We are living at a time where “tolerance” is a buzz word and contempt is quickly shown for anyone who holds a view that appears to be “intolerant”. This leaves the Christian in an impossible position. Jesus Christ clearly claimed to be the ONLY path to salvation and ONLY belief in Him can lead mankind into God’s heavenly presence. Jesus Christ also claimed to be the sole author of truth:
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)
The claims of Jesus Christ are clearly intolerant of other religious views. Are Christians therefore intolerant to other views concerning salvation? Well, we would certainly suggest that other views are incorrect and false as we believe Jesus Christ demonstrated His unique claims to be true by His sinless life, signs/wonders and ultimately by rising from the dead. If someone holds a view that is contrary to a teaching of Jesus Christ, we would lovingly and respectfully share our disagreements, pointing out the reasons and evidences why. Whether this fits the definition of “intolerance” is up to an individuals definition of tolerance.
One thing that is certainly true – if Christian’s can be accused of being intolerant to others who don’t believe in Jesus Christ, then those others are EQUALLY intolerant of Christian’s, as they hold a different view from the Christian! If two parties hold a different view, they are BOTH intolerant – not just one of them!
We believe real intolerance should be more concerned with how someone FORCES their views on someone else and discriminates against others who don’t hold the same view. These two articles elaborates on this with some good examples:
Stand to Reason – When tolerance is intolerant
Creation Ministries International – The tyranny of “tolerance”
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