Intolerance under the guise of tolerance?
I've been astounded at the lack of tolerance exhibited by those who claim to be tolerant. First, there was a hubbub over the Focus on the Family ad that ran during the Super Bowl:
Now the same folks are mad about another simple ad that was subsequently yanked by the NCAA because they're apparently afraid of looking intolerant!. Wait, aren't these some of the same people who rail against censorship (like, every professor at every university in the NCAA), or is that just me? Oops, didn't mean to poke that hole in their bubble of illogical thought...
Here's a simple question: why does a positive message from a group (any group) become something objectionable? I mean, if a group of GLBT people got together and released the same kind of ad, would the NCAA yank it because it is objectionable to people of certain faiths? Or better yet, if and Islamic family group posted a similar ad would there be the same kind of outcry against their "homophobic, anti-woman" position?
There aren't easy answers to these questions (and I'll admit, I was mad when the lady in charge of this group was on the news tonight because she cannot see anything outside of her selfish, intolerant agenda; that anger even led me to be irate at my wife in her less impassioned reminder to "be all things to all people"), but what we must address is the main issue: love. If those who are anti-everything-we-believe-in cannot be tolerant (which is defined as "the act of allowing something" particularly where it is applied to something conflicting with our own beliefs!), what should be our response as Christ followers? Jesus was never a pushover where sin came into play and fought extremely hard for those who were downtrodden or didn't have any power to fight for themselves, but what would He do? Let's take a look...
Jesus had harsh words for those who were self righteous (especially the church folk who made it impossible for others to enter the kingdom of God), but where did he come down on those who were sinners? Most everyone can tell you that He let the woman caught in adultery go, but what did He really do? He sent the self-righteous sinners away and told the woman something as she left: "Go and sin no more." Does that sound easy? Does it sound like the "just live and let live" mentality that many have today? Or is it a stand for a singular moral compass that should guide everyone's life? The answer can change our lives, but it isn't for the faint of heart!
Now the same folks are mad about another simple ad that was subsequently yanked by the NCAA because they're apparently afraid of looking intolerant!. Wait, aren't these some of the same people who rail against censorship (like, every professor at every university in the NCAA), or is that just me? Oops, didn't mean to poke that hole in their bubble of illogical thought...
Here's a simple question: why does a positive message from a group (any group) become something objectionable? I mean, if a group of GLBT people got together and released the same kind of ad, would the NCAA yank it because it is objectionable to people of certain faiths? Or better yet, if and Islamic family group posted a similar ad would there be the same kind of outcry against their "homophobic, anti-woman" position?
There aren't easy answers to these questions (and I'll admit, I was mad when the lady in charge of this group was on the news tonight because she cannot see anything outside of her selfish, intolerant agenda; that anger even led me to be irate at my wife in her less impassioned reminder to "be all things to all people"), but what we must address is the main issue: love. If those who are anti-everything-we-believe-in cannot be tolerant (which is defined as "the act of allowing something" particularly where it is applied to something conflicting with our own beliefs!), what should be our response as Christ followers? Jesus was never a pushover where sin came into play and fought extremely hard for those who were downtrodden or didn't have any power to fight for themselves, but what would He do? Let's take a look...
Jesus had harsh words for those who were self righteous (especially the church folk who made it impossible for others to enter the kingdom of God), but where did he come down on those who were sinners? Most everyone can tell you that He let the woman caught in adultery go, but what did He really do? He sent the self-righteous sinners away and told the woman something as she left: "Go and sin no more." Does that sound easy? Does it sound like the "just live and let live" mentality that many have today? Or is it a stand for a singular moral compass that should guide everyone's life? The answer can change our lives, but it isn't for the faint of heart!
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