RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-10-08	Should Christians Tolerate False Religious Beliefs?
		The word “tolerance” has an “older” more original meaning and a “newer” contemporary meaning. The newer meaning of “tolerance” is actually a form of intolerance. It began in the arena of politics, and has found its way into the church. The older use of “tolerance” is what we want to defend. By tolerance we mean sympathy for beliefs or practices different from or conflicting with one's own. OLDER MEANING OF TOLERANCE There is such a thing as objective truth. And objective right and wrong. We should all want to find it, believe it, and live it. Thus, one idea or belief would be “better” than another idea or belief, if it is more true. When a person met someone with a contrary belief, the assumption is that one or both of them may be wrong. Generally each of us assume that what we believe is right. That is why you believe your beliefs! Pun intended. Then they would argue the strengths of their beliefs, hoping to persuade the other person to change their belief. They would each give reasons why the other person was wrong. If the matter is serious enough they may give warnings that the other person needs to change his belief or something bad will happen to them. The older tolerance included arguing and warning each other. Tolerance in this situation meant, “I think you are wrong”. But I will not use force to change your mind. I will not support the use of someone else using force or coercion to try to change you. Older tolerance meant both people believed something to be more true than the other person. And both persons defend the freedom of the other person to believe what they consider to be false. NEWER MEANING OF TOLERANCE Now the newer tolerance does not start with the assumption that there is objective truth. To them there is no objective truth out there to conform to. So the older tolerance becomes impossible. Tolerance no longer means defending a person's freedom to tell me I am wrong. But now it means renouncing the right to tell anyone they are wrong. The concept of labeling a person's ideas is wrong. Newer tolerance is the requirement that nobody pass judgment on another person's beliefs This is a new form of intolerance where you are forbidden from expressing your belief that certain things are so. They would say, “believing that means I am hateful, and a danger to society.” CONCLUSION Christians should be tolerant of other people's beliefs, but with the older tolerance, not the newer tolerance. We should be free to name each other's beliefs as false or inferior without being accused of hate or lack of love. We must defend the fact that calling error, “error” may be the loving thing to do if done in the right spirit. The proper spirit is one that desires the good for the other person. That is why we speak the truth (Pr.27:17). Pro 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Saying we should be tolerant of other people's religious beliefs means that we should humbly and honestly tell them where we stand, and how we understand where they stand. Part of this tolerance that Christians should support is the insistence that we do not support the coercion of any one's beliefs to be similar to our own. We persuade and hold out warnings of what we think God or circumstances may bring about. We plead, but we do not persecute. Tolerance belongs to the very nature of Christianity and genuine faith in God is only possible if it is uncoerced and free. Therefore the older tolerance is built into the very nature of Christianity. And where so-called Christians have contradicted this tolerance in history by using force and compelling belief at the penalty of death, that has been an act against the nature of Christianity. Even if they call themselves Christians. Yes, Christians should be tolerant of other people's beliefs in the older tolerance sense. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

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