Reading this post and the subsequent comments about Jerry Falwell was like listening to a bunch of 2nd graders bicker. “Was not” “Was to” “Not” “To” “Not” …
Basically the anti-Falwellians were complaining about how intolerant he was. The pro-Falwellians then criticized the anti’s for being intolerant hypocrites. All which reminded me of something I’ve been mulling over on the back burner of my mind for a while:
What does it mean to be tolerant? Can you be tolerant of those who are intolerant?
If I have a migraine, I can either tolerate the pain or I can take something to make the pain go away. The latter is not the same as the former.
If there is someone who holds beliefs different from mine, I can either tolerate that person and his/her beliefs or I can (try to) convert her/him to my own beliefs. The latter (attempted conversion) is not the same as the former (religious tolerance).
Christian Fundamentalists are — by self-definition, I would say — an intolerant bunch because of the exclusivity of their beliefs. It’s kind of like having someone claim that 2+2=5. You can tolerate that belief all you want but that person really is wrong and in need of correction. That’s how the Christian Fundamentalist feels. Everyone else really is wrong and in need of correcting. Jesus said “I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life,” after all. Tolerance is no more an option here than with arithmetical errors.
And that’s their belief. And so we, non-Christian-Fundamentalists, who are all for tolerance and religious pluralism, should respect that belief and be tolerant ourselves and let them believe what they want, no?
Of course we should, BUT …
But what if they don’t keep their beliefs to themselves? What if they try to make me do something I don’t want to do or try to stop me from doing something I do want to do by getting legislation passed or influencing the government or getting elected to political offices? What if they don’t just practice their religion on Sunday but bring it to work with them on Monday? And what if they let their crazy religious ideas influence how they act?
What if they try to pass anti-abortion laws to prevent me from having an abortion even when I believe that abortion is my decision and my right? I mean, if they are against abortion then they shouldn’t have one. But to tell me what I can and can’t do is not right. Doesn’t it make more sense — isn’t it being more tolerant — to not have anti-abortion laws? That way, everyone can follow their own beliefs.
Or what about homosexuals and same-sex marriages? Same deal applies.
So, what if they don’t play well with others? How can we be tolerant of them when they are so intolerable?
…
Well, unfortunately, I don’t have the answer … yet. Comments, anyone???
Sphere: Related Content
Do we need to remove all the spices in the kitchen, just because we don’t need them? If I don’t want to put cayenne pepper in my apple pie, I don’t use it, but I needn’t throw it out just because I will never use it. Isn’t a well-stocked kitchen the best? Or a cafeteria full of choices?
Not to them! The Fundamentalists don’t see a rack full of different spices to be used in different dishes as you desire. They see “their” spice and then a bottle of arsenic and a bottle of hemlock and a bottle of cyanide. And it’s that drastic.