A. Roy Medley, general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA, said that "live and let live" tolerance "does not rise to Jesus' standard of 'loving my neighbor as I love myself.' We do not choose our neighbors, but we are nonetheless called to live and work for their well being as the expression of love. As neighbors in a common society, that means at least ensuring the full rights and participation of the other in civil society.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Beyond Tolerance
Linda Brinson at Ethics Daily has posted a helpful story entitled "More than Tolerance Needed to Achieve Interfaith Integration." Of all the people she interviewed, including myself, Roy Medley summarized the issue best:
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3 comments:
That which is tolerated is second class. Equality is first class.
When I "tolerate" someone, it implies that I am superior. I don't like the word "tolerance." Even the word "love," as some Christians use it - for example, in the cliche of "hating the sin and loving the sinner" - can still imply a superiority on the part of the one doing the "loving."
If love is to be the agape love that Jesus taught and lived, it must reflect a spirit of respect, not mere toleration. Jesus' love recognized the dignity that God gave every soul when He created humankind in His own image.
That's the kind of love that we as Christians must live out every day in every relationship, in our every word - a love that gives the respect due to every human being; a love that - as you, Bruce, implied in your quote in the Brinson article - recognizes that we have something to learn from everyone we encounter.
I believe that there must be acceptance between all religions because lets face it, no one religion is going to convert all the others. I believe as a Christian just as Muslims and Budhists believe, that my God is the one true God. That doesn't or shouldn't imply that I see myself as better than anyone else. That said, I do not support the mingling of religions. Debate is good but to try and combine religions shows ones doubt in his or her own beliefs. http://jamestreysopinion.blogspot.com
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