Tolerance is pretty much defined as "those who agree with the most popular stand on things."
Sadly, this is true. If I state that I believe that there is a God, a heaven and a hell, and some moral absolutes and if I add to that a conviction that certain lifestyles are, in fact, wrong or sinful, I am going to be characterized as intolerant. Why? Because I've said something unpopular.
See, what burns my biscuits is that people will look at that list and assume that I'm either swallowing some ages old dogma that's been rammed down my throat and I'm just too insanely deluded to see past it. Or they'll think I'm narrow-minded and intolerant.
The other mistake I see is that when I say "certain lifestyles," others hear, "People who live certain lifestyles." I resent that. I reserve the right to think that, for instance, Rush Limbaugh is, as Al Franken says, a big, fat idiot. But people who listen to his show may not be. I think alcoholism is pretty bad. I don't think alcoholics are, though, by default. Same with drugs. Same with prostitution.
Plus, I tend to think I'm pretty tolerant (probably just because I'm arrogant). But I tolerate all sorts of things. That doesn't mean that I can't have convictions, beliefs and opinions, though. I don't know when 'tolerance' became synonymous with 'wishy-washy.' I think that the people who avoid taking a stand on any issue because they might offend someone are roughly on par, mentally, with defective jelly fish. It's not wrong to hold convictions.
The intolerance I see exercised most often is against those who have beliefs different from what's selling best on CNN or Fox "News."
And another thing I might as well throw in here while I'm at it. For all those who say they have a problem with "organized religion" when they really mean "Christianity," STOP. Say what you mean. I see the term bandied about by several people when they really mean they can't stand ... oh... Reverend Phelps and TBN. STOP. For the love of something remotely accurate, stop. Or have you forgotten that Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Hinduism can all be classified as 'organized religion,' too? But no one seems to mean those religions when they say it.
And if you don't like Christianity, at least have a reason. Don't say because you went to church with hypocrites when you were a kid. So did the apostle Paul. This may strike some people as a news flash, but the church wasn't created as a refuge for perfect people. It's made up of people who aren't perfect. And as much as that might bug you, you're not perfect either. It's the weakest, most spine-lacking, cop out to let someone else's actions be your excuse.
If your reasons are instead that you don't find anything compelling about the Christian faith and care to list specifics, great. That at least opens the door for dialogue -- on a human level. Not everyone is out to prosyletize you; don't start out defensive and you'll find you have much less cause to ever be so -- at least with me. I can't (and won't) speak for anyone else.
Those two may not really seem that connected, but they are: if you can't make up your mind, don't resent the fact that I have. It's not close-minded to have convictions. I posted a quote here once that said (roughly) a person can have considered the evidence and still think you're a moron. While I wouldn't say it that strongly, I'd probably say a person can consider the evidence and still believe you're wrong. Tolerance isn't about agreeing with everyone. It's about allowing them (and being allowed) the right to disagree.
And disagreeing, by definition, means each party believes the other to be in error. It takes two to oppose.
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