by KArBill

Created on: September 10, 2009

Understanding of tolerance and faith is diverse as the cultures we are part of. Along with personal choices of faith and tolerance, cultures have their restrictions and limitations.

Yet there is no faith versus tolerance unless you believe the two are at eternal odds. Whatever faith you have, some form of tolerance is generally preached. What is misunderstood about tolerance it that some think that tolerance is accepting what others believe.

Tolerance is about accepting the person and their point of view without sacrificing your own. If you compromise you belief because you feel that is tolerant, then what faith is that? Faith is not about compromise.

Tolerance is about acknowledging another's right to belief what they want, life and do what they want. It does not require you to change your faith. By compromising your faith, you have no faith and you just changed your belief. Tolerance is what people have been fighting and dying for over the centuries.

Minorities, women, cultures, fight for cultural and religious tolerance; the right to live heir live and practice their faith without persecution and prejudice. THAT is tolerance.

It is not changing or compromising your faith because someone of another faith disagrees. You can disagree and be tolerant but it is not good to disagree and be intolerant. That unfortunately, is what our political system thrives on; discrimination emanating from intolerance.

As a result we have what may be the most polarized and disrespectful society in our history.

People do what they do because that is what they choose to do. It is their freewill.

Faith, belief, claims of tolerances is most often subjective. Being open-minded is another of those issues that could be injected into faith vs. tolerance. People make the serious mistake the actions from the person.

For a Christian and other faiths, we are to be intolerant of sin; wrongful words and actions, but it is wrong to be intolerant of the person. To be tolerant, you need a level of open-mindedness to understand a person's point of view without condemning the person.

The very nature of human beings makes it difficult for many to be tolerant of anything that enters their live as it is for them to keep perfect their faith whatever that may be.

Many tolerant and faithful people suddenly come to realize that they are not so tolerant after all or not as faithful as they thought they were. That is part of spiritual growth for those who do have faith.

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