Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
History and Religion
Real, Genuine Tolerance vs. PC Pseudo-“Tolerance”

Real, Genuine Tolerance vs. PC Pseudo-“Tolerance”

Last updated on: April 24, 2017 at 7:26 pm by Dave Armstrong

Real, Genuine Tolerance vs. PC Pseudo-“Tolerance” 2017-04-24T19:26:23-04:00 Dave Armstrong

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Jesus knew all about being misunderstood, betrayed, forsaken by friends, hated, despised, slandered, lied about, persecuted, tortured, and murdered. The Flagellation of Our Lord Jesus Christ (1880), by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]

* * *

I just wrote this to a friend here at Patheos, with whom I have significant differences. He was making the point that Christians do lots of bad things, too (who ever said they didn’t?); and perhaps Christianity is at least partially to blame for it.

* * * * *

There are sinners in the Church. Why would anyone expect otherwise? After all, it’s Christianity that teaches original sin (a belief quite despised by non-believers), which holds that we are all fallen and in rebellion; we’re all sinners. This is presupposed in the notion that we all need to be saved by the blood of Jesus. Salvation requires a previous fallen state. So why would anyone be surprised that Christians sin like everyone else? It’s what we teach will always be the case!

But we also have plenty of examples of sanctity and holiness and heroism among our ranks. They’re just not talked about as much as the sinners, because the latter is very “sexy.” :-)

I recognize the hurt and emotions involved [i.e, of being on the receiving end of bad behavior done by professed Christians].

I also would like to highlight the distinction between having a belief that certain beliefs are in error (I’m an orthodox Catholic and hold to all that the Church teaches, just as Pope Francis does), and being intolerant or bigoted or hateful towards those who hold them. The latter doesn’t necessarily follow from the first at all. But we’re in a crazy “PC” culture now where seemingly any disagreement is automatically seen as equal to hatred.

Christianity (as an institution) teaches love, following the example and teachings of Jesus. He asked the Father to forgive the ones who were killing Him. He was compassionate to prostitutes and adulterers. He ate with the despised tax collectors and the almost-as-unpopular Pharisees. He told us to forgive people 70 x 7 and to love our enemies: even those who despise us and spitefully use us (Sermon on the Mount), and to love others as He loved us.

It doesn’t follow that He didn’t disagree with their sins. He told the woman in adultery, “go and sin no more.” He didn’t say, “hey, your morality is no better or worse than anyone else’s . . . “

We also need to distinguish between what individual Christians may do and what we [institutionlly / formally] actually teach. You can always find Christians that will fall short. I can find them on the block I live in an hour, if I were to go door-to-door and take a survey.

The Ku Klux Klan claims to be Christian. Anyone who knows anything about Christianity at all knows that they are not, and that it is a farce, but a dangerous one.

There are people who hate me, despise, detest me, simply because I am a Catholic (within the Christian community). I’ve had things said about me that would curl your hair (or straighten it if it’s curly). I’ve also been detested for being a pro-lifer, and a conservative (generally speaking).

I’m not saying that this opposition is anything like the horrors and hatred that homosexuals have historically experienced, but just noting that there are aspects of bigotry and hatred that we all have been subjected to, to some extent.

I’ve been slandered online for 19 years now. It’s virtually a weekly experience. This is public slander, in front of thousands of people (mostly coming from fellow Christians). I don’t lose a minute’s sleep or spend one hour anxious over it. It’s a joke to me; but I’m just saying that it’s there, and that all of us have some significant personal opposition from one group or another.

And in that sense we all have at least partially the same experience, and can empathize a bit.

The truly tolerant people are the ones who actually honestly disagree with a belief-system, yet treat the people who hold it lovingly and compassionately, and can be friends with them.

It’s quite easy, on the other hand, to have a view that there is no right and wrong, or that all moral systems are subjective and equally valid, and that no one can condemn any error whatsoever, and be “tolerant.” That’s easy as pie.

We’re truly “tolerant” only towards those with whom we disagree; folks different than we are.

But there’s the rub. All through human history we know that people badly treat anyone who is different from them. This is the tragedy of human history.

The solution to that is not to say that all views are equally valid and legitimate; but to say that we should love all people, regardless of any wrong views they hold or bad behavior that they have done. And that is, of course, what Christianity teaches.

And it’s very difficult to consistently and wholeheartedly apply; consequently we see wide violations of the high, noble ideal. Does that reflect on Christianity per se? No; it demonstrates that people are sinners! We all are. It’s only a matter of degree.

Inquisition & Crusades & Scandals

Political & Ethical & Moral Issues

sinners in the Church

Previous Post

November 25, 2015

My Apologetics Question & Answer You Tube Session

Next Post

December 1, 2015 Grace Alone: A Biblical and Fully Catholic Teaching

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category & Last Things About Me Anti-Catholicism Atheism & Agnosticism Baptism and Sacramentalism Bible and Tradition Blessed Virgin Mary Books by Dave Armstrong C. S. Lewis Calvinism & General Protestantism Catholic Apologetics Catholic Apologists Catholic conversion Catholic converts Christmas Church (Ecclesiology) Church History Conversion and Converts Development of Doctrine Eastern Orthodoxy Ecumenism & Christian Unity Eucharist & Liturgy Fathers of the Church French Translations G. K. Chesterton Hell Hell & Satan Hell & Satan & Last Things Heresies & Comparative Religion Holistic Health Inquisition & Crusades & Scandals James White Jews & Judaism & Old Testament John Calvin John Henry Newman Liberal / Modernist Theology Life Issues Literary Resume Lutheranism Mariology Martin Luther Music Orthodoxy Papacy & Infallibility Personal Page Philosophy & Science Political & Ethical & Moral Issues Protestant Persecution & Intolerance Protestantism Purgatory Purgatory & Penance Romantic & Imaginative Theology Saints & Purgatory & Penance Salvation Salvation & Justification Satan & Last Things Sexuality and Gender Issues Spanish Translations Traditionalism vs. Radical Catholic Reactionaries Traducciones al español / tradução para português Trinitarianism & Christology Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 April 2010 March 2010 December 2009 October 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 March 2009 February 2009 October 2008 September 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 May 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 October 2005 June 2005 April 2005 February 2005 July 2004 May 2004 April 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz