No headline

See if you can agree with this T-shirt that says on the front “Intolerance is a Beautiful Idea.” On back it reads: Mother Teresa was intolerant of poverty. Bono was intolerant of AIDS. Nelson Mandela was intolerant of apartheid. MLK was intolerant of racism. Jesus was intolerant of bigotry.

Universally, people tend to accept the moral truth that poverty, AIDS, apartheid, racism and bigotry are wrong and therefore should not be tolerated. The point is that the biblical source of truth and its narrative give tolerance and intolerance their proper definition and understanding. As human beings separate themselves from God and wallow in greed, lust, jealousy, hatred and conflict we see its tragic results: pain and suffering, heartache and ruin, destruction and death. Look familiar? Cultural tolerance doesn’t simply require that we give others the freedom to believe or live differently than we do. It has evolved into a demand that we accept, respect and affirm the rightness of others’ views and behavior or be labeled intolerant, bigoted and even hateful. God is both our definer and our model for true tolerance and intolerance. Intolerance can be a beautiful thing when it is properly defined and deeply thought about.

CHARLES POPE

Sandpoint