Saturday, August 15, 2009

tolerance

A great definition of the word by another blogger:

Being tolerant does not mean that I share another one's belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another one's right to believe, or obey, his or her own conscience.

5 comments:

walk2write said...

Tolerance is admirable and advisable up to a point. But if it means giving tacit or explicit approval to some behavior (expression of belief) that ultimately threatens someone else's life, health, freedom, or financial security--present or future--then perhaps a closer look at what's being tolerated should be considered. Maybe tolerance means being respectful but wary of someone's right to believe or obey conscience.

Clementine Moonflower said...

That is a pretty broad criteria you have there as an argument against tolerance. When I speak of the word, I am talking about religion, sexual orientation, and cultural differences. Tolerance does not mean that you agree with a viewpoint, but that you respect a person's right to decide for themselves what they are going to believe in or how they are going to live their lives without proselytizing your own beliefs upon them. I've been accused of espousing moral relativism by my friends--"are you saying that there is not one truth?"--and no, I'm not saying that. But when groups of people determine for themselves that they have their finger on The Truth, this leads to intolerance and eventually, violence. I am a Christian, but many could argue that Christianity has taken the lives of many and so should not be tolerated. My staunch belief in the importance of separating church and state is based on the fact that religion itself is the most intolerant entity of all.

troutbirder said...

Interesting and thoughful dialogue comments! I've enjoyed skimming thru your blog Yankee and especially like your wit and good humor (most of the time!) Thanks

Clementine Moonflower said...

Well thank you very much, Troutbirder! I will take the above comments as a compliment! :) Can't help but be a little on the offensive/contrary side every so often. I'm a little jaded from working with the general public for so long. I have some photos from some trips I've taken recently which I'm planning on posting that you may enjoy, sans sarcastic comments :)

Clementine Moonflower said...

Well, maybe a FEW sarcastic comments. Wouldn't be much fun without them!

Post a Comment