rant

I feel like a little rant today. This may or may not stay up. Most likely it will since this is my blog and if you don't like it you can just ignore me.

I have seen a string of blogs lately about tolerance. I have a thing about tolerance. I think it is a good thing. I think far too many of us have too little of it. I think that we are all put on this Earth and have been given free will. Just because you don't think I believe the right thing does not mean that I am bad. It means I may have a different perspective than you do. It means I may have different experiences than you do. It means I have been given a gift of a mind and I can make up my own.

One blog I read fairly regularly even though I don't always agree with her (because newsflash we don't have to agree with someone to find them helpful or entertaining) just spoke about tolerance the other day. She was saying that the same people who preach tolerance are intolerant of large families. She went on to say that Christians are largely persecuted and left off the "hey let's show them some tolerance" bus. Of course I am overly simplifying the very well written blog post for my own purposes.

My comment was something along the line of "Do you think that people just seem less tolerant because it involves you. Sometimes I think I loose perspective when it becomes personal." I did not mean to bee offensive. I just meant that I think it s all about perspective.

I have come to believe that Christians are the least tolerant people I know. I think Christians (of which I count myself one) tend to judge everyone harshly. Christians today have forgotten about "Love they Neighbor". I think Christians are the least tolerant people I know. I think they are more concerned with evangelizing than loving. What ever happened to the you'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar?

Having tolerance for other people and their ability to make choices for themselves is something was not taught in my years growing up in the church. I don't believe you have to agree with other people's choices, but they are their choices to make. I cannot make someone chose my beliefs. I cannot make people follow my God's rules and regulations if they do not accept my God's omnipotence. This is something I think the church does not understand. I have no issue with telling people what you think is the absolute truth, but they still have the ability to accept it or not. Here's where I struggle with the church in most instances . . . just because they don't accept it, doesn't make them less of a person. It may make them a sinner in your eyes, but aren't we all? It does not mean that we do not love them any less or give us license to disrespect them.

So what is the solution? I don't know. I hope I raise my kids with tolerance of others and their views. I hope to instill in them the truth that just because they don't accept what we believe that it does not make them bad people. If they indeed are bad people, it is not because they do not believe what we do. I also hope my children value justice and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. I hope they learn to stand behind what they believe in and while they may not back down they will still appreciate other people's opinions. I hope they are good listeners and are respectful of others and their views. I hope they treat others as they would want to be treated. And lastly I pray that they learn Biblical truths and know that Jesus died to save them. I pray they act more like Him than most of his believers do.