Tolerance

What is tolerance? Christians are often accused of not being tolerant. If a Christian says "abortion is wrong", we are not being tolerant of women who choose to end a pregnancy by murder. If a Christian says "cloning is wrong", we are not being tolerant of science or people who choose to clone for whatever purpose. If a Christian says "shacking up with someone of the opposite sex is wrong if you are not married", well, we just aren't being "tolerant". What is tolerance?

Tolerance is defined by Merriam-Webster as "a. sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own b : the act of allowing something"

There you have it! That's tolerance! It seems Christians may be as "tolerant" as their accusers?

Tolerance to me is knowing a behavior is wrong, knowing an idea is wrong, and still communicating with, or possibly loving, that person engaged in that behavior or adhering to that idea. Tolerating something simply means you can disagree, but still get along.

I read an article recently in the Christian Research Journal that really said it all so plainly. We are easily taken in by the "tolerance trick". In his article "The Myth of Tolerance" Greg Koukl examines how easily we succumb to the trick.

All views have equal merit, and none should be considered better than another. Don't you agree?

Jesus is the Messiah, and Judaism is wrong for rejecting Him. Oh no! Can we say thaaaaaaaaat?

Koukl wrote those statements on the board in a class of high school students at a Christian school. Many immediately objected to the second statement he wrote. "You can't say that, it's disrespectful. How would you like it if someone said you were wrong!"

"In fact, that happens to me all the time." he pointed out, "including right now with you. But why should it bother me that someone thinks I'm wrong?"

"It's intolerant" the student replied, noting that the second statement violated the first statement. What wasn't immediately noticed was that the first statement also violated itself.

Is not the second statement a view? as is the first statement a view? So both views should have equal merit, no? yes?

This presents a dilemma. Both views with "equal merit" are contradictory. Koukl says "if all views have equal merit, then the view that Christians have a better view on Jesus than the Jews have is just as true as the idea the Jews have a better view on Jesus than the Christians do."

What is the solution? "Be egalitarian regarding persons, be elitist regarding ideas."

Treat people equal...but understand that some ideas are better than others. Christians need to be respectful and courteous toward people who may have opposing ideas, but we should not, and do not, compromise our belief system in doing so. Matter of fact, our belief system teaches us to be exactly that, tolerant. Loving. We are told to "love our enemies".

I think sometimes our world confuses the definition of tolerance. It seems sometimes that if you simply disagree, you are labeled as intolerant. That is not what tolerance is. Tolerance is acknowledging a disagreement, yet still be respectful to the person with an opposing belief.
There are some ideas Christians should not tolerate...murder, adultery, etc., but simply announcing these behaviors are wrong does not make us intolerant to people. Terrorism is wrong and we can't tolerate that, but we can respect people of the Islam faith. (and no I don't believe that Muslims are all terrorists, nor do I believe all terrorists are Muslims. Just tolerate me here!)

You can hate my blog, think it's all whacked, but still tolerate me!