Tolerance in the Church

[KarenJo5]

I agree with some of the others that some were hard to answer.Yes or no was hard to decide in some instances.

Welcome to Worthy

[Northern lass]

[

]

I f you read collassians 3:12-14, you will see that he is talking about bearing with 'each other' meaning 'as God's chosen people' We are not God's chosen people until we accept Christ, How do you know God's people?.. you know them by thier fruits, This verse has nothing to do with telerating those outside God's chosen people.

[Kabowd]

I took the survey, hope it helps you out.

By the way, the classical definition of "the principle of tolerance" is that a person believes that his own moral view is true and his opponent's is false. However, he respects his opponent as a person and respects his opponents right to defend his views. Therefore, a person has a duty to tolerate a different moral view (i.e. treat the person holding it with dignity and respect)....it does NOT hold that he must think the opponents view is morally correct. In other words, the strictest sense of the meaning of the classical view of tolerance is that we tolerate a person, not necessarily a person's ideas.

There is a more modern version of tolerance which differs from the classical view because it holds that tolerance means that one cannot even judge whether or not another person's views are false.

[Arthur Durnan]

Tolerance of WHAT is the determining factor. The word "tolerance" is a neutral word.

http://arthurdurnan.freeyellow.com

[Kabowd]

Tolerance of WHAT is the determining factor. The word "tolerance" is a neutral word.

http://arthurdurnan.freeyellow.com

As I stated above, in the classical view of the principle of tolerance, the more accurate question would be tolerant of who, not "what". The view holds that there is respect given towards the person who holds a differing view, not that respect is given towards the view itself.

[nebula]

As part of my dissertation which is about tolerance in the Church, I have compiled a questionnaire which I need as many Christians of a variety of backgrounds to complete! Please help me!

Hey -

I took your questionaire, and I too had difficulty with some questions. I had to leave some blank - just so you know.

Here's the difficulty.

"Tolerance" in our society has come to mean everything and everyone is valid and no one has any business saying otherwise (unless the "thing" is intollerance - and that includes sin.)

So, "tolerance" in the church in the eyes of many of us is a deceptive word.

I believe in diversity; I believe in acceptance and respect of those that are different. However, when it comes to tolerating homosexuality, abortion, adultery, improper dress, etc. - we should stick with Biblical principles. That doesn't mean we throw stones at the person, but we do not "accept" the behavior.

Hope that makes sense.

[Floatingaxe]

I haven't read the whole thread as yet, but all I will say at this point is that we, the church, are not called to be a people tolerant of sin. We are to stand out and stand up! We are light and salt. Let's behave as such, tempered with love.

[O'Dannyboy]

I took your survey and found myself unwilling to answer one of the questions. Tolerance or Identity? Normally I would have said tolerance, but in this case the question is asking if I consider myself more important than everyone else, which I don't. The question basically asks if you prefer to work alone or as part of a team. I personally would prefer to be on a team, but if the members of that team agree to cheat or lie, then I will not contribute to that team and it would have nothing to do with any desire for individuality. I find it interesting that my definition of tolerance does not sync with that of the dictionaries of today and it seems to me that the definitions seem to change as often as the words are misused. I can tolerate loud music, just not while I am trying to sleep. I can tolerate the smell of puppy breath, but I wouldn't want to smell it all day long. Tolerance, for me, is the enduring, not acceptance, of conditions, situations, speach or actions that I don't agree with or find unpleasant. People can learn to tolerate many things which may cause them discomfort but if they were given a choice they would gladly choose not to be subjected to whatever it is.

Christians are accused of being intolerant when, in fact, you will not find a more forgiving and kind hearted group. The thing is that our forgiveness is somewhat limited to those who ask for it and those who regret their sins/wrongdoings. Those who flagrantly flaunt their sins, as in Gay pride parades, are not finding it easy to gain acceptance and are quick to accuse Christians of being closed minded and hateful. These tactics are nothing more than propaganda to elicit a reaction of guilt by Christians who simply refuse to accept such practices as socially beneficial or in keeping with biblical teachings. There are, of course, other situations where the tolerance card has been played as well, such as with other religions. Christians have been and are accused of being intolerant of other religions despite their being constantly persecuted throught the world. The majority of those accusations have come from atheists, on behalf of the muslim faith, or so it seems. The same faith that demands that all who do not convert must be killed. The same religion that calls for the death of all Jews. Yet, we Christians are labeled as intolerant. We Christians "tolerate" Islam, because we must, but if we had a choice it would not even exist.

It's not a matter of intolerance, but our refusal to accept that which we believe to be wrong as "just the way it is".

[nebula]

Bravo, Danny!

Excellently spoken!

[Floatingaxe]

OK, did the survey. Very interesting. Question 15 was a bit confusing..shouldn't it be a yes/no answer?

I sure hope you let us in on the results!