I think the generality of our society has forgotten what "tolerance" is and what it means for the average American. I'd argue, however, that in the brainwashing that's occurred over the past few decades, we've forgotten the importance of intolerance to the point where it's become something of a bad word.
Now, when someone says someone else is "intolerant" it carries with it a pariah status. To the average American citizen who doesn't engage in politics or cultural issues, being called "intolerant" is a horror.
But intolerance is actually necessary for a society to function well. Like everything, nuance and moderation must be applied, but intolerance is necessary.
Kirk Cameron, celebrity and evangelist, had a very good take on this during his appearance on "Timcast" with Tim Pool.
“My understanding of people who are being tolerant and turning the other cheek, I see so many who are just tolerating evil,” Cameron said. “And that’s not loving your neighbor.”
He continued:
At the end of the day, the two great commandments of Christianity are to love God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and the second is to love your neighbor like yourself. If you tolerate the kinds of things that bring misery to your neighbors, and ultimately strip them of their liberties, you’re not loving them.
Cameron makes a good distinction on what a Christian man like him might tolerate. If someone steals his jacket he might also offer them his shirt, banking on the fact that their conscience will eventually overpower them and get them to start questioning their own behavior against kind people.
However, he draws the line on tolerance, when it comes to wronging children or attempting to squash the liberties of the people.
Truly wild that this guy played the main character in the Left Behind movie. Love seeing him on @Timcast. pic.twitter.com/wXp2dAeq9f
— J. Chase Davis (@jchasedavis) February 23, 2024
I've always been the kind of guy who appreciates the "live and let live" philosophy because I want to be left alone to my own devices, and I have no desire to be responsible for my neighbor and what he wants to get up to. I have no desire to be my brother's keeper outside the neighborly boundaries of politeness and consideration for those who live around me.
But there's a line to draw in the sand and one that should never be allowed to be stepped over by anyone, even someone in a position of authority.
Especially someone in a position of authority.
Every day, a new story comes out that details some new horror being inflicted on society by the same people who scream about the need for "tolerance" and "acceptance." As I wrote about both of these things in a previous article, neither are actually the virtue they're being sold as:
Tolerance for other's lifestyles, so long as they don't impact yours, is perfectly fine. I am not my brother's keeper, and what my neighbor does within the confines of his own home is his business, as mine is mine. I'm not necessarily just tolerating his lifestyle that I may disagree with, but I am agreeing to a mutual form of privacy and freedom.
But acceptance is the idea that my neighbor should not only be able to do what he does in full view of me but that I should applaud and rejoice in what he does in public. It's the idea that, if he so chooses, he should be able to teach my kid about what he does with or without my consent, and I should sit and let it happen in the name of "acceptance."
This is not a virtuous action. As I said before, this is actually a submission to another.\
READ: 'Acceptance' Is Not a Virtue
Christians are often labeled "intolerant" for their refusal to embrace destructive behaviors. I would argue that America could use more Christian intolerance and a lot less Western "acceptance." The reason we should is pretty easy to see at this point.
We have political activists of every variety pushing unmitigated corruption, mental illness, hate, and fear in the population, and with great success. Our children are being forced to become accepting of groups that demand loyalty and participation in self-destructive lifestyles. Our corporations are basing their hiring, promotion, and even product creation on looking diverse, inclusive, and accepting instead of on the best product they can make. Our medical community is doing the same, putting lives in danger. Our military is a shadow of what it once was, and even veterans are dissuading their children and grandchildren to sign up.
What we need is intolerance. Intolerance is the key to solving this problem. We should be intolerant of this kind of intrusion into our liberties and the lives of our children. We should be intolerant of this level of incompetent stewardship. We've become too tolerant and unwilling to hear the accusations and cries of intolerance and just shrug at them.
Maybe you and I are good with those labels, but a solid section of the public just isn't.
It's time to start normalizing intolerance. Obviously with nuance and discernment, but intolerance should make a comeback nonetheless.
