"Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions!"And yes, they fiercely believe this sort of retrograde nonsense. In fact, "tolerance" should be changed to "INCLUSIVENESS" AND "a man without" should be changed to "A MAN OF CONVICTIONS!"
Changed in this manner, the phrase would better serve us all as a sign of our willingness to even appreciate that which we do not understand, are comfortable with or know. Hence, the phrase in fact should read:
"INCLUSIVENESS IS THE VIRTUE OF A MAN WITH CONVICTION!"If we look in a dictionary, the word conviction is defined as
"an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence."
As a Catholic, a follower in Jesus Christ and his teachings, I believe in a God of Love. My Christ does not allow for discrimination, intolerance and conditional Love. My Christ believes that Love is the golden rule which we must follow on our ever-challenging path to becoming better human beings.
To say that we "tolerate" means that we
"grant acceptance" to something or someone, but we do so within the boundaries of our own comfort levels. Firstly, it is not up to us to usurp Christ's rule, it is thus not to us to grant acceptance to anyone. Secondly, Christ teaches us that we have to Love all, even those who hurt us – and as painful as it might be, we have to do so.
The love Christ gives to us is unconditional. Whether we attend Chruch regularly, make mistakes and forget his teachings here and there. Christ's heart is open to us all – not just to those who convince themselves that they, and no one else, are the righteous. Pride is a terrible human failing, and yes, even those who bask in their own righteousness are forgiven by our Christ.
His Love in boundless. His Love is non-judgmental. His Love is not discriminatory. His Love is given a'plenty to us all.
During Lent, a period of purification of our soul, let us remember Christ's teachings. Let us thnk of Love and not pride; let us follow in Christ's path and refrain from usurping his role by convincing ourselves that we are the oracles of righteousness.
