I'm just wondering, why was this question brought up?

[PJKru]

When i was growing up most of my friends were non malaysians. We had no conflicts other than usual ones among children. But no racism. Of course you can develop friendships with other kids or other races. I just hate people that make up lies about me thats all. If you accept me and dont try and dominate me then i wont have anyu problems with you no matter what race religion you are.