8 of 40

Write now Article Tools

Their is great power in labeling. For example, classifying someone as a homophobe, means you need not consider the merits of their arguments, just dismiss them with the label. If someone calls you a Christianphobe, they can then assume you have nothing to say, you're simply blinded by hatred of Christians. So it is with tolerance. Applying the label "intolerant" can be deceiving and thus merits a deeper look. For example; if we are told that Deborah is tolerant, we feel good about her, perhaps even grateful that she has achieved that virtue. If, on the other hand, we're told that Carlos is intolerant, immediately we feel negative vibes and may be prone to place him in company with Hitler or other fiends of the past. But;

What if Deborah's tolerance is for those who drink and drive? What if she empathizes with the free spirit and carefree attitude of drunk drivers who simply want to break society's norms and do their own thing?

What if Carlos' intolerance is for web surfing, predatory, perverts, who seek to harm others for their own selfish gratification? What if his daughter was a victim of such predators?

Those questions frame the real issues. To say one should be tolerant, and then quickly condemn intolerance without a deeper understanding or more thorough analysis, is worthless. It is not tolerance or intolerance that is the question, but the focus of that intolerance, and the motivations behind it.

One very conservative and deeply religiously student was seeking a degree in a very liberal field, at very liberal institution. At first he was amazed at the level of tolerance his colleagues showed toward things he considered blatantly immoral. He wondered if there was anything they would not tolerate or accept. However, in class one day, as they discussed how teachers should handle a religiously conservative pupil, their bastion of acceptance suddenly crumbled and he observed prejudice, anger, vehemence, and intolerance in the extreme. It taught him that no single segment of our society corners the market on intolerance. All humans suffer from it, but their targets and motivations do differ. That being the case, we must strive to avoid the label and consider the underlying reasons.

Could it be that a person's intolerance of the Gay agenda is based on their sincere belief that the agenda causes great harm to the society they care about and the people they are under commandment to love? Perhaps there is no hate in it at all. Perhaps their intolerance is actually love based.

Could it be that society's tolerance of moral debauchery and trend toward condemning those who do not agree with them as hate mongers, is actually an expression of that society's own intolerance of the views, feelings and beliefs of others?

Could it be that our fellow beings tolerate what we find to be repulsive because they lack our experience, and understand things differently, and not because they are inherently evil.

The answer to those questions is yes. We must try to be more tolerant of the intolerance of others, in hopes that they will be more tolerant of our own. Then all will be free to get to the deeper issues of target and motivation.

Learn more about this author, D. Keith Shurtleff.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Contemporary religious battles: Faith vs. tolerance?
We want to hear your view. Write now!