Tolerant: showing willingness to allow the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with.Keep in mind that tolerance requires something with which you disagree and the willingness to let it be. Your job, then, is, given the definition of tolerance, rate the following statements as "tolerant" or "intolerant". Good luck.
1. I'm a Christian.
2. I'm opposed to Christianity and think those who follow it ought to be removed.
3. I'm a Christian calligrapher. My business is making fancy wedding invitations. I do not want to be required to make invitations for weddings that contradict my beliefs, but I will recommend other vendors for those people who come to me with such a request.
4. I think that people who refuse service to the LGBT folk on the basis of personal values ought to be fined, jailed, lose their business or some other serious consequence to prevent it from happening again.
5. I oppose abortion and would urge women seeking an abortion to seek alternative help.
6. Deeply held religious values need to be changed in order to keep abortion free.
7. I believe the Bible. I hope that others will, too. You're free to have an opposing opinion.
8. I believe the Bible is misleading, misunderstood, and potentially dangerous. It should not be allowed in public.
9. I think that homosexual behavior is a sin and people who practice it need a Savior.
10. I think that those who oppose homosexual behavior are bigots and haters and deserve whatever bad things come their way.
The End.
(I don't think I need to grade your answers. I'm hoping you can figure it out. Because the irony of those who clamor for "tolerance" while doing so without tolerance as opposed to those who stand for what they believe while being accused of being intolerant is a serious problem.)
4 comments:
Number 1, the most intolerant of them all. I kid, but that does seem to be the widest perception and the loudest voice.
While I agree with the silly flag-planting stance on tolerance among the intolerant, I have to wonder, how many people really fall into either category of your questions? I would think it's a very small (but vocal) minority that take such a rabid stance against Christianity and the Bible, and an equally small minority that adhere to true Christian tolerance. Such a contest would be a game between two managers with no teams. In reality, the games are played by teams like the "Westboro Fanatics" and the "FemiNazis". The general public doesn't like either team, but at least they know some of the players on the more earthly team. Posing rational questions like these are almost a moot point since the two are not playing in the same league, even if the minor league team would wipe the floor with the major league one if they ever got their shot.
It's a bit off topic, and certainly intolerant, but with regard #3, I find no need to expect that Christians must recommend other providers of services they choose not to provide themselves due to their firmly held beliefs. I liken it to this analogy: "I won't kill your wife, but I can recommend someone who will." Either one rejects murder/homosexuality or one doesn't.
Carry on.
Well, in fact, I took #3 (and most of the rest) from actual events and people. As a matter of fact, the Christian calligrapher is a current news item in my area. The florist and the baker in the news both recommended somewhere else. The problem was specifically not "You shouldn't be doing this!!!", but "Don't make me participate."
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