Tolerance (or lack there of)
What you do think of when the term tolerance comes to your mind? Do you modify the term with racial, religious, political, sexual, moral, or perhaps grammatical? Does tolerance mean no standard or does mean loose standards? Do you want people to be tolerant of you and your behavior? Are you willing to be tolerant of other people’s ideas or behaviors? How do words play into the issue? Does tolerance mean acceptability or acceptable? Because you tolerate something or a certain behavior does that mean that you approve of the thing or the behavior?
My mother was very intolerant of the use of certain words; words that were defined as obscene, vulgar, profane or cusswords. While I never had my mouth washed out with soap the threat was always there. Mom maintained that only ignorant people used that type of language because they didn’t have better more descriptive words to use. It is very interesting to me to see how the acceptability of words in polite society or “mixed company” has changed over time. The words “fxxk,” “fxxking,” “fxxker” and term “mother fxxker” have long been unacceptable in polite society and yet are much used in wide range of situations. Whatever the definitions might be the words are generally considered to be crude at the very least. They are generally used by people with somewhat limited vocabularies and often with considerable force and emotion.
There is a trend now to the use of substitutes for these words “freak,” “frick,” “fricken,” “freaking,” and I am sure many others. People who I would expect not use the dreaded “f-words” regularly use the substitutes without apology. I recently heard a television personality talking and he used the term “mother sucker” on network prime time television. Where were the censors? This behavior is so common that most people don’t notice or even think about it.
Today in our American society there are a great many folks who what us to adhere to a standard generally known as political correctness. The arbiters of our language (who ever they may be) have decided that some terms adversely affect the self-esteem of persons. Words such as buck and brave are not acceptable for use as mascot for athletic teams. There are myriad of other words that were once acceptable and in common use are now considered derogatory.
We cannot have prayer in schools because the government has taken over the schools and therefore if the children were allowed to pray that would constitute the establishment of religion by the state. The US Supreme court has decided the establishment clause in the constitution means the freedom from religion. That was not the intent of the framers of the constitution at all. “The First Amendment reads "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ....”
Adherents of various political or philosophical views often accuse folks of opposing views of being intolerant. Non- Christians accuse Christians of being intolerant, liberals accuse conservatives of being intolerant, Republicans may accuse Democrats of being intolerant, and the story goes on. So what does all of this mean for you and me? And the answer is it is all a matter of opinion. I have a set of beliefs based on my education, family background, religious training, and personal experience. One the principles that this country was founded on is that I have right to my beliefs as long the adherence to and practice of those beliefs does not cause harm to other people. I believe that I have the right to express my beliefs in public and associate with other people who share similar beliefs. Again this right is limited only in that I don’t harm other people. Tolerance is not really a requirement except that in order to live with other people and respect their right to have their belief requires tolerance. Tolerance does not mean that I must accept their beliefs as being the way I should live; it only means that I must accept their right to have their beliefs and live their lives according to those beliefs.
If I were to quote from the Holy Bible certain people would be offended and accuse me of preaching and or being intolerant. Because I openly share the gospel some people take offense and accuse me of trying to shove my faith down their throats.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:9-15 Holy Bible NIV
My mother was very intolerant of the use of certain words; words that were defined as obscene, vulgar, profane or cusswords. While I never had my mouth washed out with soap the threat was always there. Mom maintained that only ignorant people used that type of language because they didn’t have better more descriptive words to use. It is very interesting to me to see how the acceptability of words in polite society or “mixed company” has changed over time. The words “fxxk,” “fxxking,” “fxxker” and term “mother fxxker” have long been unacceptable in polite society and yet are much used in wide range of situations. Whatever the definitions might be the words are generally considered to be crude at the very least. They are generally used by people with somewhat limited vocabularies and often with considerable force and emotion.
There is a trend now to the use of substitutes for these words “freak,” “frick,” “fricken,” “freaking,” and I am sure many others. People who I would expect not use the dreaded “f-words” regularly use the substitutes without apology. I recently heard a television personality talking and he used the term “mother sucker” on network prime time television. Where were the censors? This behavior is so common that most people don’t notice or even think about it.
Today in our American society there are a great many folks who what us to adhere to a standard generally known as political correctness. The arbiters of our language (who ever they may be) have decided that some terms adversely affect the self-esteem of persons. Words such as buck and brave are not acceptable for use as mascot for athletic teams. There are myriad of other words that were once acceptable and in common use are now considered derogatory.
We cannot have prayer in schools because the government has taken over the schools and therefore if the children were allowed to pray that would constitute the establishment of religion by the state. The US Supreme court has decided the establishment clause in the constitution means the freedom from religion. That was not the intent of the framers of the constitution at all. “The First Amendment reads "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ....”
Adherents of various political or philosophical views often accuse folks of opposing views of being intolerant. Non- Christians accuse Christians of being intolerant, liberals accuse conservatives of being intolerant, Republicans may accuse Democrats of being intolerant, and the story goes on. So what does all of this mean for you and me? And the answer is it is all a matter of opinion. I have a set of beliefs based on my education, family background, religious training, and personal experience. One the principles that this country was founded on is that I have right to my beliefs as long the adherence to and practice of those beliefs does not cause harm to other people. I believe that I have the right to express my beliefs in public and associate with other people who share similar beliefs. Again this right is limited only in that I don’t harm other people. Tolerance is not really a requirement except that in order to live with other people and respect their right to have their belief requires tolerance. Tolerance does not mean that I must accept their beliefs as being the way I should live; it only means that I must accept their right to have their beliefs and live their lives according to those beliefs.
If I were to quote from the Holy Bible certain people would be offended and accuse me of preaching and or being intolerant. Because I openly share the gospel some people take offense and accuse me of trying to shove my faith down their throats.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:9-15 Holy Bible NIV
Posted by Daniel Harsh at 8/8/2011 10:14 AM 
Categories: Christ, God, Faith, Liberal, Theology, Growth, Jesus, Fellowship, Family, Church, Inspirational, Religious, Republicans, Life, Holy Bible, From the heart, Angels, Values, Faith Religion Healing Jesus Church Christian, Human Rights, Truth, Bible
Categories: Christ, God, Faith, Liberal, Theology, Growth, Jesus, Fellowship, Family, Church, Inspirational, Religious, Republicans, Life, Holy Bible, From the heart, Angels, Values, Faith Religion Healing Jesus Church Christian, Human Rights, Truth, Bible
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