Is it true that Mormons are quick to defend other religions because of their own experience with religious persecution?

I have no idea whether this is a stereotype or not, or a commonly held notion, but I appreciated this question my friend asked me so much.

Religious tolerance is not a common principle. It is not considered a basic right. Religious intolerance has been a common thread in my experiences over the last few years and have been both a source of trials and sorrow as well as an opportunity to grow in the face of opposition and adversity.

As with all stereotypes and assumptions, my word by no means disproves them. What I am more concerned with is dispelling the notion that one can speak for all. When I learned about mediation and communication, one of the essential guidelines was that we were to always state our opinions in the "I" form to own our ideas.

I personally believe in the importance of religious tolerance, and the right for people to worship whatever sources they have experienced truth in. I believe this because when I chose to convert, people were not supportive of my faith, and preconceived notions fueled their worry that I was joining a brainwashing cult. Luckily my friends were quick to notice that other than the fact that I didn't drink alcohol/coffee/tea and stopped swearing I was still the same person. However there was a person who made my conversion public and confronted me on several different occasions which caused me a lot of pain and anxiety. He did not speak from a place of understanding and personal experience, he spoke from a place of perceived intellectual superiority and did not even try to hide his open prejudice.

I felt severely wronged at those times, during those conversations. I did not appreciate the attacks... and I call them attacks because they were not seeking discussions about doctrine or anything... they "knew" what they knew and were not seeking out the truth, only to have their notions confirmed, which I couldn't do... because most of the stereotypes were unfounded.

I was surprised and shocked by how involved people got in my personal conversion process. It was not deemed enough that I was happy about my choices and satisfied with my situation, they needed to unleash some inner resentment of the faith.

I remember how misunderstood I felt... nobody asked me for my own opinion on the matters, many failed to ask me why I joined the Church in the first place... most had decided that because I was dating a member of the Church I joined out of love for him. The truth is incredibly different.

I know that I have the tendency to assume things about people and institutions, which is why I confess I am eager to think the best of other faiths as well. I know that Mormons have serious misunderstandings and stereotypes floating around which has brought a lot of negative publicity and developed a strong stigma on this aspect of my identity.

I hope that people will seek out the truth from reliable sources... and I don't mean just me... I mean wikipedia it, contact an official Church leader or representative, wikipedia it, cross reference that information with the official website lds.org or mormon.org, and then combine it with your own personal experiences with members... and then form your own opinion. Please do not rely on one source.... one scandalous news story, one bitter person... and not on my blog, and my ramblings.

This does not only apply to religion of course, this is an important habit that I try very hard to develop when I stay informed on current events. Fox News, NBC, BBC, Al Jazeera, Daily Yomiuri... all of these news sources say something different. It is up to us to figure out what we find to be true... and even then, to stay open minded. Just in case the truth may turn out to be very different to what you thought it was.

I hope that I will be as willing to give other religions the benefit of the doubt in exchange for being given the benefit of the doubt about my faith... until more knowledge and more truth is unearthed.