The Problem with Tolerance

One of my least favorite words in the English language is “tolerance.”  The word wouldn’t be that bad if it wasn’t used in a way that is contrary to what it means to be a Christian.  I think one of the reasons I dislike this word so much is that it presents a false image of love.  The way it is used in our culture promotes the whole “you do you” concept or “do whatever makes you happy.”  We hear phrases such as these and are expected to just go along with whatever it is that someone is doing.  Our culture’s view of tolerance promotes the concept of relativism, the idea that there is no absolute truth, or that everyone has the ability to create their own truth.  As Catholics, we cannot support the idea of relativism.

Our culture rejects the existence of sin.  We often hear people say things like, “that may be against your beliefs, but you cannot tell other people what to do.”  One common example is abortion.  “You can be against abortion, but you can’t tell other people what to do with their bodies” is a prime example of relativism.  We are told we need to tolerate and accept other people’s choices, even if those choices are sinful.

Another kind of behavior we see in our culture that goes along with tolerance is the idea that if everyone is doing something, it must not be wrong.  The behaviors in our society that evoke the strongest pushback are often those such as contraception, cohabitation, and other selfish behaviors that disregard the value and dignity of the human person.  Catholics are told that everyone is doing these things and that the Church teachings are old and archaic, and that they need to change to get with the times.

Jesus didn’t call us to do what everyone else is doing or to just accept choices and actions that are contrary to His teachings.  While we must love our neighbors and withhold judgment of the state of another person’s soul, we are not obligated to approve of or tolerate sin.  We can and should make judgments on the moral state, or lack thereof, of our culture.  We cannot let the shouts about tolerance from others silence us into apathy and indifference.
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Jesus, thank you for showing us the path to follow.  Help us to recognize when we sin.  Guide us back to you when we stray off the path.  Give us the strength to persevere in a culture that rejects You and the truth.  Give us the courage to speak the truth and not lose our deep convictions of our faith.  Amen.